Cover:
I think this is my favourite cover of the series. Why? Because it has Butler on it, of course!
Writing:
As with the first book, Colfer yet again gives us his unique style of writing with witty dialogue, humor, and fast pace without any unnecessary descriptions. This series could never have been made what it is without the writing that gave the story life and character.
Setting:
The book is set between the arctics of Russia and back in the fairy city of Haven. Like the first book, I was fascinated with the world of the fairies and loved seeing more of it. The technology however was still a little hard to grasp, nothing that ruined the book for me though.
Plot:
I love Colfer's narration as the story goes back and forth between our heroes and the antagonists and the clash between them. I loved reading about how Holly and Root work with Artemis and Butler to rescue Artemis' father in exchange for Artemis helping them find whoever leaked the information about the LEP. I'll tell you one thing, although I really enjoyed the first book, it gets even better in The Arctic Incident.
Main Character:
In the beginning, Artemis Fowl II was very much the intelligent and cold boy he was in the first book. But as the book progresses and he has to work with Butler, Holly and Root, he starts softening up and even gains friends. The Arctic Incident really showed character development with him as he slowly starts being more of a hero than a criminal.
Villain:
As opposed to the first book, where Artemis was the villain, in this book Artemis was more of a hero and two others characters were the villains. I'm not going to say much about them as that would be spoiling, but they were pretty good antagonists. Although they might seem like "mu ha ha" evil, they have layers to them that make them pretty good characters.
Other Characters:
I thought that I couldn't fall in love with the cast more, but I was wrong. As I saw more and more of them, I've gotten even more attached (especially to Mulch). Huge points to Colfer for making every single one of his characters have a personality. All the characters introduced, even the goons, were good characters with plenty of layers and good and bad points to them. None were two dimensional. I believe what makes the Artemis Fowl series such a good one is because of the spectacular writing and characters.
Other Comments:
I'm excited to see more of Artemis' father (should that have went under characters?) and am really looking forward to more and more books in this series!
Overall:
Quirky and humorous writing, a lovable cast, a solid and detailed universe, and a main character that you'll love, definitely a worthwhile series for all ages! The sequel was even better than the first!
