Author: Julia Green
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 4 July, 2013
Source: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK&ANZ) via NetGalley
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Kate's parents are taking her on holiday with them to a cottage on a remote island in the Hebrides. Kate can't imagine anything more boring. But underneath her sulkiness, Kate is scared. Her parents have been fighting and she knows that for her parents this holiday is make or break. Once at the cottage, Kate escapes - outside, anywhere. And there she meets the warmth of the islanders, who are prepared to accept her and to listen to her. And possibly fall in love with her . . .
Review by Nara
Me after finishing This Northern Sky:
.................
..................................
.................................................................... Is that the ending?
.................................................................................Is that the freaking ending?
NO. No, that cannot possibly be the end!!
Seriously, one of the most unsatisfying endings I have ever had the misfortune to read. Hell, it was worse than the ending of Inheritance. My rating literally went from 5 stars straight down to 4 stars because of that ending. What. The. Hell. Basically, the ending was what I thought should be the end of a chapter. I tried turning the page on my iPad only to realise that the "chapter ending" was the actual ending...
Thinking back on the novel, I must say that nothing big really happens. But it is really enjoyable as a light read. I suppose you can think of it like a snapshot in the life of a very normal girl. No paranormal creatures, no horrific car accidents, no childhood abuse...it was all very normal. The only slightly heavy part of the novel was that her parents were undergoing a possible divorce- but this was honestly a very minor aspect of the plot. There was also an issue with a past trauma, but again, for some reason, this seemed to be a minor aspect of the plot, and to be honest, I can't even remember whether this issue was resolved. The plot was predominantly about Kate making new friendships on the island.
There was some nice character development overall, but I must say that Kate didn't really change throughout the novel. Usually, with this type of contemporary, the main character undergoes some sort of change as a person. However, in This Northern Sky, nothing really happened. I would definitely have liked to see a bit more growth of Kate's character. The love interest, Finn, was quite intriguing. Honestly, he was a bit weird- quirky, I suppose you'd call it. I don't know why, but at times for me, he seemed a bit annoying. Just the way he acted in some situations...
As I said, nothing much happens in the novel- it's all very calm and realistic. However, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick contemporary read (and doesn't mind unsatisfying endings.)
Liked it
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
