Let me tell you, I enjoy reading the Ranger's Apprentice stories.  I have read the first 3 and plan to read them all.  The Icebound Land continues the story started back in Book 1.  The events there lead to Book 2 which left us readers hanging on for Book 3 and this book continues the trend of moving the story along.  It just doesn't feel like a complete story, and a reader would be hard pressed to jump in at this point.  Will did not do much but get hooked on a weed drug and poor Evanlyn had to carry the load (h'mm, isn't the title of the series "The Ranger's Apprentice"?).  oh well, I am getting to like Halt more and more and I have to hand to the author for the way he portrays Horace (as brave and bold instead of crying and wining all the time).  I understand it is a series, but it is like I am reading "chapters" in a really long novel (over 2,000 pages when all the books are counted).