There were a lot of elements to this that I did enjoy. But overall the plot felt shaky, with lots of holes and inconsistencies. Some things just didn't make sense. My suspension of logic and disbelief had to stretch just a little too far. I thought there was some commentary that could have been made on society's elites, addiction to TV/media, the use of said media as distraction from very real issues in life, and abuse of power, etc. that were never made. Maybe we're just supposed to infer those, or maybe they'll be addressed in book two? I was also ultimately disappointed by the anti-climactic ending. To be fair, I did not know there was a sequel, so I was expecting things to wrap up more thoroughly. Still, I'm not super eager to pick up the next one. But I may if it seems interesting when it comes out.

Snowglobe, a Korean import YA Dystopian, was a cover read, with the symbolic ice cracking as well as the roses, and who can say no to teal and pink?

In a few words, imagine The Truman Show and apply it to an entire city, not just one person. And it's in only place in the world where it's not freezing cold, much like the setting of Snowpiercer. In essence, you get a world where everyone uses TV as their main window for hope in a post-apocalyptic world, and many doing whatever they can to get into that world and survive. Add a dash of Korean Drama like storytelling, and this is a story I'm sure many Young Adult Sci-Fi and Dystopian fans will latch onto as much as I did. Though I will disagree with The Hunger Games and Squid Games comps; those two are more battles royales and only have loose comparisons to this book.

I enjoyed the world building for the most part. The world is frozen and towns are being powered by workers walking in hamster wheels for hours a day. Snowglobe, where the shows are filmed, is the only non-freezing city on earth. The city itself felt vivid and futuristic, being this 24/7 Hollywood set where almost everything is broadcast for the wider world. As we continue, we see that it's not the dream everyone envisioned. Some things about the world aren't fully explained, mainly in Snowglobe itself, but something tells me it's being saved for book 2. I liked the details and theming of TV being a source of hope, and what it means to be yourself.

Chobahm is a big fan of the Goh Around TV show, starting Harei, who's she looks very close to physically. She finds her world upside down when she's pinned as Harei's replacement. I love how Chobahm has to think through things as she's going through the inner world and figuring out that Snowglobe isn't exactly the dream world she might have imagined. She has some interesting character development as she goes through the story. The other characters are interesting, but I wish some of them were fleshed out a bit more, especially poor Miyru.

The prose mostly reads clean and the pacing was pretty good with somewhat shorter chapters and great cliffhangers to keep me reading. Some of the twists I knew pretty fast, but it didn't deter me from enjoying this read. Though I did think some of the twists were a bit over the top, and I presume some of that might be the K-Drama factor. While the story structure is a little bit different than me, an American reader, is used to, it was page turning, and that's what counts. Some things are left unanswered, but I'm assuming that's also book 2 stuff.

Side note about the translation/localization; While it does retain the Korean naming order (family name goes first) and reads cleanly, I really dislike when American publishers localize things to fit American standards that feel out of place. For example, raising the drinking age from whatever the age is in the country of origin (Korea drinking age is 19) to 21, or using imperial units, when everyone else uses metric, or referencing SWAT, an American invention, for a story that's likely set in a futuristic Korea. Compared to say, anime localizers, mainstream American publishing is at least a decade behind. Overall, this is mostly nitpicking on my part.

I'm so glad that the second half of the story has already been confirmed to be translated and coming to English readers sooner rather than later.

There is a lot to like in this book. It is a solidly built dystopian world. The book is also a well paced easy read that will draw in even reluctant readers. It is also the first of a two book series, so it will bring readers back for book 2. Is it perfect? Not quite. I think the ending felt a tiny bit rushed and was a bit too abrupt. However, I can see young adult readers flocking to this book. It is going to be a bestseller!

Snowglobe has a gorgeous cover and a super interesting premise, but unfortunatley, fell flat for me. I had a hard time becoming invested in the story or the characters. I found myself confused throughout portions of the book, and now having finished, remain very confused about certain plot lines. I am so interested if any of my above complaints can be attributed to this book being translated. I'm not sure! This book was, at times, a wild ride, and since books hit everyone differently, this might be a big win for other YA dystopian fans!

