Ice Apprentices
A BREATHTAKING new children's fantasy series
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A frozen world, mighty monsters and spellbinding magic. Journey to the very edge of the world in this BREATHTAKING fantasy trilogy.
Perfect for fans of Skandar and Philip Pullman . . .
“The Ice Apprentices is an extraordinary fantasy debut. The world-building is stunning, the pacing perfect, the characters immediately relatable. Oswin is endlessly curious, hilariously funny and wonderfully kind - he became my new favourite hero within a few sentences. North is such an exciting new talent in middle grade.” A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series
Tundra is the last settlement in a world of ice. Oswin Fields is its only stray – a foundling, rescued from the Endless Expanse. So, when he's summoned to the school for ice apprentices, he sets out to prove his worth.
But all isn’t as it seems in this enchanted place. When the beasts begin to strike, Oswin has to risk everything he holds dear. Can he look deep within himself to find the strength to prove that he belongs?
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As a stray, or outsider, living in Tundra—the last human community in a world of ice and snow— transgender 13-year-old Oswin Fields faces "resentment no one has dealt with since the Great Freeze" and is considered a drain on resources best left for native Tundrans. Nevertheless, he's invited to study magic in Corridor, an institution in which ice apprentices train to protect Tundra and ensure the community's survival. There, Oswin discovers that his uncle was an infamous traitor. Worse still, there's no mercy for strays at the already dangerous school, which is beset by bizarre monster attacks shortly after Oswin's arrival. Tentatively befriending gender-fluid gadgeteer Maury Craftwright and prickly, privileged Ennastasia Barkmoth, Oswin attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding Corridor, the attacks, and his own shadowed heritage, including why a disembodied voice keeps commanding him to "steal the ghost." Gritty atmospheric prose by debut author North renders inventive elemental magic alongside Tundra's lore and challenging living conditions, for strays and natives alike. The easy and much-needed camaraderie Oswin finds among the memorable characters, who are described as having varying skin tones, adds heart to this chilling page-turner. Ages 8–12.
