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irisheyz77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexism
sarah984's review
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- 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
This was a really hard book for me to rate. There were parts of it I loved, but other parts I sort of hated in equal measure.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
readundancies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
There were so many passages from this novel that were written in a way that held a heavy amount of impact. Greer Macallister certainly has a way with words and she displays her talent really well throughout the progression of this tale.
The beginning 50ish pages are slow. I'd add that the end is a little more slow going as well. But the middle? The middle of the story is where all of the exciting things happen - where the storytelling truly shines - and is quite frankly the strongest portion of the novel. The shift between Virginia's POV and the other explorers worked really well with the dual timeline of the past and the actual expedition versus the present and court proceedings of Virginia's trial. I was engaged throughout; there was no single POV that sticks out to me as lacking when compared to all of the others which is an accomplishment of the novel that I was rather surprised by since I genuinely expected to take issue with at least one of them. But the characterization was established enough between the women that each one felt unique and held up well individually when we got to see their thought process and motivations. Even many of the minor characters evoked some level of reaction from me (especially the prosecutor and Thisbe).
Other notable strengths of the story include the level of representation that Macallister incorporated - if I recall correctly, there was 2SLGBTQ+ rep (I believe both lesbian and trans?), disability rep, some racial diversity and it was rather unexpected which made it a pleasant surprise - as well as the way Macallister weaves certain aspects/events of history together. Without getting into much detail, I really like the way that the author decided to incorporate historical fact and the choices that were made when manipulating some into the fictional piece. Virginia's backstory made for a compelling read especially in conjunction with it's parallels of the expedition itself and I really enjoyed the reveal despite it's inevitability in nature.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read, and I would definitely be open to reading more from Greer Macallister in the future.
The beginning 50ish pages are slow. I'd add that the end is a little more slow going as well. But the middle? The middle of the story is where all of the exciting things happen - where the storytelling truly shines - and is quite frankly the strongest portion of the novel. The shift between Virginia's POV and the other explorers worked really well with the dual timeline of the past and the actual expedition versus the present and court proceedings of Virginia's trial. I was engaged throughout; there was no single POV that sticks out to me as lacking when compared to all of the others which is an accomplishment of the novel that I was rather surprised by since I genuinely expected to take issue with at least one of them. But the characterization was established enough between the women that each one felt unique and held up well individually when we got to see their thought process and motivations. Even many of the minor characters evoked some level of reaction from me (especially the prosecutor and Thisbe).
Other notable strengths of the story include the level of representation that Macallister incorporated - if I recall correctly, there was 2SLGBTQ+ rep (I believe both lesbian and trans?), disability rep, some racial diversity and it was rather unexpected which made it a pleasant surprise - as well as the way Macallister weaves certain aspects/events of history together. Without getting into much detail, I really like the way that the author decided to incorporate historical fact and the choices that were made when manipulating some into the fictional piece. Virginia's backstory made for a compelling read especially in conjunction with it's parallels of the expedition itself and I really enjoyed the reveal despite it's inevitability in nature.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read, and I would definitely be open to reading more from Greer Macallister in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism, Grief, and Medical content
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