Turtle under Ice

by Juleah del Rosario

A teen navigates questions of grief, identity, and guilt in the wake of her sister's mysterious disappearance in this breathtaking novel-in-verse from the author of 500 Words or Less-perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo.

Rowena feels like her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. After her mother died a few years ago, she and her sister, Ariana, drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive.

But then Ariana disappears under the cover of night in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving no trace or tracks. When Row wakes up to a world of snow and her sister's empty bedroom, she is left to piece together the mystery behind where Ariana went and why, realizing along the way that she might be part of the reason Ariana is gone.

Haunting and evocative-and told in dual perspectives-Turtle Under Ice examines two sisters frozen by grief as they search for a way to unthaw.

• ISBN10: 1534442960
• ISBN13: 9781534442962
• Publish Date: 13 April 2021 (first published 11 February 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

These two young women have been soaking in their grief since their mother's death. For years, Rowena's grief fueled her soccer prowess, and Ariana retreated, more and more, within herself. Fresh off another loss, Ariana disappears, in the middle of the night. The story alternated between both Ariana and Rowena as they work through their grief and loss. I think I shed a tear or two almost every time we flipped back to Ariana. Her pain was palpable, and my heart really ached for her. The whole time, they really needed each other, but neither was emotionally prepared to be there for the other. However, it was satisfying to see them make enough headway to begin to reconnect in a meaningful way. I found this a rather beautiful story of sisterhood in the face of great losses, which was both painful and touching.

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[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

I confess that every time I see this cover, I can only see that this girl is stabbing herself in the eye with ice. And then my mind goes to her stabbing herself with a turtle, and honestly none of this tells you anything about the book whatsoever, but I needed to get this off my chest and/or find someone to commiserate.

What I Liked:

• Obviously family is a huge focus of this book. It isn't either of the girls' only focus, mind, which it shouldn't be. But I think that especially considering the past circumstances of both young women, it was clear that family was their central focus. And the family was just so authentic. They loved each other so fiercely, but were having difficulty coming to terms individually with all the really crappy stuff they'd been dealt. Which is really fair, how many other families find themselves in similar situations, you know? They're all just doing the best they can, and life is just hard.



• The writing was positively gorgeous. I could absolutely feel the pain radiating from the pages. The author did an amazing job setting the tone for the story, and it was sad but with specks of hope dotted, which is kind of perfect, considering the subject matter.



• Packs a big emotional punch in a very quick story. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't love reading a super quick book from time to time. I do, I love it. This one somehow makes the reader feel all the emotions during a fairly short time period, which is impressive.

What I Didn't:

• This may be a "me" thing, but I have a ton of trouble connecting to characters in verse novels. Seriously, is this just me? Like I said, the writing was lovely and emotionally provocative without a doubt. I just wanted to feel a little more immersed in the characters themselves, but maybe I need to just let go of that expectation in verse books?

Bottom Line: It's got beautiful writing, and a sister duo who have gone through more than they should have had to. But they go on, as we must, and this story illustrates it brilliantly.