Member Reviews

3.75 (no spoilers)
This was an interesting read. I love the concept: a dystopian-frozen country where people live well and with wealth only inside the Snowglobe. A type of Truman's show where actors and directors put on a show for everyone to watch on TV. The main star and adored Haeri is gone. No one knows because the director brings a girl into the show to hide this from the viewers. Now Chobahm is Haeri, but as fast as she loves the idea of having an amazing life as Haeri she also finds out the horrible truth of Snowglobe. I couldn't put it down, but when we hit sixty percent of the novel things turn around in such a way that it's very surprising (still trying to decide if I liked it or not) fast paced and filled with plot twists then Chobahm decides to handle it all. Although it's a duology the events of book one are mostly resolved and could be enjoyed as a standalone. I appreciate the cover and inner cover being so pretty. I love it when the publisher rewards the readers with an extra step. 
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the e-arc.

Was this review helpful?

THIS. BOOK.

Entirely unputdownable throughout, mixed with delightful dystopia reminiscent of The Truman Show. Despite being an elite refuge amidst the -50 degree tundra, Snowglobe has a sinister side. This brings in a ton of tropes that I love - identical twins swapping places, uncovering societal corruption, family drama, SO MANY. I did have some qualms about some of the events, but I'm fine chalking that up to YA magic.

I cannot wait to read the second book in this duology, especially given how Snowglobe ended. What's next??

*Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Was this review helpful?

This review contains small spoilers that are also mentioned in the description of the book.

About:
Chobahm lives on the outside with her twin brother, mother, and grandmother. She works at the power plant, while watching the lives of those that live in Snowglobe on reality television and dreams of becoming a director some day. Life on the outside is not great. It's always around -50 degrees Fahrenheit, families are impoverished, and jobs are grueling.
Her favorite reality show to watch is Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri. Tragically, Goh Haeri dies and Chobahm is chosen to take her place. Once inside Snowglobe, Chobahm finds out that reality television isn't what it seems and it might not be so glamorous to live on the inside.

Thoughts:
This was a very fast read for me. This book is translated from Korean to English and it is good to keep an open mind about the translation before reading this book. I am a fan of K pop and have read other books about the Korean culture and from Korean authors. I don't typically read dystopian novels, but this book kept my interest until the end. A mix of a K drama meets the Truman show. I look forward to the second book in this duology to see how the characters progress and what happens next!

For readers that enjoy:
- Dystopian books
- Korean culture
- K Dramas

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This is a return to old school (early 2000s) YA dystopian. Imagine Hunger Games meets Truman and you get the idea. While wholly unbelievable and with huge logic holes, I can easily see this being made into a K-Drama series on Netflix and being very successful. For me, it started out fine by kind of petered out about half way through and then devolved into silly by the end.

Story: Chobahm lives in one of the many frozen villages that surround Snowglobe - a city inside a climate controlled dome. The residents of the villages support themselves by spending all day running in 'hamster wheels' in order to create electricity to power Snowglobe and the meager amounts of heating and food they receive. The Snowglobe residents repay the villagers by being on 24 hour reality tv shows of their life that is broadcast to the hamster wheels for entertainments. Goh Haeri is Snowglobe's biggest star; Chobahm looks so much like her it is surprising. When Haeri's director appears asking Chobahm to take the place of Haeri (who apparently committed suicide), Chobahm sees the opportunity to live in the warmth of Snowglobe and provide for her family. But things are not always as they seem.....

As with so many dystopians, the haves do nefarious things to the have nots in order to maintain their positions. In Snowglobe, the power is behind one prominent family as well as the directors of the various shows. The directors never have to leave Snowglobe but the actors may be forced to return to villages at any time if they do not cooperate. Our heroine soon learns that the directors are vicious and heartless - and are manipulating the lives of the actors cruelly.

The story was interesting when Chobahm was on the outside but once she was in Snowglobe, I felt like I was reading every other Dystopian from 15 years ago - Divergent, Hunger Games, The Chosen, etc. The idea of a perpetual life-long reality tv show has also been done before in the form of Truman (the Jim Carrey movie). Chobahm isn't especially intelligent, does a lot of incredibly stupid things/makes poor decisions, and none of the other characters are particularly interesting. I was bored about half way through, feeling like I had read this story before only with a layer of Korean culture to differentiate it from its American counterparts.

