The fourth book in the Dwarves of Ice-Cloak series takes us to a time when the old times of prosperity are long gone and the dwarves are facing new challenges.

The third book saw the dwarves flee from their underground kingdoms following the attack of a dragon. Since then, they lived in the human kingdoms as traveling caravans with no permanent home, reduced to crafters for hire. Worse, as a payment for them being allowed to exist in their refuge, the kingdoms require each caravan’s men to serve several years for the humans, in the mines or the army – with little care for tracking their term properly. In this way of life, 900 or so years passed.

The story follows Tourmaline, a dwarf woman freshly into adulthood. She is a descendant of the main characters of the previous book, shown the most by owning a heirloom made of living steel. As the daughter of a caravan leader, she knows many of the stories of old and wishes the dwarves could return to the lands they once inhabited.

However, things aren’t as simple – these lands have become a wilderness, with trolls and ürsi roaming around, even though the human armies are trying to cull the latter at least in some areas.

When Tourmaline’s caravan is destroyed by fire, she decides to leave the human lands and seek the mountains where her ancestors lived – a long journey which will first require her to leave the human lands – and while the humans aren’t too fond of dwarves, they aren’t too fond of the idea of just letting them leave their kingdoms as they please, either.

Before she reaches the border, she encounters a dwarf woman whose partner was just taken by the humans for his term of service and, eventually, they ambush the small group of humans to free the dwarf and four others. Thus, this group of six dwarves leaves the human lands in search of their ancient home, led by Tourmaline’s heirloom to show the way.

What follows is a long journey where the dwarves, so far used only to caravan life, face the harsh nature and the threats within. Hunger and monsters are their main enemies as their meager supplies dwindle. But, eventually, they reach the mountain where their ancestors once lived. Inside, they find a tragedy frozen in time – workshops and homes abandoned in haste. And, also, the dragon who chased their ancestors away centuries ago.

I will not spoil how the confrontation goes.

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Read date: 22.4. – 2.5.2024
Published: 15.7.2023
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,17/4,4
My rating: 80%
Length: 386 pages
My highlights – I’m facing issues with highlights Goodreads syncing, so I can’t share those right now.

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As with the previous book, it has an open ending after dealing with the dragon, which isn’t my preference, but the story is enjoyable.