when i first began reading this, i was determined to give it at least 4 stars, even if the writing and plot weren't the best. i really, really wanted to enjoy it, to have it be a guilty pleasure, because these kinds of stories typically are. and for a good chunk of the book, it did turn out to be just that - very reminiscent of one the best movies ever made, devil's pass, which i really hope is the film that nat mentions near the beginning.
but there's just a couple of things that prevented me from giving this a 3 or 4 star rating.
the most glaring is the 'romance' subplots, the "love triangle" between two dudes and a girl (because, of course there is). despite the narrator's internal dialogue, i can't really recall there being any sort of 'spark' between the girl and the dudes; nothing seemed like flirting. there just wasn't any indication that this was going to be a subplot in the story. typically, i'd just do my best to ignore this; it's nearly inescapable in fiction, people love to throw in some romance for the flavor - but the way it's done is just.. uncomfortable, and even moreso since it doesn't seem to be clear as to what actually occurred. the girl at the center, lana, supposedly was flirting with two men, steven and igor - but there's an accusation made by igor that steven attempted to/or actually did force himself onto lana, but lana is dead, so she's unable to clarify. there's then a moment later on where steven attempts to 'clear his name' and insists that igor was the one being pushy - and i don't know if the narrator nat is just a fucking idiot or if the author doesn't understand how to properly convey such a serious topic, but there's some seriously weird shit about all of it. nat is the Queen of mental gymnastics when it comes to these accusations. she believes them, then she doesn't; she accuses lana of pitting them against each other (remember, she is DEAD and unable to defend herself); she says, and i quote, "steven wouldn't be the first man to misread a woman's intentions" (okay, not a direct quote, paraphrased, i didn't feel like reading it again because of how mad it makes me). victim blaming is just so hot i guess! to make matters worse, there's a part a couple chapters later where steven has both lana and nat's underwear in his bag, so like, he's a fucking creep, i don't know if he actually raped/assaulted lana but like, HE HAD THEIR UNDERWEAR. HE IS A FREAK but it's just laughed off/forgotten, just like the accusations leveled against steven are, and suddenly, he's a good guy! nat thinks the world of him! i hate it! it feels so much like this romance subplot/steven being a Freak was added in as an afterthought, i don't know, maybe because the author thought it would make things more atmospheric, but @ after writer doing horror / thrillers / suspense: i promise you, you can craft a compelling and terrifying story without sexual assault. please, i'm begging you, learn to.
another thing that bugs me is that nat, this random canadian chick with absolutely no experience in ANYTHING, is seemingly the only person able to take the snowmen out. like, anubha and joe and vasiliy and igor who are all TRAINED for this, the first two being HUNTERS, the latter being MOUNTAIN MEN, struggle to fight these things - but nat can kill multiple? it really rubs me the wrong way. i don't think anyone should've survived this, least of all nat. it just doesn't make sense for her to suddenly have the strength to take out the snowmen.. but maybe that's just me, who knows.
the ending is also bullshit, i think, but like, i also understand why it's there, so it's fine, i guess.
overall, this had a lot of potential. it was atmospheric and dark from the jump. when dealing with a story that derives from real-life events, there's always the feeling that it's somehow exploitative, but the author has a nice dedication and i think it's a good enough job at referencing the incident. as far as theories and tales go, i do believe it's one of the better ones. the dyatlov story is haunting; the setting in which it takes place feels so claustrophobic, despite being set in nature, because of the oppressive nature of the mountains and the snow, and is wrought with tension because of the realness of it, and the fact that it remains unsolved.
there was a good basis here, and a beginning worthy of it, but this story really just loses itself with an unnecessary subplot and a mishandling of sexual assault and rape culture.