It's mixed feelings time, y'all! Some parts of this book were kind of awesome. I mean, Siberia? Sign me up! I love survival stories in general, and in that respect this book delivered for sure. But then some things really threw me off, too. So let's discuss them all, shall we?
The Things I Liked:
- Adrienne really grows a lot during the book. She starts off kind of bratty, honestly. And I get that she was still grieving the loss of her father (and I assume she always will, I don't think people "get over" such things) but that really didn't mean that she needed to be awful to her stepfather, who was kind of risking a lot to take her on this trip. Alas, she learns quite a bit about herself on this journey, and I really loved watching her development.
- The survival part of the journey was awesome. Especially when the group her father worked with was in the mix, as they made me chuckle a lot. But even when there were moments of humor, it was clear that the terrain and climate were no joking matter. And frankly, I'm a sucker for a survival journey, so that worked.
- It definitely had intense moments, and I wasn't always sure if or how things would work out. It was good that the story definitely did not feel safe, and that the stakes seemed very high at every turn. Made for a very readable experience, as I was eager to know what was going to happen next. Plus, the intensity definitely made for some solid feels.
The Things I Didn't:
- The first part of the story focuses a lot on her stepdad's mission, and whether the family is real. Unfortunately, the synopsis tells us which way that played out (so don't read it if you don't want to know!) and so that part of the story seems a bit anticlimactic, maybe even unncessary to an extent. In addition, we spend a lot of time getting to know the members of her dad's team (and her dad himself), which is good. Until they aren't in most of the story (also in the synopsis) because they straight up are killed off, every last one, after I came to care about the whole lot of them! Which, rude.
- There was a bit of magical realism in the book that didn't really attract me. I think it kind of made the story seem... a little "much"? Like if you're already in Siberia being captured by a family you thought was fake, maybe that is enough outlandish stuff for one book?
Bottom Line: Incredible setting, awesome adventure. It would have been a bit better if the title/synopsis hadn't given so much away, but still a fun read.