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for an eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Snowglobe is a dystopian YA story where the "Haves" live in Snowglobe- a climate controlled city where their luxurious and comfortable lives are recorded for what is essentially reality tv, which is then broadcast 24/7 all over and watching this is a huge part of the culture and loved by the "have nots" who work and live in the freezing, poor dystopian land and dream about someday going to snowglobe. The main character gets a chance at her dream job within snowglobe, only it doesn't turn out to be her dream job after all. I thought the world and overall premise and twists at the end were interesting. Overall I thought it was a little anticlimactic but would be curious to read the sequel to see where it goes. A few of the decisions made by some of the characters seemed a bit unbelievable, but overall I had a good time with it and would check out the sequel. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was a hard one to categorize as far as genre. I want to say it has some sci-fi elements to it. There were a lot of twists I wasn't expecting.

I'm so glad to have been able to read a copy of this translated work. I really can't wait to see what happens next.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. I kept seeing ads for this book and it was definitely worth the hype!

I got this book from netgalley.
3.75
The cover is what made me click on the book. So beautiful and I find myself thinking of it often. The first 80 pages or so were not easy to get through. Some of the struggle from the writer telling instead of showing. But some of this was my fault. I was thinking the book was more going to be about the main character finding out snowglobe is horrible when we already saw it was. There was A LOT more than that. This book takes us to a dark and brutal place. The ending was choppy which caused it to not be as satisfying as it could have been. Overall, it was a good read and I don't feel like I wasted my time. There's so many things I'm excited to find out in the next book.

It’s a solid dystopian themed book but for me I couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was the translation to English I feel like I missed a few things. But overall, I recommend it to anyone who really enjoys dystopian, hunger games esc books

First, as always with translated books; the translation itself. You'll be pleased to know it's smooth as silk. Apart from the names and some foods, there's no hint that this was not written in English; the language flows, it's colloquial, it's no hardship to read.

Now, the story. What a fascinating idea! The ways that the world adapted around the lowering temperatures are really inventive and I was glued to my page as I read along. The whole Truman Show idea was brilliantly melded in and it all made sense.

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I enjoyed the characters and the inventive setting, and this is a read I'll be recommending to other readers. Fantastic.

Thanks to Random House Children’s Books, NetGalley, and Soyoung Park for the opportunity to review this lovely book. In this world the elite of the world are able to live within the Snowglobe in a temperate environment and they live their lives on camera so that those on the outside can live vicariously through them. Meanwhile, people on the outside work in nuclear power plants to keep the power going and provide electricity to the people in the globe and on the outside. But there are secrets that are hidden both inside and outside and if our heroine is not careful she may end up dead like her predecessor. Something’s wrong with the Snowglobe and she needs to find out who or what it is before her time runs out.
Well worth picking up, you are sure to enjoy this story and find it hard to put down.

This was such a unique concept, and I feel as though it was executed well. I really loved the story, and it had me invested page after page. Thank you netgalley for an arc of this book.

Chobahm lives with her brother, mother, and grandmother in a city that is always cold. Going outside can quickly kill you without protective clothing. She, her mom, and brother all work at a factory where they must walk to keep the machines working to supply power for light and warmth for their city. They are entertained by the TV shows of the one place that has warmth left, Snowglobe, a domed city. Its residents are the stars of reality TV shows, almost always on camera. Chobamh longs to be a director and live in Snowglobe. It looks so wonderful. She'll find what it takes to keep Snowglobe going and the darkness behind the pretty world on TV.
This was an interesting look at a supposed utopia that was just as dystopian as the rest of the planet. Chobahm is ambitious and also has a strong sense of what is right. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those like strong female protagonists who may struggle to do what is right. Already purchased for the Young Adult (Teen) Department.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (or ~4 stars)

Soyoung Park’s Snowglobe, the first book in a new science fiction-dystopian duology translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort, is a unique read reminiscent of K-dramas, and dystopian movies like Snowpiercer and Ready Player One. After the world has frozen over in the future, most of the citizens are stuck in the freezing cold and supplying electricity for the rich and powerful. While the working class freezes, the rich and powerful are all safely ensconced within the walls of the Snowglobe, in exchange for having their lives broadcasted for entertainment purposes to the poor souls stuck out in the cold. Chobahm has dreamed of becoming one of the ‘actors’ in Snowglobe her entire life, but when the opportunity finally comes around everything is not as it seems and there’s much more going on then makes it onto the screen.

