Tina May Hall

I'm pretty sure my friend Karen lured me into this book with promises of polar fiction. But something about this book never quite clicked for me. I liked the vague near-future, the cold of winter, the isolation, the gothic vibes, the overlay of Arctic exploration history. But I think it was the blend of magic/realism — I wasn't sure where on that line we were supposed to be, or what the rules were, in a way that I found mildly irritating rather than intriguing.

To be clear, I did enjoy this overall. Hall kept me curious about where this book was going. I liked it, I just didn't love it.… (mere)

*My thanks to Dzanc Books for the copy of the Snow Collectors.

The Snow Collectors is an enthralling whimsical mystery that sweeps you through a landscape of grief and hidden histories. I truly had a blast with this book, though it did drag in places.
The magic of this book's prose stems from the breathtaking descriptions.
"Sailors, cartographers and escaped slaves all held onto her tail because she never dipped below the horizon, though she came close enough in autumn to stain the trees with her blood." Pg. 42

This is just one example of many from this book, though some readers may find it distracting for that very reason. The book jumps between the 1800's and present day, to intertwine two narratives of loss and regret into a single thread that unravels a centuries old secret.
This book would have gotten five stars if not for some places where it dragged on a bit too much and the mystery being pretty obvious.
Still, this book is amazing despite that fact and I'd recommend anyone who loves unique settings and strange atmospheric writing to pick this up.… (mere)

What Z strange, yet for me an oddly compelling novel. When her twin sister and her parents disappear into the sea, Henna takes her dog, Rembrandt and moves to Alaska. The snow and the cold, seem to fit her mood, the library a source of comfort. Until a young women's body is found, and Henna finds torn sheets of paper dating back to the Franklin expedition.

In short chapters, vignettes, the story reveals one discovery after another. One never knows what is coming next, nor have a clue on where it is going. The police chief seems enthralled by Henna, and seems concerned about her safety. The setting is in the near future, where we wonderful humans have caused many species to go extinct. A few other colorful characters feature prominently, as does the mystery of the past. How do the two connect? An old, many room house and snow itself are also features. The tone is gothic in places, a kind of Jane Eyre vibe.

Interesting, beautifully written, one that definitely pulled in this reader.

ARC from Edelweiss.… (mere)