The plot holes here are truck sized. Characters act very illogically to push plot points, and the whole thing lacks sophistication and charisma. It's a piece that likely works much better as a movie or TV series where good actors can elevate the very 'been there, seen that' situations. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Was this review helpful?

Oh my god--Snowglobe is the dystopian YA I've been waiting for! I've never stopped loving dystopian stories even when they flatlined, but it was hard to find truly good dystopian stories during the drought. But I'm so hopeful that Snowglobe will light this genre back on fire. This story already has an amazing pitch so I won't bother trying to summarize it here. What I do want to talk about is how this book confirms my firm belief that a K-drama flair can breathe new life into dead or dying trends because this story has so many of the K-drama tropes that make those dramas so compulsively watchable. I won't spoil the book here, but suffice it to say that there are so many delicious twists, unhinged characters, deeply flawed yet sympathetic characters, and truly diabolical villains. All of this is set in a fascinating dystopian world that is so terrifyingly similar to our present-day obsession with entertainment, fame, voyeurism, and social media that this setting could very well be considered near-future. Snowglobe is such a fast-paced, unputdownable read! I've already recommended it to some of my favorite readers and will continue to scream about it for a very long time!

Was this review helpful?

I was given this book my NetGalley in exchange for my review. My review contains small spoilers.

This book really caught my attention. I was interested in it because it was a post apocalyptic world, but I was captured by the second chapter and it really pulled me in. The writing had a few grammatical errors, and a few sentences that I had to reread to because the words didn't seem to go together in a way that made sense, but that's to expected in a translated book. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the world, however I wanted more. The end of the book said there's a sequel coming, but if it's going to be written in the same way I worry that I'll still be left wanting more. I want more of the characters, more of the world building. I'd love spin off stories about each of the girls, the director, the president and her family. This world was so interesting and really grabbed my attention. And the twists! Just when I thought I had things figured out one of the girls would say something and reveal another layer of deception and more twists and it kept me on my toes like not many books do. I didn't want to put it down, and I read the book in one sitting. Honestly though it could have been 1000 pages and I probably would have loved every bit of it. I can't wait until publication so I can own this book, and I definitely want to own the Korean copy as well. And 2025 can't come fast enough so I can have the sequel!

Was this review helpful?

I loved the plot, setting, and characters. This was a fantastic idea for a book and the pacing was great.
I was just a little disappointed because there wasn't much action. This was described as "hunger games meets squid game", so I was expecting fights for survival, terrifying games, action, and thrilling scenes. Unfortunately you don't get much of that in this book. I am hoping that the next book in this duology has more action.

Was this review helpful?

This book reminds me a lot of Hunger Games and little bit Divergent. Living in a world that is completely frozen over and the only ones that are safe in the snow globe are the rich and famous. Chobahm who looks like Haeri is selected to take over her life after she passes away. She learns real fast that this life is not as easy and safe as she has thought.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. I loved this. Park did a wonderful job driving you into Snowglobe and creating connections to the characters. The world of Snowglobe was something of the Truman show, while also taking on its own life. You meet an array of characters that all present different views of the world they’ve been handed.

It presents a really interesting view of wealth, social presences, and family. I found myself really invested in the different motives and ideas behind each character too.

However, this book is also hard to review without giving too much away. You must just trust the storyline and follow the characters. It does get a little hard to follow the characters towards the end, but that will make sense once people read! Interested to see how the sequel turns out.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance copy of this 2.27.24 release. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Finally, a new dystopian I could get into! In a future world ruined by climate change, the elite live in a dome called Snowglobe while the rest of the world freezes while using manual labor to produce geothermal energy. The citizens of Snowglobe are all actors and directors, and their lives are streamed as TV shows to the rest of the world. Jeon Chobalm dreams of being a director while toiling at the power plant, until one day she is whisked away to Snowglobe by a powerful director. Her job? Not directing. Instead, she will be standing in for her favorite actress and golden child Goh Haeri, who has taken her own life. As Chobalm gets further into Snowglobe, she realizes the dangerous secrets that lie within - and what she can do to bring justice to the victims. A second installment will be out next year, and I will definitely be reading that as well. Recommended for mature 7th grade readers and up.

Was this review helpful?

I stopped reading at the 25% mark in the book. The novel didn't seem unique. I stopped reading at the 25% mark in the book. The novel didn't seem unique.

Was this review helpful?

Five glorious stars for this amazing book! I've been looking for a new dystopian for ages. Snowglobe ticks all the boxes. I fell in love with the characters, and the luscious world. This book takes an almost Black Mirror approach in creepiness as well. Definitely will be purchasing multiple copies, as not only is the story amazing. The book is absolutely beautiful!

