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captaincocanutty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A unique and engaging book about an ill - fated women's expedition to the Arctic in the 1850s. The book opens with the expeditions leader Virginia standing trial in Boston for the murder of one of the women who died on the expedition, and then alternating between the trial and the course of the expedition.
Despite not always enjoying dual timelines, the two in this book were very well integrated and propelled the story forward. Some aspects of the plot felt a little contrived, but over all the obstacles the characters had to deal with felt very realistic and pressing.
While not a mystery in the traditional sense, what actually happened on the expedition, and the perception of what happened on it in Boston area two very different, interesting things.
Despite not always enjoying dual timelines, the two in this book were very well integrated and propelled the story forward. Some aspects of the plot felt a little contrived, but over all the obstacles the characters had to deal with felt very realistic and pressing.
While not a mystery in the traditional sense, what actually happened on the expedition, and the perception of what happened on it in Boston area two very different, interesting things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Miscarriage
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Slavery and Cannibalism
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: The Arctic Fury
Author: Greer Macallister
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: December 1, 2020
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Adventurous β’ Fierce β’ Riveting
π S Y N O P S I S
1853: Virginia Reeve is commissioned by Lady Jane Franklin to lead an expedition of 12 women into the hazardous Arctic in search of her lost husband, Lord Franklin, and his lost expedition. Many parties have tried before them, all failing, so Lady Franklin is putting women in charge. Each member of the party brings a different set of strengths and skills to the expedition. What no one knows is Virginia boasts some unsettling secrets. A year later, Virginia stands trial for murder. Told is alternating timelines this is a story of survival and despair, of friendship and betrayal, of bravery and hope with the goal of answering the question: what happened out there on the ice?
π T H O U G H T S
The Arctic Fury is not at all what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with the thrilling journey, filled with rich and atmospheric detail, this book took me on. The slow developing plot breaks new ground in the historical fiction genre. Alternating between an expedition into the cold, dark arctic and a court room setting, each chapter unfolds building mystery and suspense. The cast of remarkable characters were developed with the finesse and poise of a seasoned storyteller. Macallister's depiction of the cold, unforgiving landscape transported me into the story, and her pacing for this type of story was spot on. While the alternating scenes played well, as a reader I did find myself wanting more of the expedition, and wishing the courtroom scenes would speed up.
The mix of mystery/suspense and historical accounts made this a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, although at times it did feel like it was going to last forever.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ fans of historical fiction
β’ readers looking for strong female protagonists
β’ anyone looking to go down a Google rabbit hole
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"A leader who could only take her flock through the good times was no leader at all."
Author: Greer Macallister
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: December 1, 2020
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Adventurous β’ Fierce β’ Riveting
π S Y N O P S I S
1853: Virginia Reeve is commissioned by Lady Jane Franklin to lead an expedition of 12 women into the hazardous Arctic in search of her lost husband, Lord Franklin, and his lost expedition. Many parties have tried before them, all failing, so Lady Franklin is putting women in charge. Each member of the party brings a different set of strengths and skills to the expedition. What no one knows is Virginia boasts some unsettling secrets. A year later, Virginia stands trial for murder. Told is alternating timelines this is a story of survival and despair, of friendship and betrayal, of bravery and hope with the goal of answering the question: what happened out there on the ice?
π T H O U G H T S
The Arctic Fury is not at all what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with the thrilling journey, filled with rich and atmospheric detail, this book took me on. The slow developing plot breaks new ground in the historical fiction genre. Alternating between an expedition into the cold, dark arctic and a court room setting, each chapter unfolds building mystery and suspense. The cast of remarkable characters were developed with the finesse and poise of a seasoned storyteller. Macallister's depiction of the cold, unforgiving landscape transported me into the story, and her pacing for this type of story was spot on. While the alternating scenes played well, as a reader I did find myself wanting more of the expedition, and wishing the courtroom scenes would speed up.
The mix of mystery/suspense and historical accounts made this a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, although at times it did feel like it was going to last forever.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ fans of historical fiction
β’ readers looking for strong female protagonists
β’ anyone looking to go down a Google rabbit hole
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"A leader who could only take her flock through the good times was no leader at all."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cannibalism, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
accidental death, stillbirth, death from exposuresarah984's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a really hard book for me to rate. There were parts of it I loved, but other parts I sort of hated in equal measure.
The Arctic expedition chapters were interesting and while some actions the characters took were ridiculous they were at least understandable. The characters were mostly great though I wish they were developed more. Some of the diversity elements were handled well and some were not - I thought the Black characters were competently written and did the best they could with what they were handed but the gay character was written in a really weird way and while the trans character herself was fine, the way she was written required another character to "become" a trans man against her will which is certainly A Choice in todayβs political climate.
I loved the last courtroom chapter but every single other courtroom chapter was boring and repetitive and could have been replaced with a short "court transcript" without losing anything of value.
The author clearly did a lot of research and feels fondly toward the people the characters are based on. There is one connection that the main character has with a separate historical event (I won't spoil it) which felt kind of sensational and unnecessary, and the ultimate scheme behind everything that was happening was way too convoluted.
On the whole I'm happy I read it but it's kind of hard to recommend.
The Arctic expedition chapters were interesting and while some actions the characters took were ridiculous they were at least understandable. The characters were mostly great though I wish they were developed more. Some of the diversity elements were handled well and some were not - I thought the Black characters were competently written and did the best they could with what they were handed but the gay character was written in a really weird way and while the trans character herself was fine, the way she was written required another character to "become" a trans man against her will which is certainly A Choice in todayβs political climate.
I loved the last courtroom chapter but every single other courtroom chapter was boring and repetitive and could have been replaced with a short "court transcript" without losing anything of value.
The author clearly did a lot of research and feels fondly toward the people the characters are based on. There is one connection that the main character has with a separate historical event (I won't spoil it) which felt kind of sensational and unnecessary, and the ultimate scheme behind everything that was happening was way too convoluted.
On the whole I'm happy I read it but it's kind of hard to recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Death
Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Racism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, and Death of parent
camillessi's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Just general trigger warnings for people with depression and/or suicidal ideation. There's very much a bleak, hopeless atmosphere for much of the book that was unhealthy for me as I was reading during a depressive episode.
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