Reviews with content warning for Blood - Das Gesicht unter dem Eis

Hated|Disliked|Liked|Loved|Favorited

There are parts of this book that I adored, but there are many aspects that frustrated me because they could have been so much better. I think if I had found this book when I was younger, I would have adored this book. The book is a slow, atmospheric, soft gothic kind of thriller. There's a bit of tension that remains all the way through. The ending is a bit predictable but delivers in a satisfying way.

Cons: Slow start and it takes a while to get into. I didn't feel like I had a grip on the book until well past the first 100 pages, and the book didn't feel exciting until page 200. For a literary read, that's fine. For something marketed as a thriller? Not great. The story suffers from a pacing problem and a structural problem. It simply takes too long for the foundation of the story to begin. There's too much motif build-up in the beginning when plot and background and character development could be happening. The motif build-up would be forgivable if it wasn't so repetitive. There are a lot of references to the snow, ice, and lake. I think the explanation for the sound a frozen lake makes was repeated at least three times. There are subtle allusions to a mysterious past, but it feels like too much pours out once the author gave in to the audience. The entire plot grinds to a halt to deal with the past which causes this middle section to feel like a completely different story. The last third of the book does a much better job of balancing motifs, themes, character development, and weaving memory with the present-day plot. Although, this comes at the sacrifice of subtlety. There are some mysteries that are written too plainly and become frustratingly obvious too soon. While many characters have their secrets and are fairly interesting, they still feel somewhat two-dimensional. The main character has so much potential to be a thoroughly interesting, morally grey character, but there's a tangible reluctance to let the good characters have unlikeable qualities. The main character had so much potential to be an unreliable narrator, and I was disappointed that she was relegated to merely a victim of circumstance

... twice.

Pros: My absolute favorite trope in these dark academia-like books is all-consuming toxic friendships and the ensuing drama. This book de-effing-livered on that front. The melodrama is at a high with ghost lakes, history repeating itself, academic pressure and competition, stolen diaries, adolescent woes, taboo love, buried secrets resurfacing in gruesome ways, suicides, murders, shady pasts, ancient Pagan rituals, and tragic folktales. There's so many layers and things that are woven into the plot that keep you reading until the end. When the book is finally able to flip back and forth between the present and the past, the book has an obsessive feel that's absolutely captivating.

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zach_whitaker's review against another edition

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dark 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I absolutely loved this book. Perfect read for these long cold rainy days. The last 3 or 4 pages were absolutely not in character with the rest of the book. Had this not happened it would have been a higher rating.

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lilifane's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

First of all, I'm so glad I read this book now and not in summer. The setting and atmosphere were perfect for dark, cold winter days. I learned a lot about lakes and how they freeze and about ice and snow and creepy wintry weather phenomenons, and I looooved it! I also really liked the story. I'm a fan of plots consisting of two timelines, a present and a past one, with mysteries that are connected. However, everything about the plot was super predictable. I guessed every single reveal possible far in advance. Most of the time I thought it was more dramatic this way because you saw things coming long before the characters did. Except of the reveal who the villain of the story was. Because this one was SO predictable that I didn't want to believe it and forced myself to find other explanations. Just to be disappointed because it really was the obvious one. At the same time I was furious with the protagonist who was so naive and clueless all the time.

On the other hand, the details about what happened in the past broke my heart. Just thinking about how a few lies and misunderstandings and assumptions lead to so much death and drama and heartache. Uff. I wanted to cry during the whole ending.

So this book was far from perfect, but I almost gave it 5 stars just because it made me feel so hard... and because the setting was so special.

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miamcmillan's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this was a bit insane due to the incest plot line and the plot in general tbh. a little bit repetitive and sometimes unintentionally funny, but also managed to keep things tense and atmospheric. thoroughly enjoyed for what it is !!

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