‘Icefall’ by Matthew J. Kirby

“Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Princess Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors awaits news of her father’s victory at battle.”

This book creates a whole different world created by Matthew J. Kirby. The characters in the book faced many challenges, for example surviving off the food that was left. In the book there was a traitor amongst them and I couldn’t figure out who it was.

This book is a simple book maybe recommended for older primary schoolers to young high schoolers. When I say simple I don’t mean boring without an interesting plot, but it seems these days that many different books have magical and mysterious plots in these sort of books.

At the end of the book you’ll feel clueless and be like ‘Oh I See Now!!!!’ I rate this book 3 out of 4 because of its juvenile mystery.

Brooke M., Year 8

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Berserkers, skalds, princesses, princes and warriors all trapped in a frozen fortress. Solveig, the youngest daughter, saves the loyal members of her family. If you’re into this kind of scene, then Icefall is for you.

Facing a war with rival warlord Gunnlaug, the king sends his children Asa, Solveig, and Harald, to a remote fjord with a group of the king’s most trusted warriors. Solveig begins to realise how big of a mistake that was. Unsure of what she is worth, she deals with everybody else’s problems while facing the isolation with berserkers and along the way she discovers who she is. This is a well-written story about Vikings and the struggles they had to endure; the cold, harsh winters and what they’d do to survive.

Icefall is a well written book although it is very slow. I found Icefall not keeping up with my pace and energy of reading. The main character’s development was too slow with her depressive thoughts dragging her down. Honestly, it was well written and had a well thought out plot. The story began to flow quite nicely after the basic character developed. There isn’t a lot of romance, at least not with Solveig, but her relationships with the men in her life are the most interesting relationships in the entire book: Alric, the skald (a storyteller and keeper of legends) who helps Solveig find her calling; Raudi, the childhood friend with whom Solveig fumbles uncertainly toward possible romantic feelings later in life; and Hake…oh goodness, Hake. The leader of the fearsome berserker warriors, Hake’s relationship with Solveig was my favorite of the entire book.

Overall the book Icefall was enjoyable to read but had some flaws. A nice book to read on a rainy day. Out of 5, I would give Icefall a 3/5 rating due to the slow beginning. Great for teenage girls, from grade 4-7 who like a strong female protagonist. Other books that readers who are into books like these would be Coraline, The Golden Compass and A Wrinkle in Time. MacKenna F., Year 8.

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June 9

‘Brotherband: The Outcasts’ by John Flanagan

Welcome to the brotherband. They’re outcasts, but with ingenuity and courage on their side they might just surprise everyone. If you like the sound of that and you like ‘Rangers Apprentice’, ‘Brotherband’ is the book for you.

To become a warrior in Skandia you must go through brotherband training. When Hal Mikellson finds himself the leader of a brotherband he must use his brains to help them win. He must overcome bullies, be challenged and tested to the limit, undergoing team rivalries, all so that these unwilling teenagers can come out with the title of the winning brotherband. He meets a mentor, Thorn, who teaches him how to overcome mental challenges and physical challenges. The main characters in this book are Hal, Stig, Thorn and Tursgud.

I enjoyed the book ‘Brotherband’ because it was relevant in ways to today’s society. With the theme of overcoming mental challenges, it had a lot of action in warrior fighting and combat. I was glued to it because even in the less action-packed parts of the book, the author John Flanagan still made it interesting and the descriptive language made it easier to imagine the setting and the appearance of the characters which made it much more enjoyable. The ending was easy to understand and linked well with the next book in the Brotherband series “The Invaders”

I recommend this book to young teens and and adults between 12 and 25 who are interested in warriors and combat and enjoy tactics and action. This book is a very satisfying read. I’d rate the book 4 out of 5.

Thomas H., Year 8

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November 13

‘Brotherband: The Outcasts’ by John Flanagan

Imagine you and your friends are on a splintered ship sailing through the treacherous, rough and unforgiving seas. Well that is what Hal, a young Viking in training has to face in order to get his victorious title.