The setting of this story was really interesting, as it provided the opportunity for the author to make some commentary about the dangers of extreme climate changes while also providing a unique obstacle for the characters to overcome. It’s an extreme take on the idea that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The characters were also interesting; as there was the ‘reality TV’ side to each of them as well as the side that comes out when the cameras go off.

All in all, things blended together in a simplistic yet memorable way. It was a fairly entertaining read, and I’m curious to see how the action wraps up in the final installment of the duology. I would recommend it to teen and adult readers who are fans of dystopian novels with a bit of mystery and elements of K-dramas thrown in. Narrators Shannon Tyo, Greta Jung and Jeena Yi did a great job bringing the story to life with their performance in the audiobook narration. I also want to note how much I appreciate the great work the translator did, as there was never an awkward moment in the wording or grammar.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Delacorte Press, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Snowglobe immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

Set in a dystopian world where people work at power plants to help create electricity for the domed city Snowglobe, which provides 24 hour television programming. Chobahm had applied to the film academy but when she's not accepted, she thinks that's the end of her chances of getting to Snowglobe. Then an opportunity appears that she didn't expect and she's on her way to pretend to be her favorite actress, who happens to look just like her. Snowglobe is nothing like she expected and she soon realizes there's something going on that they've been hiding from everyone else. Overall, an interesting concept and a commentary on how we consume media and who the audience is for it. At times it was a little confusing how things worked in the world, but the end of the book really set up the series to delve even deeper into the mystery.

Wow! This was such a fast-paced read with interesting characters and a plot that kept me hooked from the start. I could not put this one down. Upon reflection, though, something didn’t get as much resolution/explanation as I would have liked, and things occasionally felt heavy-handed/contrived, but I enjoyed the story enough that didn’t bother me.

I enjoyed the plot and characters in this fresh take that blends The Hunger Games with the K-Dramas I enjoy. Ultimately the end left me wanting more and eager to read the sequel.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is a dystopian young adult novel set in a world that has become frozen. Electricity is made by people walking on treadmills and that is the job of most of the people in this country except for entertainers who live in a climate-controlled bubble. This was in interesting concept. The heroine in this story was plucky and not too over the top.

"Snowglobe" takes readers on a chilling journey into a world where safety comes at a high price. Within the confines of the dome lies a society built on illusion and surveillance, where citizens trade freedom for warmth. The novel's protagonist, Chobahm, becomes ensnared in this web of deception when she is selected to replace a deceased star. As she navigates the intricacies of life inside Snowglobe, she uncovers unsettling truths about the reality behind the televised facade. With its gripping narrative and thought-provoking exploration of power and manipulation, "Snowglobe" is a captivating read that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Unique dystopian novel!

17yo Jeon lives with her twin brother, mother, and grandmother in the extremely harsh environment surrounding Snowglobe. The main job for residents is producing power by running on giant hamster wheels for ten hours each day. Jeon is asked to leave her home and family to be a replacement for the Snowglobe star Goh Haeri. Jeon is thrilled because this means her family will be taken care of and her mother will no longer have to work but can stay home with grandmother instead. Jeon arrives in Snowglobe excited and happy but things aren’t adding up and when she discovers secret passages by accident, her existence is threatened.

Likes/dislikes: Strange concept that’s hard to grasp and become engrossed in. I enjoyed the mystery behind Goh Haeri. The story has an interesting and unique concept.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking.
Language: R for 49 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: predominantly Korean