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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this book more, but I felt it fell short in too many areas. Character development was just so-so. The world-building is also just ok. Aliens force them into this world and life but yet we don't understand why they did this to humanity.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
There was definitely some unrealized potential here but I enjoyed it on the whole!
A very interesting scifi about all of humanity having only the continent of Antarctica to survive upon.
The points of view changes quite often between time and place which makes a very fast paced read.
It was really fascinating to think of all the ice adaptations that were genetically introduced to the Cold People.
Echo really was such an intriguing character, not only in her abilities but in her way act as a bridge between ordinary people and those with ice adaptations.
I did love the love story between Atto and Liza, the way he knew from the second he saw her, really sparked something for me.
The points of view changes quite often between time and place which makes a very fast paced read.
It was really fascinating to think of all the ice adaptations that were genetically introduced to the Cold People.
Echo really was such an intriguing character, not only in her abilities but in her way act as a bridge between ordinary people and those with ice adaptations.
I did love the love story between Atto and Liza, the way he knew from the second he saw her, really sparked something for me.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a difficult one to rate as there were parts I loved and parts where I found my attention wandering.
It's a brilliant premise, with aliens invading earth and forcing all humans, who can both make and survive the journey, to Antarctica. I was really gripped by the journey of these people and experience of trying to survive and create a life worth living in one of the harshest, most dangerous environments there are. I think it was the survival against the odds and the setting of this story which were the highlights for me.
It does move a little from this however to more ethical and moral questions of what are you willing to do to survive and whether survival at any cost is right and justifies sacrifice of both the lives of others and of controls and rules put in place in safer times.
It does get a little bit science heavy and philosophical at times and these were probably the parts where my attention wandered a little.
I'm also not sure if the structure of the novel really worked for me. It felt like two or more stories that had been stuck together. It follows one set of characters through the exodus, which takes up a good chunk of the first part, then suddenly jumps to a completely new character giving us their back story and current situation. This becomes a bit of a pattern with jumps to other characters with their backstory given too. I found it a little jarring when these characters I'd become invested in suddenly disappeared and we were with someone new with a largely unconnected story. I think this is probably personal preference though.
It is however a fascinating read and one I enjoyed.
It's a brilliant premise, with aliens invading earth and forcing all humans, who can both make and survive the journey, to Antarctica. I was really gripped by the journey of these people and experience of trying to survive and create a life worth living in one of the harshest, most dangerous environments there are. I think it was the survival against the odds and the setting of this story which were the highlights for me.
It does move a little from this however to more ethical and moral questions of what are you willing to do to survive and whether survival at any cost is right and justifies sacrifice of both the lives of others and of controls and rules put in place in safer times.
It does get a little bit science heavy and philosophical at times and these were probably the parts where my attention wandered a little.
I'm also not sure if the structure of the novel really worked for me. It felt like two or more stories that had been stuck together. It follows one set of characters through the exodus, which takes up a good chunk of the first part, then suddenly jumps to a completely new character giving us their back story and current situation. This becomes a bit of a pattern with jumps to other characters with their backstory given too. I found it a little jarring when these characters I'd become invested in suddenly disappeared and we were with someone new with a largely unconnected story. I think this is probably personal preference though.
It is however a fascinating read and one I enjoyed.
Reading from Tournament of Books 2024. I loved the first half and struggled with the 2nd half. So much of this was exactly what I would expect of the human race. We come upon tragedy and some people open their hearts and others look for power or control. That dichotomy was the most interesting part. It remained throughout the book but then the cold creatures that were made took the story in another direction. What this showed about humanity was where it shone brightest.
Fascinating sci fi read. Recommended as a green light by Knox on the Popcast and talked about on Currently Reading
Rather disappointing, a bit simple, little depth of character. Found myself skipping over parts just to be finished.