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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
It took me 48 hours to read. If life didn’t have to happen I would have finished in one night. So good and so intense! I might be having some nightmares now…
"I need to stay alive. To survive. Anything else is a distraction. Anything else is impossible, and surviving probably is, too."
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5 stars. WOW. Sooo I did not expect to like this so much. I will say that I did not cry. There were times when I probably should have but the story was written in a way that isn’t exactly meant for tears although it is very heartbreaking. But DAMN. The character development (Jess’s character development) was phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve read a book with such amazing character development. Plot. Man the freaking plot. The plot is so heartbreaking and shaky and ugh amazing. Honestly, I don’t understand why I didn’t cry, so go read this right now.
The premise of the book really pulled me in. Girl surviving in the wilderness after the death of her dad (not a spoiler literally in the summary) and then hunting down the killers. However, it was a much slower build up than I was imagining. It was also an extremely easy read, just a couple of hours to finish it off. If you like survival books and something that doesn’t take too much mental effort I recommend
*3.5 ⭐️
I’ll admit that this was going to be a three star before the ending. It wasn’t bad before it by any means, I just think it could’ve been shorter.
After her mother’s death, Jess has nowhere to go other than her Dad’s in Alaska. At least that’s where he’s supposed to be. But he actually lives off the grid in a cabin in the woods in Alaska. He has secrets he’s keeping from Jess. And when those secrets catch up to him, Jess must learn how to survive in the wilderness alone.
I wasn’t so sure about Jess in the beginning. She’s quite whiny in the beginning about her situation. I do completely understand why she’s like this. Having her mother die and then being forced to live in an isolated cabin is a pretty big change. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to read over 300 pages of whining. But once Jess is only relying on herself (and her dog, Bo) she grew a lot as a character. I enjoyed following her learn how to survive and toughen up.
My biggest complaint is that I wish we had more flashbacks to her time with her dad. She tells us that he told her all about how to survive, but we don’t see much of that. I just think it would’ve been more realistic if we’d seen more of them being together.
The pacing overall wasn’t the best. The middle dragged quite a bit once the flashbacks were done. I think it would’ve been good if we’d had Jess reflecting on some of the people from her old life. We got a bit, but not enough that I could see her outside of the Canadian wilderness setting.
All of the secrets surrounding Jess’s dad were very exciting. The ending was so explosive and satisfying in my opinion and definitely brought up the rating. There was one choice that I wasn’t the happiest with.
Overall, if looking for a pretty decent survival story with a bit of revenge thrown in there, this is for you. Not too sure if I’ll pick up more from the author but I did enjoy this.
Content warnings below:
I’ll admit that this was going to be a three star before the ending. It wasn’t bad before it by any means, I just think it could’ve been shorter.
After her mother’s death, Jess has nowhere to go other than her Dad’s in Alaska. At least that’s where he’s supposed to be. But he actually lives off the grid in a cabin in the woods in Alaska. He has secrets he’s keeping from Jess. And when those secrets catch up to him, Jess must learn how to survive in the wilderness alone.
I wasn’t so sure about Jess in the beginning. She’s quite whiny in the beginning about her situation. I do completely understand why she’s like this. Having her mother die and then being forced to live in an isolated cabin is a pretty big change. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to read over 300 pages of whining. But once Jess is only relying on herself (and her dog, Bo) she grew a lot as a character. I enjoyed following her learn how to survive and toughen up.
My biggest complaint is that I wish we had more flashbacks to her time with her dad. She tells us that he told her all about how to survive, but we don’t see much of that. I just think it would’ve been more realistic if we’d seen more of them being together.
The pacing overall wasn’t the best. The middle dragged quite a bit once the flashbacks were done. I think it would’ve been good if we’d had Jess reflecting on some of the people from her old life. We got a bit, but not enough that I could see her outside of the Canadian wilderness setting.
All of the secrets surrounding Jess’s dad were very exciting. The ending was so explosive and satisfying in my opinion and definitely brought up the rating. There was one choice that I wasn’t the happiest with.
Overall, if looking for a pretty decent survival story with a bit of revenge thrown in there, this is for you. Not too sure if I’ll pick up more from the author but I did enjoy this.
Content warnings below:
Spoiler
dead parents, animal death, violence, murder, pain, wounds
4.5/5
This was tense, thrilling, and compelling! A 16 year old girl is stranded in the Alaskan wilderness for months on end with no survival knowledge. She has no parents, no guide, no mentor, and no help. And winter is approaching swiftly. This book kept me on my toes for its entirety, and I didn't want to set it down. Not sure why I didn't wanna give it a 5, but a 4.5 is still a highly respectable rating in my opinion.
This was tense, thrilling, and compelling! A 16 year old girl is stranded in the Alaskan wilderness for months on end with no survival knowledge. She has no parents, no guide, no mentor, and no help. And winter is approaching swiftly. This book kept me on my toes for its entirety, and I didn't want to set it down. Not sure why I didn't wanna give it a 5, but a 4.5 is still a highly respectable rating in my opinion.
*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for a honest review*
I enjoy survival stories and the premise sounded to me like a more complicated version of The Hatchet. Jess dealing with the loss of her beloved mother in a car accident that left her maimed, is sent to live with her father who abandoned her as a small child. For reasons I won't say, she is left alone to survive in the wilderness. It should have been a home run, and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, there were some parts didn't come off as realistic for me. However, It's still worth a read and I purchased it for my library.
I enjoy survival stories and the premise sounded to me like a more complicated version of The Hatchet. Jess dealing with the loss of her beloved mother in a car accident that left her maimed, is sent to live with her father who abandoned her as a small child. For reasons I won't say, she is left alone to survive in the wilderness. It should have been a home run, and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, there were some parts didn't come off as realistic for me. However, It's still worth a read and I purchased it for my library.
I like the way this book included and handled disability, but ultimately I didn't have a lot of strong emotional attachment to anything in it.
I can see why it's been hailed "Hatchet" with a girl, but I think it's even more intense. It's not an easy read. I had to stop and restart a few times, because it was kind of harrowing at times. But overall, it was well written and evocative.