December 2022: 
I loved this book. Jonathan was a fantastic protagonist— he was compelling and complex, and I loved seeing through his eyes. The entire cast was great— the amount of care that went into the detail of their existences and their arcs was so clear. Harry in particular was heart shattering to me— I should have seen his horrors coming and yet they still hit me full-force. The evolution of Jonathan and Tarlington’s dynamic was also so well-done— I believed them as truly disliking each other, and I believed how they grew to like each other, and I love where they ended up. The night watchman was also truly terrifying. I never thought a mention of the Aurora Australis could make me feel so cold down to my bones. 
I had a couple issues with the story. I think there were some missed opportunities— there’s one scene where Jonathan sees Tarlington but doesn’t believe his eyes, and that made me want the story to lean more into this kind of horror. From that point on, they mostly trust that they’re talking to each other, and I think sewing more distrust would heighten the tension. I also think the cast got a bit unwieldy at times— I know there would be a lot of characters on the ship, but I still struggled to keep even the main characters (aside from Jonathan/Harry/Tarlington/Randall) straight in my head. 
Still, I Loved this book. I love this style of narration and historical fiction, but I’ve also felt a bit alienated by it because it was so cis and straight. Seeing a trans protagonist who was incidentally trans was a relief. 

January 2025: 
Ugh this book is so good. I disagree a bit with past me’s assessment— I thought it was pretty easy to keep the expedition straight in my head this time around, which may be because it was a reread but also because I’m more experienced in Arctic/Antarctic expeditions now. I raised my rating from 4.25 to 4.5– I considered a 4.75. This is a great book.