Twelve women. The arctic circle. One death.

Virginia Reeves, a trail guide, has brought over 400 people across the west in the 1850s.

Franklin, a mysterious benefactor, wants Virginia to guide twelve women to the arctic to search for several missing persons.

She has to trek across hardships and terrifying circumstances. Intwined with this tale is the aftermath - where Virginia is on trial (not all of the 12 women make it out alive).

Simultaneously she's on trial during the "present" storyline for one count of kidnapping and murder.

As details are slowly revealed, her past comes back to haunt her. And she soon finds herself sinking...

To be honest, this one wasn't nearly what I hoped. I wanted a really gritty survival and it just wasn't it.

The characters felt bland, I couldn't sink into the historical aspect of it. It wasn't for me.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Even now, after all this time, its hard to be a woman. I still see it. As women we’ve had to be mentally stronger and work twice as hard as men. Most of the time. (My opinion- my personal experience).

Reading this scared the hell out of me. During this time in history woman basically had no rights at all. They usually couldn’t go anywhere alone and they couldn’t even wear pants! Many women spoke in this story and I think they all struggled. This was so much more than an expedition. It was heartfelt and heart-stopping.
A chilling, brave tale of women who tried to not like each other but during this unthinkable trek they formed bonds that no one could break. I loved it!
I highly recommend this book and hope you love it as much as I did.

Quote from the book:
“If no one deserves to die, then no one deserves to live”.. ~ Virginia

Thank you SourceBooks Landmark via Netgalley for this wished for book. I’ve voluntarily given my honest review.

The Arctic Fury (A Novel) by Greer Macallister
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 1, 2020

The Artic Fury is a novel by Greer Macallister. I don't usually read historical fiction, but I am so glad I read this book.

One of the things I loved about this book, is that it is told in alternating timelines. I loved it gave us different perspectives of the events. I loved the characters in this book, such strong women!

This book was filled with suspense, adventure, and the power of women to persevere! I would definitely recommend this book!

I'm so grateful to Greer Macallister, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The following review appeared on my blog (blogginboutbooks.com) on 01.07.21:

When Sir John Franklin and his crew of explorers disappear after an 1845 trip to the Arctic, everyone is eager to learn of the company's fate. After several parties fail to find her missing husband, Lady Jane Franklin decides to take the matter into her own hands. She pays for an all-female crew to make a secret trek into the wilderness. If they succeed in finding Franklin, the team of women will become famous the world over. Should they fail? No one will ever know. Or will they?

Virginia Reeve has helped lead hundreds of pioneers across the United States to California Territory. She's proved herself against inclement weather, ferocious wildlife, and ill-prepared gold seekers, but she has never taken on a journey the likes of which Lady Jane is proposing. Is she really up for leading a group of women she doesn't know into the frozen unknown? A million things could go wrong—is she prepared to deal with the potential fallout?

One year later, Virginia is standing trial for murder. A young socialite is dead. And she's not the only one who perished in the Arctic under Virginia's watch. What really happened out there on the ice?

I love survival stories set in remote, dangerous places. Mix in a murder mystery and you've got my attention, one hundred percent. As soon as I read the synopsis for The Arctic Fury, the newest historical novel by Greer Macallister, then, I knew I had to read it. A girl-power survival novel set in the Arctic? Yes, please! I was all-in for what I hoped would be an absorbing, immersive read. Did The Arctic Fury meet my (admittedly high) expectations? Yes and no. The premise is definitely unique and interesting (the all-female expedition is entirely fictional, but what if it weren't?). As far as plot goes, there's enough tension, suspense, and mystery to keep the tale moving at a satisfactory clip. The tale definitely never got boring for me. I had a hard time with the characters, though. The cast is large and even though each of the women in the expedition narrates at least one chapter of the book, I still didn't feel like I really knew any of them. Thus, it was difficult to care too much when characters died—none of them felt real enough to make me mournful. Since I'm not sure exactly what purpose all the book's courtroom scenes served, I would have preferred that the whole novel—or at least a good 80% of it—took place in the Arctic. That way, the story would have been more atmospheric, intense, and compelling. Plus, it would have given Macallister more time to really develop all the female explorers, create a bond between them that the reader could feel, and offer more excitement and thrills to the plot. I also would have liked to see the women have a more proactive role in their own rescue.