This amazing novel is only one of many of John Flanagan fictional quests and is certainly a thrill to the reader. It is filled with challenges, raids and extraordinary adventures that leave you in cliff hanging suspense. John Flanagan has started an extremely enjoyable series and his endless thought and amazing plot lines make this book impossible to overlook.

Life for Hal has never been great. He has had to grow up without a father figure to look up to, which is difficult when you live in a town best known for its warriors. He is also known as an outcast due to his heritage, a slur that will stay with him for the rest of his life. But Thorn, Hal’s best friend, slowly shakes him out of that thought and helps him become the leader and warrior he always wanted to be and, in the future, needed to be.

The cruel and harsh trial of the Brotherband training is the only way anyone in the town can become a fierce warrior. Teams are put head to head and try to survive the fierce environment that the Brotherband’s training has to offer. When the rules change and a third team is allowed to participate, Hal finds himself with the role of captain of the ship Heron and a crew of outcasts like himself who have barely even seen each other. It is up to Hal to show his team what the Brotherband training is really about and train them harder than they have ever trained before so as they can have even the slightest chance of winning.

This is an unbelievable novel and I have read nothing like it. In every corner you are given close calls and kept in cliff hanging suspense. John Flanagan’s amazing skills of writing thrilling adventure, action and fantasy novels have really excelled in this book especially. He sets the scene perfectly and with such attention to detail, so much so that it actually feels like you are in the action.

I highly recommend this book, especially to teenage boys looking for an amazing adventure. This is definitely one of John Flanagan’s best and he keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very end. I give this book a 5/5 as it kept me in the thrill and action of a real medieval Viking journey from beginning to end and is a fantastic start to a series that I am now looking forward to reading.

Caillin, Year 9

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Are you a person who loves adventure books filled with challenges and fighting? Well Brotherband: the Outcasts is the book for you with many adventurous challenges involving navigation and battling. The story is set in the times of the Vikings on an island called Skandian where groups of boys are placed into bands where they must complete challenges for points.

Hal is the main character in the story who unwillingly finds himself the leader of the Herons whose guardian is his friend Thorn who was requested to protect Hal by Hal’s father when he died.

I liked the book because the book has interesting challenges and makes you not want to put the book down. This is also a good book because it had heaps of action to keep the book exciting and the book is easy to read and people can easily relate to some characters.

I would recommend this book to males aged between 12 and 17 who are interested in action-adventure books because teenagers can relate to some characters.

I would rate Outcasts a 4 out of 5 stars because it is an enjoyable book to read.

I personally don’t know why you haven’t read this book yet if you haven’t read it. You won’t regret it. It’s a ‘must read’ book.

Jack, Year 9

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May 18

‘Brotherband: The Outcasts’ by John Flanagan

The Brotherband series, written by John Flanagan, is a five-part series of books about a group of eight outcasts and their journey to retrieve a holy item that was taken from their village.

This book is set in the times of the Vikings and is about a group of boys who come from the country of Skandia where, in order to become known as a warrior, you must face three months of training in groups called brotherbands. This book follows the adventure of Hal and Stig, two boys turning 16 and their journey through three months of weapon training, battle skills and ship handling, along with their six companions. These eight were all outcasts because they were regarded as different.

During their training, they are under the watchful eye of the ex-drunk Thorn, who is Hal’s guardian by the request of Hal’s father, Mikel, who died in battle. Thorn was also regarded as an outcast because of his right arm being lost the same day as Mikel lost his life.

This novel also partially follows the pirate Zavac, who captains the raven, a large black war ship. Zavac, along with his 50-man crew, attacks traders for their gold and wares. During the months of training, Hal’s brotherband, the Herons, raise to the top of the challenges to become the victors, only to have their victory ruined by an attack from raiders, seeking the mysterious amber artefact, the Andomal.

I quite enjoyed this book and have enjoyed what I have read of the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to a teen audience and rate it 4½ out of 5 stars.

Lachlann N Year 9

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Blood spilling, waves crashing and swords slashing. In Brotherband The Outcasts, you will find all this and more. In this book you will see the tales of an old sailor by the name of Hal, being set to the challenge of making a Brotherband out of five outcasts: Thorn, Ulf, Wulf, Jesper and Edvin.

