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captaincocanutty'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
Despite not always enjoying dual timelines, the two in this book were very well integrated and propelled the story forward. Some aspects of the plot felt a little contrived, but over all the obstacles the characters had to deal with felt very realistic and pressing.
While not a mystery in the traditional sense, what actually happened on the expedition, and the perception of what happened on it in Boston area two very different, interesting things.
Graphic: Death and Miscarriage
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Slavery and Cannibalism
irisheyz77'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexism
sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Arctic expedition chapters were interesting and while some actions the characters took were ridiculous they were at least understandable. The characters were mostly great though I wish they were developed more. Some of the diversity elements were handled well and some were not - I thought the Black characters were competently written and did the best they could with what they were handed but the gay character was written in a really weird way and while the trans character herself was fine, the way she was written required another character to "become" a trans man against her will which is certainly A Choice in today’s political climate.
I loved the last courtroom chapter but every single other courtroom chapter was boring and repetitive and could have been replaced with a short "court transcript" without losing anything of value.
The author clearly did a lot of research and feels fondly toward the people the characters are based on. There is one connection that the main character has with a separate historical event (I won't spoil it) which felt kind of sensational and unnecessary, and the ultimate scheme behind everything that was happening was way too convoluted.
On the whole I'm happy I read it but it's kind of hard to recommend.
Graphic: Confinement and Death
Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Racism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, and Death of parent
camillessi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Just general trigger warnings for people with depression and/or suicidal ideation. There's very much a bleak, hopeless atmosphere for much of the book that was unhealthy for me as I was reading during a depressive episode.