Considering all these things, I ended up liking The Arctic Fury without loving it like I wanted to. The book kept my attention, but it didn't yank me in and make me feel like I was trudging through the Arctic along with Virginia and her crew. Ah, well.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Terror by Dan Simmons)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, innuendo, and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Arctic Fury from the generous folks at Sourcebooks via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Told in a back-and-forth style, the reader is taken on a historical adventure based on real events surrounding the Franklin Expedition. Virginia Reeves, who had lead pioneers across the Sierra’s, has been asked to lead twelve women to discover what had happened to this group of missing men of the Erebus and the Terror. Lady Jane Franklin wants this expedition to be covert and her name not mentioned but has strong opinions regarding who is to be part of the enterprise, leaving Virginia with a group ill-prepared for what lay ahead.

As the women set out and the horrors revealed, Virginia must fight her internal demons while keeping the group focused. As each woman exposes their strengths and deficits, they slowly decrease in number until there is no other choice, and those remaining must turn back. Upon returning to Boston, the real horror begins, with a trial that will lay Virginia Reeves’ bare.

Those more knowledgeable in this part of history may have guessed “the very bad thing” sooner than I did, but once revealed, there was an ah-ha moment that may have felt anticlimactic to others but was eye-opening all the while. Readers will have questions regarding why things played out the way they did, but that is what historical fiction is all about. Take parts of the truth, mix them up with a good imagination, add some more, and what you end up with is a gripping story.

Wow, I just loved this story. Based on the true story of Lady Franklin’s search for her husband John Franklin and his missing crew in the Arctic, this book both a historical fiction and a mystery. When Virigina Reed, is commissioned to lead a group of women into the Arctic, she knows that they may not all come back. But when one member of an esteemed Boston family is the one that doesn’t come back, Reed is put on trial for her supposed death.

Told from various perspectives we get a glimpse into the thoughts and opinions of each of the women involved in the expedition. I really enjoyed that while the main POV was from Reed and we see the story mainly through her eyes, we also get these small glimpses into each women’s motives. I felt this really ensured I felt invested in not only the greater story but also into what would lead these women to take this journey. I’m always reminded in books like these, just how far women’s rights have come in less than 200 years, and I’m extremely grateful to be alive in a time period were women are able to do as they wish and garner respect.

In addition to this book being based upon the search for the Lost Franklin Expedition, it also ties into the story of the Donner party. I won’t spoil it but once I finished reading this book I immediately went down a rabbit hole researching them.

This is definitely a book that will suck you in. If you love historical fictions with strong women character than this book is for you!


I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on The Arctic Fury . Huge thank you to SourceBooks for my eARC for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books, or my blog SPEAKINGOF.ORG

The Arctic Fury pits 13 women against the arctic in an unwinnable expedition that seems cursed from the start. When the leader of the expedition is put on trial for the murder of one of the lost souls, we see the truth of the matter unfold from the beginning of the trip. Equal parts mystery and social commentary, it's clear that our social justice system really hasn't come that far.

A unique and engaging work of Historical Fiction that is at once brutal and uplifting.

In The Arctic Fury, Greer Macallister has delivered one of the more unusual novels in the genre that I’ve encountered this year, and also one of the best.

Thought the central plot is entirely fictional, it does feature several real women with historical significance, and their real histories are woven into the fictitious expedition in deft and captivating ways.

The dual timeline—juxtaposing the expedition itself with Virginia’s murder trial resulting from it—works better here than that format typically does, probably because the two timelines are so close together and feature the same protagonist.

While I expected more of the chapters covering the expedition to take place on the ice in the Arctic, the lead-up to it proves just as interesting. I wouldn’t have minded a longer book so that we might see more of the women’s time on the ice, but it’s not as though the rest of their journey was any less fascinating.

The harrowing Woman vs. Nature plot was very well-executed, tense and always carrying an impending sense of dread.

And the character renderings are simply exceptional. While Virginia may be hard to warm up to initially, the reader is firmly on her side by the end of the novel. We’re still left feeling more positively about some of the other women in the group (I honestly liked Caprice a lot better than Virginia), but the way Virginia slowly wins the reader over, almost without their notice, is a testament to Macallister’s excellent writing.

Very fun historical fiction with a great atmospheric/gothic feel. Love how it tied to the Donner party at the end. I will for sure have my book club read this one!

