My Book Review of Ice Islands
Ice Islands by Humphrey HawksleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well Devised Political Thriller
Politics is not my forte. I tend to align with Rake, the protagonist, feeling as though there are too many games and indecision based on personal agendas. Unlike Rake, I don’t have the ability to read people enough to make quick judgments on trust. LOL
I think a great quote from this book that helps to bring the premise of the story to light is this:
“National leaders, however just their causes, however morally upright they might be, could be pushed like feathers in strong wind into choiceless corners where survival of their nation became paramount.”
I think this because each “leader” felt they were right and just in their actions. Whether or not that is the case is subjective. Still, it is their perception based on their political perception based on their value sets. That made for an interested basis to tell this tale and give motives to what unfolded.
I really enjoyed the characters. I liked the twists that came about. It was a realistic read with believable and likeable characters. The fact the author could play into the human nature that we are neither truly evil nor good was well written. It added an extra layer to the thriller for me.
What I didn’t like was the format. There were times when the text was more staccato in style, which is sometimes a writing choice for this genre, but it wasn’t consistent. I understood it was meant to intensify the scenes, trying to amp up the action, but for me, it distracted from the story rather than contributed. Too often I felt as though there were missing words or incomplete thoughts. Some readers will love this, however, it was not my preference.
I recommend this book. It can be read as a standalone (which I did read it as), and I enjoyed it enough that I intend to go back and read the series from the start.
