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eggcellent_reads's review
3.0
This was on track to be a 4 star read but I didn't love the ending. Full RTC.
rachwhite12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caitsidhe's review against another edition
3.0
This review, and more like it, available on my blog.
I enjoyed the first three quarters of the novel intensely, with the combination of an unreliable narrator and the possibility of a haunting floating in the background. Sadly, I felt it lost a lot of steam in the last quarter, with an unsatisfying, rushed ending.
I didn't help that I found many of the characters intensely frustrating. A number of plot points seemed to rely on people deliberately doing the most stupid things possible, and why much of that can be explained by their increasing cabin fever, insanity and the maybe-there-maybe-not viking ghosts, some of it can not.
However, I did find the set-up properly chilling- the concept itself is horrifying, and Sarah Moss writes it well, her prose perfectly encapsulating the isolation, the fear, the anger. Each character has their chance to speak in their own words, and while this is charming, none of the voices are especially distinct from each other. It's a bit weird when the Christian American sounds almost the same as the Atheist Brit. But still, it is nice to get into everyones heads.
This is a short review, but this book is neither so brilliant I have to gush nor so terrible I have to rant. It's just a perfectly average book with areas of excellence (the descriptions, the sense of creeping fear) and huge flaws (the plotting).
I enjoyed the first three quarters of the novel intensely, with the combination of an unreliable narrator and the possibility of a haunting floating in the background. Sadly, I felt it lost a lot of steam in the last quarter, with an unsatisfying, rushed ending.
I didn't help that I found many of the characters intensely frustrating. A number of plot points seemed to rely on people deliberately doing the most stupid things possible, and why much of that can be explained by their increasing cabin fever, insanity and the maybe-there-maybe-not viking ghosts, some of it can not.
However, I did find the set-up properly chilling- the concept itself is horrifying, and Sarah Moss writes it well, her prose perfectly encapsulating the isolation, the fear, the anger. Each character has their chance to speak in their own words, and while this is charming, none of the voices are especially distinct from each other. It's a bit weird when the Christian American sounds almost the same as the Atheist Brit. But still, it is nice to get into everyones heads.
This is a short review, but this book is neither so brilliant I have to gush nor so terrible I have to rant. It's just a perfectly average book with areas of excellence (the descriptions, the sense of creeping fear) and huge flaws (the plotting).
emmajess's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nickelini's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
nickelini's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
bookwoods's review against another edition
3.0
Had Cold Earth been my first encounter with Sarah Moss, I would have thought that it has a lot of potential and waited eagerly for her later publications. However, this was the last one of hers I had to read and I’ve already seen that potential evolving into something spectacular (=especially The Tidal Zone). Compared to the others, Cold Earth ended up being quite meh. The story isn’t all too cohesive, the execution is lacking and the text keeps wandering to insignificant subjects, although the characters are great as is the premise: a group of scientists in Greenland while an epidemic is spreading in the outside world – the human race might be dying and there might be ghosts of ancient Greenlanders being stirred by the archaeological digging.
As a huge fan of Sarah Moss it was interesting to see where her literary career started and to observe the development of her writing - I’m getting more and more exited for Ghost Wall! But if you’re new to Moss, then I do recommend starting with something else from her.
As a huge fan of Sarah Moss it was interesting to see where her literary career started and to observe the development of her writing - I’m getting more and more exited for Ghost Wall! But if you’re new to Moss, then I do recommend starting with something else from her.
repixpix's review against another edition
2.0
No esperes una novela de terror ni algo trepidante. Es una novela lenta, intimista y tirando a aburrida.