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themysterymaven's review against another edition
3.0
Iceland forever remains one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever visited, and so I was excited to find this thriller by an Icelandic author! It felt like a nice homage to my many memories there. Now, the setting of the book actually takes place in Greenland, but the harsh, wintry landscape provided a neat backdrop against which to set a mystery.
A small team of scientists and other professionals must solve a series of strange disappearances at a drilling site, where the remains of skeletal bones and a disturbing video recording provide cryptic clues to what befell the small camp. The native Greenlanders speak of a dark curse and history that leaves those who enter into a forbidden area marked by certain death, blood that flows from the faces of the damned.
There’s quite a number of puzzles to solve here, and I liked how the author mixed practical and surreal possibilities together, leaving you to wonder if the villain at work is corporeal…or something supernatural. At times, the translation of the story could feel a little jolted and unnatural, but it was overall pretty smooth reading. If you’re a fan of Arctic thrillers like Girl in Ice or The Thing, you may equally enjoy this book!
A small team of scientists and other professionals must solve a series of strange disappearances at a drilling site, where the remains of skeletal bones and a disturbing video recording provide cryptic clues to what befell the small camp. The native Greenlanders speak of a dark curse and history that leaves those who enter into a forbidden area marked by certain death, blood that flows from the faces of the damned.
There’s quite a number of puzzles to solve here, and I liked how the author mixed practical and surreal possibilities together, leaving you to wonder if the villain at work is corporeal…or something supernatural. At times, the translation of the story could feel a little jolted and unnatural, but it was overall pretty smooth reading. If you’re a fan of Arctic thrillers like Girl in Ice or The Thing, you may equally enjoy this book!
stisa06's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Thora has received a telephone call from her lover, Matthew. His employer has an issue with one of their clients, Berg Technology. The company is in mining. It seems that all of the crew took a leave and is now refusing to return to the job. Well most of the crew. The few that remained on the site are presumed dead. Thora agrees to join Matthew and a crew to investigate.
Yrsa Sigurdardottir is another new to me author. I was really intrigued to read this book. It sounded chilling. This was a good book however I did have some issues following along. I did get lost a couple times and had to go back and re-read a part of section that I had just read. One problem being that the story while it was interesting the mystery was long drawn out. Another was all of the different characters that appeared in this book. Some names seemed so similar to each other that this made it difficult to figure out who was who.
However I liked Thora. She never overreacted to anything. Also, I like that she still showed that she was a woman. For example when she unpacked her suitcase after arriving at in Greenland. Right on top in the suitcase was a pair of high-heeled shoes along with Capri pants, skirts, dresses and a pashmina shawl. The ending was good. I wanted to point this out for the fact that sometimes a book can be good but the ending bad or not up to par. I do want to go back and read some of the prior novels.
Yrsa Sigurdardottir is another new to me author. I was really intrigued to read this book. It sounded chilling. This was a good book however I did have some issues following along. I did get lost a couple times and had to go back and re-read a part of section that I had just read. One problem being that the story while it was interesting the mystery was long drawn out. Another was all of the different characters that appeared in this book. Some names seemed so similar to each other that this made it difficult to figure out who was who.
However I liked Thora. She never overreacted to anything. Also, I like that she still showed that she was a woman. For example when she unpacked her suitcase after arriving at in Greenland. Right on top in the suitcase was a pair of high-heeled shoes along with Capri pants, skirts, dresses and a pashmina shawl. The ending was good. I wanted to point this out for the fact that sometimes a book can be good but the ending bad or not up to par. I do want to go back and read some of the prior novels.
hldonavant's review against another edition
3.0
Slow read. Barely made it through. Picks up at chapter 27 though and couldn't put it down.
erikamikic's review against another edition
4.75
a good book, as every other one from this author, i liked everything about it, it was tense and the ending was AMAZING
kmatthe2's review against another edition
3.0
I give this one 3.5 stars. What is most captivating is the way in which Greenland is almost a character in the tale. Sigurdardottir does a nice job of educating her reader on the complex history of Eastern Greenland and its indigenous peoples without being heavy-handed. A well-spun tale.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
I loved everything about this novel. I love that it started off as an almost paranormal-esque murder mystery, and integrated the history and lives of Greenlanders and Icelanders into the mix. The plot was not typical and kind of strange, but also believable and excellent. It speaks to a lot regarding the survival of culture versus capitalistic ventures.
gwenhwyfar82's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0