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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved how this novel was written. I felt like the pacing was impeccable, the writing was so immersive, and we received just as much information as we needed before the next big reveal. I felt like I was truly on a mountain and there was a blizzard and possible killer with me. What fell short for me was the motivation for Cecily. I understand wanting to face your fears and challenging yourself, but it feels too unbelievable that she would agree to climb such a tall mountain with no experience and no training. People train months, even years, to attempt to do what Cecily did, and they still die because of adverse circumstances. Cecily wants to do this, and she invests the last of her money into buying the equipment she will need to be successful. We are told this is why she keeps going: because she has to. If she does not complete this climb, she will not have her interview, and she will not get paid. It just feels like loose reasoning, especially because Cecily does NOTHING to train beforehand.
The rest of the story was interesting, and I loved the reveals and how the mystery unraveled. I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, but I still enjoyed the novel overall!
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
bandysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
What I got…I just…Let me start with the main character because she’s sort of a mess. So a team is being assembled to climb a death zone peak. Typically, you want people who are adequately experienced and self-sufficient (Yes, wildly rich but inexperienced people buy their way into teams sometimes, but that isn’t the case here). The main character, Cecily, is admittedly unexperienced. In fact, her only challenging hike ended in the death of another hiker and she’s still clearly traumatized by it. Yet somehow she’s still invited along to hike a peak that’s significantly more challenging and technical than anything she’s done previously. I could maybe look past some of this if she were a quick learner or relatively competent, but inexperienced. Nope. They’re literally trying to teach her how to complete maneuvers as they are climbing a potentially fatal mountain and she is constantly frozen by fear and self-doubt.
Then we get into the organization of the climbing team. It is in disarray for the entirety of the story. The leader of the expedition is barely with them. There are all sorts of issues that crop up that aren’t thoroughly evaluated or challenged. No one is aware of where people are. Emergency response is lackluster. It’s just messy.
And finally, experienced hikers start dying in ways that are questionable at the very least…but everyone just seems content to let it go. Maybe the high altitude is slowing everyone’s brains down? Again, they all have to be purposefully oblivious or else the plot wouldn’t progress.
I think that last line sort of sums all of the issues up for me. You have to ignore sooo many gaping holes in logic for this book to work. I can accept a few unrealistic details here and there, but when you anchor a book in reality then ask readers to keep jumping past plot hole after plot hole, it unfortunately just makes it a no-go for me.
I will try to end this with some positives. The description of the mountain was absolutely lovely. I could really envision the setting well.
I also really loved the portrayal of the Sherpas and how the author made sure to discuss the ethics of mass hiking expeditions and the impact on the Sherpa community. They are the backbone of high altitude climbing in the Himalayas and I’m glad she showed them proper respect.
And I also loved that she tackled the issue of sexism in climbing/hiking/trekking. There are so many amazing female climbers and many of them face challenges simply due to their gender. It wasn’t a main theme, but it does get touched upon a couple of times.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
jaceebenefield's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Stalking and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol
grantsharpies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
maregred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism
erinmjustice's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Child death, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
juliaaa02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Child death
milojean_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder
bookswithmybulldog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment and Injury/Injury detail
jnl00700's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Murder