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michellethebookcritic's review against another edition
5.0
Henna clings on to the memories of her family, by settling herself in a Northeastern town where cold temperatures turn extreme. One day, when she uncovers a young corpse lying in the snow and a letter with its missing pieces, a mystery is at hand. This certainly sparks her interest! The big story is of the centuries-old expedition in the Arctic, the Franklin one that is. Henna reseraches more about Lady Jane, the center of the case at hand, in which Henna explores the local library and the police chief's mansion full of hidden passages with dark secrets. For some personal reason, there is always someone there, ready to sabatoge Henna's clues. Henna is making the best of it all, telling lies to her friends and never listening to one's directions. She observes in detail, while a depressed mood enlightens the scene. I loved Henna and her thoughts, while I wish she knew more of finding herself, letting go. But, let's be honest. Everyone has to start somewhere. Hall puts in a gothic vibe and sensibility, making the readers feel what Henna feels. Does anyone have a coat in here? You see, even the weather depiction is accurate and precise. I loved the setting, even though winter is not my best times. Anyway, a lot of mystery and realistic fiction going on here. Definitely an enjoyable read for a cozy night. Be sure to check this book out, it's getting released on February 12, 2020!
Let's all tip our hats to Dzanc Books for supplying me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Let's all tip our hats to Dzanc Books for supplying me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
theduchess93's review against another edition
4.0
This book was basically what you'd get if Virginia Woolf had written her take on an Agatha Christie style mystery. I kind of hated the protagonist, but the prose was so gorgeous that I was able to ignore her for the most part. Very beautiful and atmospheric, though I wish the epistolary narrative had been explored a bit deeper.
debbieurbanski's review against another edition
5.0
The Snow Collectors lies at the wild boundaries of the mystery, the "dark old house" story, the historical, the lyric, and the gothic. I love to read books that lie at the boundaries of anything so I really enjoyed this book.
I took The Snow Collectors with to read on a summer trip and found the adventure, humor, and the precise and surprising writing to be pure pleasure. I found myself at times needing to flip ahead to figure out WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!!!--a need I don't often experience with literary books. At the same time, I highlighted many many sentences and paragraphs with such wonderful language. (A small example: "I bought a croissant, hot as an animal's heart, and ate it before I even got my change." Or, "Nine planes flew overhead in the dark sky, packed with skin and bones. Nine whales spun in the thick sea. Nine semi-trucks slept on the highway to the west. Nine houses flowed in a gold line down the hill. Nine turtle shells were buried in Mariel's yard. Nine conchs served as their gravestones. Nine wishes buzzed round my head.") What a treat, to get to experience such language in a mystery...
Plus the narrator makes for a lovely companion: courageous, haunted, imperfect, and possessing a really cool super-power related to water. I will hope for sequels.
Perhaps certain readers looking for a traditional straight-forward mystery might be frustrated with the addition of some non-traditional elements in this book. But for those readers open to a looser and more playful experience, willing to follow the book where it takes them--I think they'll find much to enjoy and love.
I took The Snow Collectors with to read on a summer trip and found the adventure, humor, and the precise and surprising writing to be pure pleasure. I found myself at times needing to flip ahead to figure out WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!!!--a need I don't often experience with literary books. At the same time, I highlighted many many sentences and paragraphs with such wonderful language. (A small example: "I bought a croissant, hot as an animal's heart, and ate it before I even got my change." Or, "Nine planes flew overhead in the dark sky, packed with skin and bones. Nine whales spun in the thick sea. Nine semi-trucks slept on the highway to the west. Nine houses flowed in a gold line down the hill. Nine turtle shells were buried in Mariel's yard. Nine conchs served as their gravestones. Nine wishes buzzed round my head.") What a treat, to get to experience such language in a mystery...
Plus the narrator makes for a lovely companion: courageous, haunted, imperfect, and possessing a really cool super-power related to water. I will hope for sequels.
Perhaps certain readers looking for a traditional straight-forward mystery might be frustrated with the addition of some non-traditional elements in this book. But for those readers open to a looser and more playful experience, willing to follow the book where it takes them--I think they'll find much to enjoy and love.
mwgerard's review against another edition
4.0
Somewhere in the frozen North, it doesn’t matter where, really, Henna is trying to forget that her parents and twin sister disappeared in a boating accident. Where she lives, it’s always cold and always snowing. She writes encyclopedia entries and takes long snowshoe walks with her dog, Rembrandt.
One afternoon on a walk she finds a dead body under a tree. Near the body is a scrap of old letter with few clues. Even after the police identify the victim, Henna becomes obsessed with understanding why she was there, and what the letter has to do with it.
Please read my full review at:
https://mwgerard.com/review-snow-collectors/
No ads. No spoilers. Just an independent book reviewer.
One afternoon on a walk she finds a dead body under a tree. Near the body is a scrap of old letter with few clues. Even after the police identify the victim, Henna becomes obsessed with understanding why she was there, and what the letter has to do with it.
Please read my full review at:
https://mwgerard.com/review-snow-collectors/
No ads. No spoilers. Just an independent book reviewer.
lutenation's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
marissalevien's review against another edition
5.0
Picture if an old-fashioned Gothic romance were written by someone who also spent a lot of time reading Jenny Offill. That's this book. It's wonderful.
redlikeroses's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
*My thanks to Dzanc Books for the copy of the Snow Collectors.
The Snow Collectors is an enthralling whimsical mystery that sweeps you through a landscape of grief and hidden histories. I truly had a blast with this book, though it did drag in places.
The magic of this book's prose stems from the breathtaking descriptions.
"Sailors, cartographers and escaped slaves all held onto her tail because she never dipped below the horizon, though she came close enough in autumn to stain the trees with her blood." Pg. 42
This is just one example of many from this book, though some readers may find it distracting for that very reason. The book jumps between the 1800's and present day, to intertwine two narratives of loss and regret into a single thread that unravels a centuries old secret.
This book would have gotten five stars if not for some places where it dragged on a bit too much and the mystery being pretty obvious.
Still, this book is amazing despite that fact and I'd recommend anyone who loves unique settings and strange atmospheric writing to pick this up.
*My thanks to Dzanc Books for the copy of the Snow Collectors.
The Snow Collectors is an enthralling whimsical mystery that sweeps you through a landscape of grief and hidden histories. I truly had a blast with this book, though it did drag in places.
The magic of this book's prose stems from the breathtaking descriptions.
"Sailors, cartographers and escaped slaves all held onto her tail because she never dipped below the horizon, though she came close enough in autumn to stain the trees with her blood." Pg. 42
This is just one example of many from this book, though some readers may find it distracting for that very reason. The book jumps between the 1800's and present day, to intertwine two narratives of loss and regret into a single thread that unravels a centuries old secret.
This book would have gotten five stars if not for some places where it dragged on a bit too much and the mystery being pretty obvious.
Still, this book is amazing despite that fact and I'd recommend anyone who loves unique settings and strange atmospheric writing to pick this up.