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mysterious
slow-paced
i wished i liked the dark because the synopsis sounded like everything i ever wanted from a book. unfortunately, not even the setting - an Antarctic research station, couldn't save this one.
the novel is very weirdly paced. the first 50% of it is just set-up for the murder. i understand we need to know the characters and their dynamics, but it didn't even do that. it kept going in circles about the main character's pills addiction, without really addressing it. after the murder happens, it all unfolds very quickly.
the characters were all over the place. i genuinely didn't like a single one of them. the mc, kate, was such a stupid character that didn't think about what's she's doing until the deed was done and she was in a lot of problems because of this. she missed clues that were right in front of her - the book really didn't even try to keep the murderer a mystery. she just kept pointing fingers towards everyone without much evidence. the antagonist was such a joke. he didn't have a single reason for why he got up one day and decided to be a killer. it's just so annoying.
another thing stood out to me (idk how the editors didn't see this one) - the chapters are dated. at some point the characters are fighting and it's the 18th of June and someone says they have to get along because they have 8 months left on the station. a couple chapters after that, on the 22nd of June, during another fight, the station leader says they have 4 months left of the station. the math ain't mathing.
the pregnancy trope was handled kinda well, but i still wonder how a newborn could survive walking through minus something degrees for a good 10 - 15 minutes. but what do i know about babies?
all in all, i honestly regret not dnf-ing it because the ending was also a mess. the "mystery" got resolved so quickly. it wasn't even that much of a mystery tbh.
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!