Reviews

I couldn't finish.

Not sure if all versions are the same, but the Kindle version has 0 quotations of when a person is speaking. It can make it difficult to read & understand who is or isn't talking.

lillieslibraryy's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really wanted to love this! Volcanoes, science, natural disasters all set in Iceland, what more is there to love?!?

This however did not live up to my expectations, the only disaster in this was the main characters life. The way she views other women disgusted me at times, especially the way the interior designer was viewed. The main focus of the book is the mc cheating on her husband and then getting annoyed that he wants to seperate?? She treats her son like shit and dismisses his dreams.

This was 60% science and felt like a textbook at times, with I personally didn’t mind. I wanted it to go deeper into the science of volcanoes and have more information. But there was no eruptions or destruction until 80% of the way into the book.

When it happened there wasn’t enough to keep me hooked and super engaged. I should have DNF’d but I wanted to see if there would actually be an eruption.

Overall I’m just so so disappointed. This wasn’t a thriller or dark or mysterious. It was just so so so average.

persephonexxvi's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I actually found the volcanology interesting and loved the Icelandic setting but I just couldn't get along with the characters. The great love story seemed to come out of nowhere and I didn't really buy into it. The end was predictably maudlin (I saw it coming) but also seemed completely unrealistic.

I don't know if it's a translation issue or the author's choice but the lack of quotation marks for all dialogue was really grating after a while.

I picked 2.25 stars because it definitely was "it was ok" and 2 isn't a bad rating, but I think it's something where the blurb has so much fascinating promise but didn't quite get there for me.

mthereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

carpentd's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

hfairfax's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The ending was compelling, but unless you love volcanology and science data, the first 80% is an absolute slog. I skipped over most of the technical commentary until I got to the character storylines.

Also, who thought it was a good idea not to use quotation marks at any point in this novel?

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