CITY OF ICE still has the creativity and fantastic world-building of CITY OF FIRE, but suffers a little bit from "mid-trilogy" malaise. Scirye and her companions continue to struggle with the morality play of working together and deal with magical forces beyond their comprehension, and they continue to chase the villains that threaten the world as they know it. Luckily, their adventure into the arctic offers thrilling new landscapes, new mythologies, and new friends to meet along the way.

As fascinating as Auntie Pele and her Hawaiian volcanoes were in CITY OF FIRE, I found the snowy reaches of the Arctic Circle even more interesting. As an added bonus, we are able to dive straight into this new landscape from chapter one, as our heroines and heros were winging their way there at the close of book one. The interaction of myth and magic on the tundra was more than enough to hold my attention, and helped carry the story when I became impatient with the insecurities of Scirye and her friends. Though the emotions were completely plausible for children in their position, it wasn't a compelling part of the story for me.

CITY OF ICE from a world-building perspective is as lush and interesting as any in this series, but the character development languishes as Yep sets up conflicts for book three. Even with that criticism, however, I know that the concepts and landscapes that were so beautifully written in this book will stay with me long after I finish it. Certainly long enough for me to remember to pick up the last of the City Trilogy when it's available.

Full review to follow.

Sexual Content: None. ( )