The story is set in an old town by the name of Skandian. It’s an island where young boys are chosen to be apart of a Brotherband and fight in wars.

Hal is an old sailor who saw is dad die when he was still a young child. People think of him as a drunk living on the streets. Thorn and his misfit friends have all been declined from a Brotherband. One day Thorn gets a job as a craftsman building boats. Halfway through a build, the man paying for the ship dies. Thorn pays the rest of the money so he may have the boat. He makes a brotherband out of himself and his friends with the leader being Hal.

The book has an amazing storyline that hooks you straight away. If you like action you’ll like this book. This book combines fighting, sailing and a good story all in one.

The novel would be good for teenage boys who like action, fantasy, a good story, hardship and friendship. Nicholas L., Year 8

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Do you like adventure? Do you like action? Well this is the book for you! Will Hal and Stig survive the Brotherband training?

Set in the Viking times, this story happens to be twelve years after Mikkel, Hal’s father’s death. Erak, captain of the ship, called for an attack so when they reached their destination, he sent his two best warriors to invade and inspect first: Mikkel and Thorn. Mikkel was a taller and skinnier man and Thorn was a shorter more solid man. Best friends, these two went in for attack. Out of the blue, they were seen. A spear was thrown, hitting Mikkel in the heart, a nightmare, witnessed for Thorn. He fell over and as he died, Thorn promised him that he would take care of his family (his ten-year-old son and his wife). He rushed back to the ship and they had to leave immediately before they were attacked. On the way back home things weren’t too good either. There was a massive storm with heavy rain and thunder. This caused a big stress on the ship. Thorn’s right arm got tangled in rope and then it snapped and ripped off. This made Thorn even more depressed. He couldn’t fight, attack or do any of his daily tasks.

Six years after this incident Thorn became a drunk. Every night he tried to drink his depression away until Mikkel’s wife told him to deliver what he had promised to Mikkel, to look after his wife and son which he was way off doing. She let him work around the house for a minimum wage.

Another six years later he had become what he’d used to be. Hal had got a job with Anders, the local ship builder. Anders had a ship that he wanted to sell so Hal bought it. He later named his ship the Heron. He had to get ready for Brotherband training. During Brotherband training in Skandia, sixteen-year-old boys are taught the basics of ship navigation and fighting. A total of twenty-eight boys are divided into three for each Brotherband: the Herons, the Sharks and the Wolves. Hal, finding himself the unready leader of the Herons, must push and challenge his team to the limits to survive the Brotherband training.

I liked this book because it’s interesting and intriguing because it’s adventurous and set in the Viking times. I would recommend this story for 12 – 17 years boys to read.

By Jake B., Year 8

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A bunch of misfits trying to be warriors… What do you think they will do? To achieve their goal of becoming a warrior they must be chosen and placed in a particular team and complete a hard course that goes for months. It targets their skills in seamanship and fighting.

This is a fantasy and action based book that is set in the Viking age, which means there are frequent wars that come and go. It is hard to make money, so Thorn and his colleagues work at a boat shop where they make boats and sell them to the public. One day Thorn and his colleagues were coming back from a raid and the sea got very rough. The boat started it sink but Thorn, being the brave person everyone knows him as, tried to save the boat and a bit of vine got caught around his arm and ripped his hand straight off his arm. Twelve years after Mickle’s death, his son Hal has been training and a person who builds what he wants to with the help of his good friend Stig. But he also has another friend he hangs out with called Anderson a local ship builder. A while after helping Anderson, Hal buys a ship and names it Heron. He learned to sail it and after training he chose to beach the Heron and start training for the brotherband. The young men aged 16 were put into a group, The Herons, alongside The Wolves and The Sharks. Hal found him the leader of the Herons, which was made up of a group of outcasts who were friends.

This book was a good read but in my opinion this book is more for older kids from 12 to 19 to really understand it. In conclusion, the book is a great book but the younger kids wouldn’t understand most of it and would probably get bored very quickly.

