Prisoner of Ice and Snow and The Wolf Wilder [MG Reviews]

• Prisoner of Ice and Snow has been on my owned TBR since 2018. IIRC, I purchased it during my first (and only) order from Book Outlet. I’ve always held it for a winter read but never got around to it. Finally, I picked it up in December while waiting for some other MG holds to come in.
• Overall impression: a pretty average MG read. Relatively lighthearted and easy reading, despite the seemingly heavy subject matter. I don’t think there were any actual magical elements, thought it is set in a Russia-analogue secondary world so I’m calling it ‘fantasy’. The story is light on the worldbuilding and nothing especially clever or unique happens, but it could be a good entryway for kids who like this sort of thing.
• The story does have a banger opening. Protagonist Valor fakes an assassination attempt on the prince within the first 20 pages. She wants the Queen to imprison her alongside her twin sister Sasha, with the intent of rescuing her. After that, the story’s mostly political intrigue and secret deeds rather than action (thought there is still some).
• The story incorporates notions such as “incarcerating children is bad and doesn’t lead to reformation”, “don’t let another country access your ports to launch their warships”, etc. But that’s as deep as those ideas go. They aren’t explored further or truly challenged in a way that impacts the characters. The story is simply a prison break story, with the added benefit of resolving the country’s cold war subplot. The last couple pages leave way for a sequel, published in 2018.
• I almost didn’t notice that this society may be a matriarchal! Lauren writes so smoothly a world where men and women are equal. (It seems Princess Anastasia will succeed her mother the Queen because she is eldest, not because she is a girl.) But on reflection, it was pleasant to read a middle grade secondary world book where boys and girls are on equal footing with the same opportunities afforded to both. See this author interview.
• 💭 The Bottom Line: While it’s nothing fancy, Prisoner of Ice and Snow could be a fun read for those looking for an easy introduction to political fantasy, or those who enjoy escapade stories.

• My last read of 2024! I had checked out The Wolf Wilder from the library several times over the years, only to never be in the right mood to read it. Thankfully, I persisted. It turned out to be one of my favourite middle grade reads of 2024.
• I did not intend to read two wintry Russian reads at the end of 2024, but here we are. Like Prisoner of Ice and Snow, The Wolf Wilder doesn’t explicitly have any fantasy elements. I’m considering being able to relate to and ride wolves as ‘fantastic’.
• Feo makes a delightful protagonist. She’s fierce, funny, and perhaps there’s some truth to the neighbours calling her “half-feral”, as she has grown up among wolves rather than people.
  • “[Feo] reminded herself to tell as little as she could. She hoped Ilya would do the same. if not, she might have to tread on him a bit.” (pg 99)
• Thank goodness this book is not told in first person. Feo’s own narration would have diminshed her personality. Lately I’ve been reflecting on why, especially when reading middle grade, I prefer third- over first-person. I deeply value the observations and even insights of a third-person (whether limited or omnisicent) narrator. I’m glad not to be trapped in a singular biased perspective (biased in the broad sense that we are all biased from our own point of view). I am especially glad not to read an ongoing narration of every little thing the protagonist observes or every little move they make… in third-person rather than first-person, it feels easier or more natural to compress and expand time as needed.
• To get back to The Wolf Wilder specifically: Rundell writes scarely more than a paragraph describing simple actions. Each paragraph builds the story either through world building, plot propelling, character developing, or character relating (ie characters building relationships). (I strived for parallelism in that sentence so don’t mind my odd constructions lol.) In sum, this has been my first attempt at commentating on style and characterization and how the two can influence each other.
  • “One wolf was white, one black, and one a grayish mix with black ears and the face of a politician. They could not be called tame – they certainly would not come if you called – but nor were they wholly wild. And Feo, the neighbors said, was half feral herself, and they looked in horror at her wolf-smelling red cloak. It made sense, then, that Feo and the wolves would be best friends: They met each other halfway.” (pg 13)
• A major theme of the novel is kids taking action and forcing change when adults hesitate – a message that feels more important than ever these days.
• The story does have some wolf deaths, so it may be considered pretty dark in terms of animal abuse.
• I have now read three Rundell novels (The Wolf Wilder, Impossible Creatures, and Rooftoppers). I’m struck by how different each have been, yet all catch a spark of wonder and magic in them.
• 💭 The Bottom Line: The Wolf Wilder is an exemplary middle grade novel, still worth reading 10 years on. Especially recommended for readers who enjoy animal companions, wintry woods, and historical rural/village settings.

Do you have a favourite wintry story? Bonus points if it’s set in Russia. 😛