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Under A Pole Star by Stef Penney
Oct. 6th, 2016 10:56 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Follow the path to the freezing north.
Follow your ambition.
Follow your heart.
Under a Pole Star
Love will find a way.
Flora Mackie first crossed the Arctic Circle at the age of twelve. In 1889, the whaler’s daughter from Dundee – dubbed by the press “The Snow Queen” – sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggled to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the main who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men.
Geologist Jakob de Beyn was raised in Manhattan. Yearning for wider horizons, he joins a rival expedition, led by the furiously driven Lester Armitage. When Jakob and Flora’s paths cross, it is a fateful meeting.
All three become obsessed with the north, a place where violent extremes exist side by side: perpetual night and endless day; frozen seas and coastal meadows; heroism and lies. Armitage’s ruthless desire to be the true leader of polar discovery takes him and his men on a mission whose tragic outcome will reverberate for years to come.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Stef Penney returns to the frozen landscapes she conveyed so evocatively in the Costa winning THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES with an epic historical romance set among the early polar expeditions. However while the landscape is luscious, the emotionally chilly Flora is difficult to relate to, I never cared about her relationship with Jakob (despite some erotic sex scenes) and found most of the male characters to be under-drawn – especially Lester who is too cartoony to be a successful antagonist and while I kept turning the pages, I never really connected with the story.
UNDER A POLE STAR will be released in the United Kingdom on 3rd November 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Follow your ambition.
Follow your heart.
Under a Pole Star
Love will find a way.
Flora Mackie first crossed the Arctic Circle at the age of twelve. In 1889, the whaler’s daughter from Dundee – dubbed by the press “The Snow Queen” – sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggled to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the main who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men.
Geologist Jakob de Beyn was raised in Manhattan. Yearning for wider horizons, he joins a rival expedition, led by the furiously driven Lester Armitage. When Jakob and Flora’s paths cross, it is a fateful meeting.
All three become obsessed with the north, a place where violent extremes exist side by side: perpetual night and endless day; frozen seas and coastal meadows; heroism and lies. Armitage’s ruthless desire to be the true leader of polar discovery takes him and his men on a mission whose tragic outcome will reverberate for years to come.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Stef Penney returns to the frozen landscapes she conveyed so evocatively in the Costa winning THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES with an epic historical romance set among the early polar expeditions. However while the landscape is luscious, the emotionally chilly Flora is difficult to relate to, I never cared about her relationship with Jakob (despite some erotic sex scenes) and found most of the male characters to be under-drawn – especially Lester who is too cartoony to be a successful antagonist and while I kept turning the pages, I never really connected with the story.
UNDER A POLE STAR will be released in the United Kingdom on 3rd November 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