By Lochie, Year 8

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Will he be chosen or not? In Skandia, there is only one way to become a fierce warrior. Only the brave and threatening men can be chosen for the Brotherband. The men are chosen for teams called Brotherband and must be trained for months and months of hard and terrifying training. The hard men train with sharp and frightening weapons and battle with tactics. Hal Mikkelson is the leader of the Brotherband.

There are two brothers Thorn and Mikkel who are the most frightening warriors. All of a sudden Mikkel gets a spear thrown right through his back, going through his heart out the front of his chest. That day Mikkel dies being a brave and fierce warrior saving the people in need. After that Thorn was heart broken. He didn’t know what to do in his life. Thorn was not in good shape. He turned into an alcoholic. Mikkel’s wife was heartbroken because of what happened to Mikkel but still stayed strong. She wanted Thorn to teach some kids how to battle so he could get back into shape. Mickel’s wife convinced Thorn to do it. After all Thorn’s experiences with battling and training hard he would have had to be an amazing trainer. Thorn trained Mikkel’s son for him to protect his mother seeing she has no one else.

After sailing the Heron, Hal beaches the ship and gets ready for Brotherband training. During Brotherband training boys who are 16 in Skandia are taught the basics of fighting and ship navigation. While Brotherband training continues, a Skandian fleet is attacked. The leader of the pirates, Zavac, demands to know about the secret treasure of Skandia. The leader of the trading fleet vows not to tell until he sees that one of the pirates had grabbed his nephew. Knowing that his nephew shouldn’t die for his mistakes, the head of the trading fleet begins to tell about the treasure, the abnormal, knowing that it is well guarded. As he talks he remembers that one night every year it is not so well protected.

I liked this book because there was lots of action and there was always something going on that wasn’t boring. I would recommend this book to males aged from 12 to 16.

By Seth W., Year 8

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November 8

‘Outcasts’ (Brotherband #1) by John Flanagan

Mighty Viking raids, awesome battles and fierce warriors. Brotherband, Outcasts by John Flanagan has all of this and more.

This book begins twelve years prior with a Skandian Viking raid of a small town. Mikkel and Thorn are the mightiest warriors in the raid and deal with the village’s horsemen easily. As they turn to leave, a terrified villager kills Mikkel. It then goes on to tell of his son, Hal, twelve years later, who is struggling with fitting in because of his Araluan heritage living in a small Skandian town.

Hal then becomes part of the brotherband program, a training program where three ‘brotherbands’ compete against each other in various challenges such as wrestling and a sprint. He finds himself leader of the Heron brotherband, which is made up of outcasts who weren’t chosen for the other brotherbands. Hal somehow has to attempt to build his brotherband’s confidence to beat the Sharks, a brotherband made up of Tursgud, who bullies the Herons, as well as his followers.

Meanwhile, there is the mystery of Thorn, who somehow went from being a mighty warrior to a crippled drunk. The book ended with a cliff hanger that will make the reader want to read the rest of the series.

I enjoyed the plot of this story as well as the characters however I found that it doesn’t do a good job at keeping the reader interested and there aren’t many twists and shocks; the story is a little predictable. This book would be suitable to a male pre-teen to early teen audience who like an adventure. People who enjoyed this book might also like the Rangers Apprentice series and the rest of the Brotherband series. I gave this a four out of five as I thought it had a good plot and some interesting characters.

Anthony M. Year 9

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Drunken one-armed warriors and angry spear throwing villagers is what you might expect in Brotherband: Outcasts by John Flanagan.

The beginning of the book is set twelve years before the main story begins its course. Two Skandian warriors, Mikkel and Thorn, have set sail on the ship the Wolfwind to raid a small village. The raid was carried out successfully and everything was going according to plan, but out of nowhere, a spear thrown by an angered villager impaled Mikkel and killed him within minutes from blood loss. The story then pans to his best friend Thorn, who after Mikkel dies, loses his arm in a ship related accident, and his life slips away. Before Mikkel died, he requested that Thorn look after his wife Karina and son Hal, who later becomes the main character in this tale. Hal is not the strongest boy and is more of the type to be a ship builder but like any other Skandian boy he wanted to join the Brotherband program to learn how to fight like a warrior. As most books with a scrawny hero, there is a girl involved that he likes very much. This causes problems with Tursgud, his bully.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it is a very moving story of a boy who becomes a man. It has all the elements of a great fiction/Viking book. It describes every scene and character with great detail and doesn’t skip a beat in any action scene.

