Icefall

Icefall by Kirby, Matthew J. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780545274241.

The author of The Clockwork Three deftly weaves a brand-new tale that leaves readers racing breathlessly to the end. Solveig, a princess, is trapped in a hidden fortress, tucked between towering mountains and a frozen fjord, with her siblings, her friend Raudi, and an army of restless soldiers, awaiting news of her fathers victory at battle. As they wait for winter and the unending ice to break, acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. First, the larder is emptied, then the men protecting Solveig and her siblings are poisoned. A malevolence seeps through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another. Those charged with protecting the kings children are all suspect, and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. But who can be trusted so far from their fathers watchful eye and unchallenged authority? Can Solveig, her brother and sister, and Raudi survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he (or she) succeeds in destroying a king, his empire, and his children?