This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

This was my first YA by a South Korean author and it was a very strong first impression. The use of the idol industry, the Black Mirror-esque worldbuilding (particularly Fifteen Million Merits but for a YA audience) and the later twist make it all feel topical and current while also very dystopia. The worldbuilding around the Weather Person role really impressed me as it was something I probably never would have thought of, but it really makes sense in the grander world of everything is snow and ice except in Snowglobe where you can have rain and sunshine.

There is minimal romance in this which is perfect if you are looking for books with less romance and more focus around personal identity and personhood. And the strongest theme really is individual personhood and the greater scheme of personhood within in the context of a system like a ramped up idol industry and value placed on watching the lives of other people.

If Black Mirror but make it YA sounds like you're kind of thing, I would recommend this.

I would not recommend this to people who aren't at least casually familiar with the K-pop idol industry, reality TV, and maybe Korean webtoons as there are moments that I wonder might be jarring for someone who isn't familiar with them.

I liked this dystopian style book. It definitely reminds me of the Truman show with a twist. The world that is introduced is very interesting, and the characters are relatable. It's definitely written for ya fans. The end gets confusing but definitely leaves the ending open to a sequel.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed this book, it was just the right type of dystopian, and pretty unique for being a common genre. The only thing I will say is that reading this e-ARC was not the most pleasant experience, as because it's a PDF, zooming, and scrolling took way longer than necessary, and detracted from the experience. I think supporting an ereader format would be better served for review purposes. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

*Thank you NetGalley for this eARC! All thoughts, opinions, and reviews are my own.*

Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 1 October 2023

3.8 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars.

‘Snowglobe’ was enrapturing with an interesting plot and a few twists towards the end that left me wanting more. While it gets a bit info-dumpy at times, I think it’s a well enough spiel to introduce readers to this world that Soyoung Park is creating. The information didn’t feel too overwhelming and fit in mainly because we are watching the story unravel through Chobahm’s pov.
Chobahm is an interesting character. I really liked this mix of naivety yet also selfishness and desire to be more and have more than what she does. She’s one of those protagonists that knows what she wants yet slowly uncovers the reality of things and has to grapple with this change in what she thought she knew and what she couldn’t believe could happen.

I believe ‘Snowglobe’ is a series, duology to be specific. The ending alone has some closure, but I can definitely see some different paths that a second book could lead into. Split into four parts, the middle part having two sections, I think my favorite was definitely ‘You’ both sections. It where things began to unravel more and we see more into Snowglobe and what’s being harbored beneath the surface of all the glitz and glamour. I can see how ‘Us’ gets confusing for some. For me, it kind of- the pacing was weird and the events felt a little chopped together? It wasn’t exactly a rushed ending so to say, but more-so rushed events that led up to that ending. I think only a few threads were left open, which may resolve in another book.

‘Snowglobe’ was a short but good read! I can see the ties to ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Squid Games’, but I feel like it’s still some newness to it too that leaves one guessing. If this is a duology, I really can’t wait to see where Soyoung Park will take this next!

The book is full of dystopian teenager coming of age tropes indeed, just as promised, but it was a good read nevertheless. It is well written and is an easy read despite of me having trouble with reading all the unfamiliar to me Korean names. I suspect there is a series of books because there were so many things not resolved by the end. I would read the next books if they were written, for sure. I liked both world building and the characters, and I want to know what happens next

I received a digital copy of the book from NetGalley

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart

Really well done. I enjoyed it.

Leaving five starts but I DNF’d at page 2. There isn’t a kindle version and I don’t enjoy reading on my cell phone. The NetGalley version actually is a PDF I had to zoom in and out of to read and then turn pages. I just wasn’t here for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC. Hopefully a kindle version is added, in which case I’d be happy to go back and read.

I really wanted to love this book. The concept of it was so intriguing. It was giving hunger games and the movie "Truman Show". But the ending had me so confused. I bet if this book gets adapted into a K-drama, it'd be a super hit.