The Ice Lion by Kathleen O'Neal GearMy rating: 68 of 100 stars
Pages : 304
Year : 2021
Genre : Post Apocalpytic Fiction
Series : Rewilding Reports #1
First book of 2024. As I write this novel I am happy that I finished. This is clearly YA Sci-Fi on which I will be reading another one this month and you can definitely understand why is YA. It's way to simple, the page read goes up effortlessly and I ended up reading a novel in one day if you count only hours. I also read 60 pages of Neal Asher's Departure. So, branding everything sci-fi is just idiotic. There's a reason this is YA and that's hard sci-fi. Here , although alien world, was really easy to get into. You get the meaning of some stuff as you go along and you never really feel lost. On the other hand, neal asher, if you don't understand a word (and you won't ) you feel confused and hoping for a more clear water.
This novel has been on my mind for some mind. With only 300 pages I knew it would be fairly easy read and something to begin the year with. I've been reading several of Gear's novels (both her's and her husband) and although this is the first YA it has their characteristics. If you've read the people of the north America in a post apocalyptic wasteland of ice and cold, then you got it. This tale is told in around 50 chapters, alternate between Lynx and Quiller. Both are 16 and childhood's friends. The problem? Quiller loves Lynx and Lynx chooses another girl to marry but on the wedding night she ends up killed by some lions (ice lions?). Branded as a coward , but not wanting him to be dead or outcast they send him on a mystical quest . There he finds a Doctor Arike which he thinks it's one of the lost Jemen. On the other hand we follow Quiller as she tries to survive this new world without him but being a SIMP. Yeah I know it's usually a male but in this case it's her. Even knowing that he would never choose her, she goes at great lengths to protect him like a mother protects his son. Some dialogues, and actions are pretty YA that makes my black hearth cry thinking that writers a) think people behave like this or b) they are right and people do act like this. Don't know which is more depressing...
Courage isn't the province of the brave Lynx. It's the virtue of the terrified. IT's what happens when you have no option left.
One of the most inters testing aspects is the worldbuilding. There are some interesting stuff here like who are these pseudo-indians (we already know who they , after all in the end they provide some spoilers) and what happened to the world. What is Zyme? What are the Ice Giants etc. There are so much to be found and I want to do it. I will read it. But my enthusiasm dwindle a little to be honest. The market is not me. The market is a 12/16 year olds.
Oh and before I forget, although it's a frozen landscape, rarely they talk about it and how it affects them. It sure as everyone living through it like it's a winter in Portugal. It bothers a little but very bearable. Another thing that upsets me was where the action took place. My god, they travel miles or days yet they always find someone they are looking at. For a frozen landscape with a thousand survivors they sure are all in the same 10 feet.
Another thing that upset me was the length.. This could easily be a duology of two 400 pages book. it ended awkwardly and the justification like they did for another novel "people nowadays want smaller books". Who said it? Probably the publishers and writers since they will sell more. People don't want to pay thrice for a book that could be one or two. I will give this book a 7 out of 10.
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