I would recommend this book to fiction lovers in their teens from about 13-16. It is a boy book with a lot of the main characters being male, and it has a little male humour touch. It has a Viking or pirate sort of feel, with a bit of adventure in there. If you like books like Deltora Quest or the movie Pirates of the Caribbean you would definitely be interested in this book.

Aryan S, Year 9.

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June 11

‘Brotherband: The Outcasts’ by John Flanagan

Daring moves, amazing battles, fierce Vikings!

If you like all these things than this is the book for you. I especially liked this book. It is the real medieval battles that would have taken place long ago.

The book starts with two brave Vikings. One dies and the story progresses with his child the other Viking losing his arm but still raising his friend`s child to be as great as his father. His son Hal has a creative mind and has designed his very own ship for Brother Band. Brother Band is where young Vikings go to learn how to sail, raid, use weapons and detect ambushes.

There is only one little problem. Hal can`t enter because he does not have enough friends to assemble a crew. He does not have many friends at all, well only one friend in fact. How will Hal be able to assemble a crew without friends? Without a crew he will not be able to sail around the world discovering new places or ever being as great as his father.

This is great book for 10-14 year olds because it discusses peer pressure and also allows you to realise you don`t need many friends to be happy, you just need good ones and that is really all that matters in life – having good friends that will always be there for you

I rate it**** stars because it is a little slow to start off because the Viking that lived turned into a mean homeless piece of junk, until Hal’s mother gets him off his feet and makes him a better sober man. After that he ends up being the handy man of the house, getting through life with only one hand but that hand becomes very strong and that might help Hal out later on.

Rohan, Year 8

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Hal, an inventor like no other, experiences the dusk and dawn of Skandia battle training. Hal is joined by fellow outcasts to win. The test to strength and teamwork was at hand for a bunch of outcasts. Could Hal and Stig lead their team to victory? Find out in the amazing book: ‘BrotherBand: the Outcasts’.

The book ‘BrotherBand’ is set in the country of Skandia, known to be a not so populated country, but it is well known for battle and boats. Hal, a young adult, is being bullied as he is an outcast. An old warrior by the name of Thorn has helped Hal and his mates to train. The story is about the lives of outcasts who have to use teamship and tactics, as they are to be the future warriors. The main characters in the story are Hal and Stig. They are only young adult outcasts, fighting for their team. Hal had created a new and fast boat, as Hal is known to be an amazing inventor.

The amazing author John Flanagan, who is also known for an international bestselling series ‘Rangers Apprentice’, produced the book ‘BrotherBand: The Outcasts’. I personally enjoy the book, as I would rate it a three and a half out of five. The parts I appreciate the most would be when they battle against the others. Another few moments would be when Hal is creating a new invention. I would recommend this book to readers from the ages of nine to fourteen who are interested in medieval Vikings and battle tactics. I would also recommend it to people who enjoy a story of medieval battle. The only slight disappointment was that the start slightly drifted away from the story itself and it was slow until the action and crafting of Hal.

Jordan, Year 8

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Imagine you’re 16 and you’re about to face life or death situations. Welcome to Hallasholm in Skandia where there is only one way to become a feared warrior. When boys turn 16 they are put into brotherband training, which is three months of grueling challenges, fitness and warrior training, where you need important teamwork, leadership and extreme strength.

The main character in this book is Hal. He and his best friend Stig are both outcasts. It’s time to pick the brotherbands. Names are called and people are walking to their new brotherbands. But Hal and Stig aren’t chosen along with six other boys. Sigurd makes these outcasts a brotherband. Hal is elected skirl and knows he is about face an even tougher three months. In these three months the three brotherbands will face challenges like grueling fitness, extreme battle training, challenging seamanship and stealth in night raiding. Will they be able to overcome these impossible challenges and win brotherband?