The book is told in alternating time points as well as alternating viewpoints, yet it remains focused on Virginia Reeve. Virginia was asked to lead an unusual expedition, of all women to the Arctic, in order to see if they could find out what happened to the British Navy men led by John Franklin. Most of the book is taken by the court proceedings that happen just after Virginia returns to Boston. She is charged with murder of one of the women, Caprice Collins, during the expedition. The prosecution also states she did this on her own, without the funding by Lady Franklin.

The set up for the expedition was mysterious and a bit odd, but in those times women weren’t seen as capable, so perhaps that part could be explained by the unusual nature of the undertaking, only women and led by a woman.

The alternate time lines are mostly between the court and the expedition, with a few exceptions going into Virginia’s past as well. She previously had been a guide leading people on the wagon trail from the east to west.

Personally I found the trial portion a bit tedious in the beginning. I wanted to hear the story of the women exploring, going out on their own. That seemed to be slow in the development of the book. Also, I was under the impression that the different women would have more of a voice as characters in the book, but instead it was focused mainly on Virginia. Somewhere along the way, I gave up my expectations and enjoyed the book more.

It says something all on its own that this manages to be tense without feeling too much like a thriller? Gripping, poignant, and so atmospheric, while also really nailing home the resilience of women and how the truth will always out. I was hooked by the premise but the book itself lured me in and kept me there until the end. Loved the dual timelines too, and I was pleasantly delighted by the ending which doesn’t always happen when I’m reading outside romance. This is one that should be adapted for TV, no question.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister is an empowering story about women braving the cold, white hell of the artic. This is not a simple narrative and holds many complex parts. This is a combination of historical fiction, adventure, thriller and mystery. Of course, because the majority of the characters are female, this is also a strong women’s fiction. I very much enjoyed this story and found it entertaining from beginning to end. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of this book for review!

I wanted to read The Arctic Fury because I love historical fiction and the setting and subject matter of this book is so unique and intriguing. It is an unusual historical novel -- a mystery and in many ways an adventure story with female protagonists. I found the protagonist, Virginia Reeve, interesting and admirable for her strength and determination. I recommend this novel enthusiastically for fans of historical fiction and especially for anyone interested in the Arctic and 1800's exploration. You will not be disappointed!

Historical fiction isn't usually my genre but the cover grabbed my eye and I am grateful that I did. This was a fantastic read, full of history and mystery. It was a captivating story about a group of women who head off on an adventure to the artic. The story is told alternating between the murder trial of the leader of the expedition and the journey they take together. This was a beautifully written story and I am so glad I took the time to check it out! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

In The Arctic Fury, Greer Macallister tells the story of Virginia, a young guide who is hired by a wealthy woman to find her husband’s missing expedition. It’s a tale told in two parts, alternating. One is Virginia and her team of twelve women heading to the Arctic in search of Captain John Franklin and his men. I really enjoyed reading about how her team came together and how she found each of the twelve women, searching for the unique qualities that would make them helpful to the search. The second aspect of the tale is what happened when Virginia returned and her subsequent murder trial. I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book. So often, I’m drawn in first by the cover so when I saw the author name, I was doubly happy. I’ll read anything by Greer Macallister. Release date is December 1st, so do yourself a favour and pick this one up ASAP. It’s the perfect winter read!

Reasons I like this book:

Strong female cast

Seamless blending of fiction and history

Inspiring characters

Courtroom drama!

Book quote: “They started in such ambitious optimism..which are the luckier? The ones who came back or the ones who didn’t?”

Rating: 3.5 stars

Similar books you’ll enjoy: Impatient With Desire by Gabrielle Burton, The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster by Robert Edric

#indigoemployee

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
This book is historical fiction so well done. I was instantly captivated into the story of women going on an arctic exploration in the mid-1800s. Each of the characters were distinct, especially when they were on the trip. Virginia made for a great leader, I loved the conflict with Caprice, and the struggles of the other women on this harrowing journey. The landscape was described with clarity. I could feel the cold with them because the author did such a great job immersing the reader into this frozen, barren land. I could also feel the emotions of the characters. Ann's storyline gutted me.
I also enjoyed how the different timelines - there are three - slowly built together to show the bigger picture of this trip. But it also kept me wanting to read to figure out what was coming and what past event was influencing this current trip, and I liked how it all pulled together at the end.
There were a few times that I couldn't remember who a few characters were because this is a rather large expedition. But the most important women were memorable. Also, the ending of this book was full of emotion, and I kept hoping the right thing would be done, but was it?
If you're looking for a unique historical fiction book full of strong, courageous women, check out this book.

