Scan barcode
katiebookqueen's review
4.0
After loving The Everest Files, the first book in this trilogy, I was highly anticipating North Face. And I wasn’t disappointed. This book picks up with Ryan travelling to Base Camp to get a closer look at Mount Everest for himself. Whilst there, an earthquake causes tragedy on the mountain, and soon enough Ryan finds himself on a rescue mission.
At Base Camp, Ryan meets Tashi, a Tibetan girl who herds yaks on the mountain with her family. Life for the family has been difficult since Chinese soldiers prevented them from settling at their usual destination. Ryan agrees to help Tashi reach a higher camp that her brother may be trapped at.
As with the first book in the series, North Face switches from Ryan telling the story in the present, to going back and showing us Tashi’s story. I enjoyed learning how Tashi and her family came to be in their current situation, and the experiences they face are devastating to read. This book manages to shine a light on the difficult and often heart-breaking situations that the Tibetan people face. Whilst the characters in North Face are fictional, their story is all too real for the actual families like theirs out there in Tibet, trying to live the way their people have been for generations.
What I also loved in this book was getting to know more about Ryan. Although a large part of the book is Tashi’s story, we get a lot more scenes from the POV of Ryan. He’s an awesome character with a lot of courage and determination. He and Tashi make an epic team when taking on the problems around them. Tashi was also a wonderfully strong character throughout the story and I warmed to her immediately.
The action scenes during the climb up Everest were fantastically gripping. I loved seeing how Ryan adapted to the challenge after being thrown into it without prior training, but I adored that he was so willing to help. All of the scenes featuring the Chinese soldiers were extremely tense and kept me on edge, particularly those final few chapters!
North Face makes for such an exciting read. There are heart stopping moments from start to finish, as well as plenty of touching scenes between the characters. There really is a little bit of everything to enjoy, and I love how these books manage to stand out from the other YA series’ out there. I’m very excited to see where Ryan’s journey will take him next!
At Base Camp, Ryan meets Tashi, a Tibetan girl who herds yaks on the mountain with her family. Life for the family has been difficult since Chinese soldiers prevented them from settling at their usual destination. Ryan agrees to help Tashi reach a higher camp that her brother may be trapped at.
As with the first book in the series, North Face switches from Ryan telling the story in the present, to going back and showing us Tashi’s story. I enjoyed learning how Tashi and her family came to be in their current situation, and the experiences they face are devastating to read. This book manages to shine a light on the difficult and often heart-breaking situations that the Tibetan people face. Whilst the characters in North Face are fictional, their story is all too real for the actual families like theirs out there in Tibet, trying to live the way their people have been for generations.
What I also loved in this book was getting to know more about Ryan. Although a large part of the book is Tashi’s story, we get a lot more scenes from the POV of Ryan. He’s an awesome character with a lot of courage and determination. He and Tashi make an epic team when taking on the problems around them. Tashi was also a wonderfully strong character throughout the story and I warmed to her immediately.
The action scenes during the climb up Everest were fantastically gripping. I loved seeing how Ryan adapted to the challenge after being thrown into it without prior training, but I adored that he was so willing to help. All of the scenes featuring the Chinese soldiers were extremely tense and kept me on edge, particularly those final few chapters!
North Face makes for such an exciting read. There are heart stopping moments from start to finish, as well as plenty of touching scenes between the characters. There really is a little bit of everything to enjoy, and I love how these books manage to stand out from the other YA series’ out there. I’m very excited to see where Ryan’s journey will take him next!
deb_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second in a trilogy but can be read as a stand alone as well. Ryan Hart is at Everest base camp as an earthquake hits. With the help of a local Tibetan girl, Tashi, they rescue his friend. Afterwards, Ryan asks Tashi about herself and the first half of the book is her story. It is the story of Tibet under Chinese rule and is an insight into the human rights issues surrounding Tibet, China, and their people. The story returns to Everest after Tashi tells Ryan how she came to be there and the two stories merge. It is a pacy adventure story and well told. The author is a mountaineer, which adds authenticity but takes nothing away from the writing.
More...