Was this review helpful?

Dystopian is so back, baby! I loved Snowglobe and the classic YA dystopian feel it had, and I liked the experimental worldbuilding! The sci-fi mystery/thriller definitely caught me off guard but I loved the book all the more for it! I would definitely recommend!

Was this review helpful?

This was very hunger games meets black mirror and I really really enjoyed it. I’m actually bummed it ended on a cliff hanger and I cannot wait to continue the series. Will highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

As someone who started reading again in 2015 at the height of YA dystopian releases this was so nostalgic to read. I absolutely loved every moment of it, it gave me the feels I had when I first read the hunger games. It is absolutely believable that this could happen with global warming and it was interesting to see how Soyoung Park portrayed it. Snowglobe also had me thinking about how we treat celebrities in real life as well. The twist in this I was not expecting at all and really enjoyed that as well. I highly recommend to those who love dystopians!

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was really clever and well done. It reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games, though the characters weren’t quite as well developed. Some of the writing was a bit stilted, but I think that may come down to the translation. Overall, I found this book really enjoyable and will definitely look out for the sequel!

Was this review helpful?

I really liked this book! I think it will be super popular with the YA crowd and Middle Grade.

It was a unique take on a dystopian world combining extreme weather, creating actual power (like electricity), and social media. The role of social media in the book was eye-opening and thought provoking.

The story found it's characters questioning who they really were and who they wanted to be. I think it's relatable, and I can't wait to share it with my students.

And while we "don't" judge a book by it's cover, you've got to admit it's got a fantastic cover!

Was this review helpful?

Snowglobe is the first YA book I've read in a while and there is a LOT going on in this book. The brief description provided by the publisher does not even hint at the directions this story goes.

Our heroine is Chobahm, a teenage girl living in a frozen apoplectic world. Snowglobe is actually the name of a city that is kept warm under a glass dome where everyone is continually filmed in a Truman Show-meets-Reality TV mash up. Chobahm, who lives outside the city and works in a power plant, is given an opportunity to take over a role in one of the shows in Snowglobe, but what she really wants to do is direct. Plus, the role she is taking over isn't a fictional character, but instead, she'd be stepping in the life of an actual person who she resembles. A young woman who took her own life offscreen - a secret the director is trying to keep. Chobham agrees and the show goes on!

That is a crazy enough premise for a YA book and it works well. However, the story twists and turns becoming a murder mystery, a survival story, and a science fiction tale with clones, trains, and hamster wheels. This book has everything!

The book does end with a cliffhanger and there is a sequel planned for spring 2025. I would recommend this book to teens who like sci-fi and fantasy, because the world building is quite encompassing. I also would recommend it to adults who grew up with the Hunger Games series or enjoyed Squid Game on Netflix.

I received an advanced copy of this title from the publishers via NetGalley. Thanks to both!

Was this review helpful?

When I saw Snowglobe being compared to the Hunger Games and Squid Games,there was little doubt that I would choose to read it. I was hooked from the beginning. The landscape of perpetual winter was scary to contemplate given the current climate catastrophes of our world. The details of survival in this vast winterland was amazing to contemplate and horrifying to consider if ever it becomes reality. Parallels to our current world hooked on social media and viewing other people’s lives rang very true with the idea of Snowglobe, a place where “actors” lived their lives while others viewed them. I especially liked how the story did not get bogged down with unnecessary, detailed thoughts and explanations. However, some elements were not as clear to understand, such as the mirrors for transport. Although the book had enough hooks to keep me reading to the end (quickly I might add), as a middle aged woman from the south, the names were hard to keep track of and thus keep characters, especially the supporting characters, straight. This became harder for me when the details of Goh Haeri were revealed. The ending leaves little satisfaction, so the next book is highly anticipated already. I have questions and hopefully it provides the answers.

Was this review helpful?

Snowglobe is The Hunger Games, Snowpiercer, and Divergent rolled into one, with a highly creative spin! Who doesn’t want to read about reality tv stars who thrive admist a global climate disaster?

There story has so many themes - classism, competition, climate change, rebellion, with each chapter unveiling a new and shocking twist. I was glued the pages! The world building was by far the book’s biggest strength. I wish more of the characters were better developed, but I could easily follow Chobahm’s transformation as she begins to question her own ambition and greed. I’m excited to see how the overall story concludes!

Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?