The beautiful cover first caught my eye. Then I was glued to this incredibly real and utterly compelling, page-turner with unimaginable, realistic twists and turns that kept me guessing till the end. The novel is chilling in more ways than one. This is a cleverly plotted, mystery builds to a satisfying ending in the year 1850. It allows readers to peek at what happened through the eyes of a few of the survivors for well-rounded clues to solve the mystery of what happened to twelve courageous women that embarked on a dangerous, secret Arctic expedition, that has a few women missing on the of the unforgettable journey. Was it murder or something else?
This author weaves a haunting, amazing adventure intertwined with ongoing court drama as I read this book I felt as if I were watching a movie! It reminded me of the style of Law and Order. As they start out in court and then as the story unfolds viewers get to see the rest of the story through the police drama that brought them to court in the first place.

I was blown away to read in author’s note that this story was based on real events. The author writes, “...The deeper I got into researching the 1850s, the more accounts I discovered of extraordinary women on America’s various frontiers, exactly the type of women who might have leapt at the chance to involve themselves in an adventure.”

There are a few cuss words, a few alcohol references, some horrific things mentioned (not graphic) but all in all an incredible story with a natural spiritual thread as people contemplate the end of life as they know it and wonder where they go next. The author includes twelve questions to help create a lively discussion for your book club. This would make a great book club pick there is so much to talk about.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

3.5 ⭐

While I did like book I didn't love it like I expected to. It wasn't as compelling as I thought it would be, I really wanted more of the story of the time spent in the Arctic so the court room scenes dragged for me. Around the half way mark it did pick up and I was more in to the story, but it was definitely a slower burn than I expected. Also I would have liked more details on Amos' fate since he was referenced so much. And I did find the ending to be really rushed for as slownas the book began. This one had a lot of promise but a lot of problems too.

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this was such a great story! Ever since I read Woman 99, I have been hoping to read another Greer Macallister historical fiction. I loved the concept of an all women's arctic expedition to search for Sir John Franklin and his crew in the 1850s. The second major storyline of the novel is a sensational murder when one of the women is put on trial, accused of murdering another member of the expedition.

As the novel bounces back and forth between the journey and the trial, I was amazed at how easily the author manages to give us the viewpoints of all twelve women while also never forsaking the voice of Virginia Reeve, the main protagonist. Hands down, Virginia Reeve is my favourite protagonist of 2020! The novel focuses on issues of class structure, sexuality, race and ultimately women's struggle to be themselves and not what society dictates of them. The best part of the novel for me was as members of the expedition head out across the frozen tundra and how they must struggle to survive while also trying to learn to work together.

To say more about what I loved even if I just alluded would be too spoiler-ish in nature, but maybe I could just say I liked how the author uses her storyline to refer to something else in history. How's that for vague? Although this one does ask for us to consider the possibilities of " if this could have happened," it certainly satisfied my thirst for a good "adventure novel."




Goodreads review published 13/12/20
Publication Date 01/12/20

We cannot say what the woman might be physically, if the girl were allowed all the freedom of the boy. —Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Virginia Reece is an adventurous young woman with a tragic background that has been helping pioneers find their way westward to California.

She is approached in 1853 (after her pioneering partner dies) to lead an all-female group to the Canadian Arctic region to try to find out what happened to the missing Captain John Franklin expedition that disappeared after setting out in 1845.

This was an okay story, although rather farfetched. To me it just wasn't too believable, in that long ago day and age, that an all-female group would have ventured out on this adventure, or even been allowed to.

The story is told from two different times - during the hunt for Franklin and then the ramifications of the trip a year after they headed out.

The characters (13 women that headed out from Boston, Massachusetts to the Arctic) could have been developed more fully. I would have liked to know more about the motivations of each of the women, rather than just Virginia.

There were shades of a couple of other books I've read in this one, at least for me - THE TERROR by Dan Simmons and THE HUNGER by Alma Katsu. These are both horror stories and THE ARCTIC FURY is an adventure novel but it still reminded me of these stories.

I received this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.