A review by madsmcw_reads
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read and loved one of Lawhon's books at the beginning of the year and then when I saw everyone talking about this one I was so excited to dive in. While I didn't love this one as much as the last one I read this still an impeccably written story inspired by real life midwife Martha Ballard.

First off, Martha is as fierce of a woman as you can come by and the fact that she never lost a single mother in all of her years as practice is incredible. That aside, this is a twisty read that keeps you engaged. As infuriating as it was I thought the court system of the time was I thought the "justice" system of the time was portrayed really well. While it was a little graphic I felt it was fitting how Joseph North finally paid for his wrongs.

One thing I didn't like is that there did feel like there was a lot of fluff that didn't really help you figure out what was going on in the various conflicts. And there were a couple of different things that I didn't totally get. Overall I'm glad I read this and still want to read the books on her backlist!
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