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A review by juliat2006
Below Zero by Dan Smith
mysterious
fast-paced
3.25
This isn't a book I would have picked up by myself, but it was a rather pleasant experience. This was actually part of the Jólabókaflóð promotion at my school library. I liked the idea of this book. It appears nobody told Sofia to leave any creatures found encased in ice, encased in ice. Unsurprisingly, this caused havoc.
The isolated setting of Antarctica is perfect because it makes any anomaly so much more unsettling. Plus, us not knowing whether what Zak was seeing was real or in his imagination was also exciting. I found the relationship between him and his sister May to be very wholesome. The writing style of this book was great, with the descriptions having me be constantly engaged. The slight body horror had me cringe, meaning it was written perfectly!
The bad guys... They were pretty generic. An evil dude commanding soldiers, and wants to use the discovery in Antarctica for his own benefit. I guess for a "Middle Grade" book, it doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Spoiler I did appreciate that there was no hesitation in shooting a kid though. RIP Sofia.
However, the ending had me baffled. There was no way I could have predicted it. Spoiler Like, there is no way I just read about ethereal space bugs curing a kid's brain cancer. It doesn't feel real. Not to mention, a girl literally being resurrected by them too. I feel like it removed the stakes from this book. Especially what happens to Zak as a result of this event Spoiler, a.k.a, mind-control powers.
Overall, this was a pretty solid book. 3/5 stars.
The isolated setting of Antarctica is perfect because it makes any anomaly so much more unsettling. Plus, us not knowing whether what Zak was seeing was real or in his imagination was also exciting. I found the relationship between him and his sister May to be very wholesome. The writing style of this book was great, with the descriptions having me be constantly engaged. The slight body horror had me cringe, meaning it was written perfectly!
The bad guys... They were pretty generic. An evil dude commanding soldiers, and wants to use the discovery in Antarctica for his own benefit. I guess for a "Middle Grade" book, it doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Spoiler I did appreciate that there was no hesitation in shooting a kid though. RIP Sofia.
However, the ending had me baffled. There was no way I could have predicted it. Spoiler Like, there is no way I just read about ethereal space bugs curing a kid's brain cancer. It doesn't feel real. Not to mention, a girl literally being resurrected by them too. I feel like it removed the stakes from this book. Especially what happens to Zak as a result of this event Spoiler, a.k.a, mind-control powers.
Overall, this was a pretty solid book. 3/5 stars.