Written by Sasha Stephenson
This story takes place first in Pennsylvania at Lorna and Callie’s home. We get an idea of what life is really like living with Callie in this setting and Lorna’s attitude about her home life. Lorna loves Callie and takes pride in having the responsibility of taking care of her. The second part of this story takes place on the road. Callie starts to show signs that she desperately needs to go somewhere, and although Lorna has no idea where that may be, they pack up the car and drive. While on the road, there is a complete change in Callie’s attitude. Instead of having fits and seizures, Callie is happier and calmer than she has ever been.
The novel is narrated by Lorna. Stephenson does a good job of using Lorna’s attitude and actions to show what teenage life is like without making it overly cheesy. In the book, Lorna befriends a boy named Stan that has a brother that came from the same place Callie did. Stan is awkward and never had a social life or friends because all of his time goes into taking care of his brother, Ted. Lorna and Stan find comfort in each other because they can talk about their siblings and understand what the other person is going through. There is a romantic relationship in the book, but it is not with Lorna and Stan. Instead, Lorna has a relationship with a minor character that doesn’t play a strong part in the plot of the story. I appreciated how Stephenson didn’t make the second main character a love interest for Lorna, but just a friendship.
Stephenson’s writing style is geared toward teenagers. Some others that have teenagers as the intended audience go way off when it comes to showing teenage life, but Stephenson is relatable instead of cheesy. She uses a lot of good description which made it very easy to picture the settings in my head. Stephenson also uses a lot of emotion in her writing that makes the reader feel like they have a connection to the characters in the book.
In Iceling, by Sasha Stephenson, seventeen-year-old Lorna would do absolutely anything for her adopted sixteen-year-old sister, Callie, and Callie would do the same if she were able. But Callie can’t speak, or even understand, any language at all. She was adopted under unusual circumstances. Callie, along with hundreds of other infants, were found on an abandoned ship in the Arctic. After a series of stranger than normal events, Lorna and Callie take off on an adventure to see if they can get some real answers about where Callie came from and who she really is.
Iceling is only book one in this series, so the ending leads into the beginning of the next book. It leaves you on a bit of a cliff hanger because it doesn’t solve the major conflict. The ending leaves the reader with unanswered questions and anticipation. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to pick up the next book.
Do you recommend this book?
Yes
Language
PG-13
Sexual Content
G
Violence
PG-13
Drug and Alcohol Use
PG-13
Review by Taryn Felt, Student, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: YA Fiction
Iceling
Written by Sasha Stephenson
Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House
304 pages
Release Date: December 13, 2016
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