I really enjoyed this book because of the way John Flanagan wrote it, the way you couldn’t stop reading it. There was climaxes in many parts of the book. The start of the book was very slow but when it reached the middle of the book it was great, and action filled. The ending was great, left on a cliff hanger. I will definitely read the rest of the series.

I would recommend this book to 12-16 year olds who are interested in vikings and seamanship. This was a complicated book at times so the younger kids wouldn’t be able to read it. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 because of its slow start. This book was a great read it had many climaxes and many action filled parts.

Mitchell, Year 8

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The Ranger’s Apprentice series were thrilling, mysterious reads – and all were excellent books. But John Flanagan’s new series, Brotherband, has taken all of the best traits, qualities and elements out of Ranger’s Apprentice and merged them together to create a stunning new accompanying series that dwells in the depths of the dark side in the unknown world he created.

Welcome to the Hallasholm, in the fictional country of Skandia. This book is filled to the brim with daunting pirate ships, dangerous adventures, and challenges that push the characters to their very limits! John Flanagan really has shown us his imagination and creativity in this novel!

Hallasholm is a seaside town, where the mountains meet the sea, and the sea meets the forest. The streets of Hallasholm are filled with local breweries, merchants, townhouses, eateries, and boat docks and shipyards. Hallasholm is the ideal place for Brotherband training, where young knights challenge themselves to become fighting warriors!

When Hal reaches the age of 16 and begins brotherband training he’s a little worried because he has no other real friends in life except for Stig. So when head counting commences, the trainers start to realize that there are too many boys for only two brotherbands. Hal is a little shocked when a sudden change in the rules allows for another Brotherband, full of other outcasts just like himself who are complete strangers to each other; and Hal is voted in as their leader. No one is serious about this training, but the instructors give them a real sample of what brotherband training is all about. Hard work, discipline, seamanship, good sportsmanship and fitness challenges are all that the boys have in store for them for the next three months and Hal isn’t even sure what to do with his team yet!

Will the other Brotherband members ever unite and work as a team? And will Hals team ever prevail when they have to compete against the other competent and dominant Brotherbands?

The story is a mix of fantasy, adventure, action, and challenges with surprises found around every corner on EVERY page. I was entertained by the feeling of suspense, mystery and the author’s practical, detailed and inventive writing technique. It provided me with a sense of realism but at the same time it took me away to a whole new and unfamiliar world that was completely different to the one we know now. The author’s writing style keeps you on the edge of your seat, making you want to know what’s going to happen straight away.

I recommend this book to people that are aged between 12-16. This is book is VERY well written by a great author and is very descriptive but can be a little confusing at times with the storyline. I’d rate this book 8/10 stars as it is truly a great read!

Owen, Year 8

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November 14

‘Brotherband’ by John Flanagan

Welcome to Brotherband training, where teamwork, leadership and strength is needed to survive. But what happens when a Brotherband team is full of outcasts and weaklings? Can they pull it together and win? Who knows! Find out in the fantastic book ‘Brotherband’.

Being a warrior is a way of life in Skandia and young adults are put through Brotherband training, which requires tough and gruelling months of seamanship and battle tactics. The main characters in this book are Hal and Stig.

I really enjoyed the book ‘Brotherband’ . It is about a young adult called Hal. Hal is a very intelligent boy. He likes inventing and working on projects. Hal has only one friend, Stig. They are both outcasts. When Hal and Stig are sent to Brotherband training they have to go through team selection and as usual all the outcasts are last to be picked and are put in a team together. Hal is picked as a leader. Everyone laughs at the fact that the outcasts have no chance, but with Hal’s inventive skills can he cause an upset?

I would recommend this book for ages between 10 and 15 who are interested in Vikings and seamanship. If I were to rate this book I would rate it a 4 out of 5. It is an excellent read. Its only downfall is that it has a slow start. Peter-Year 9

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