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southernbellebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely great plot but I felt bored sometimes from the wordiness fluff in it.
colorwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
Minor: Drug use, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and War
scknitter's review against another edition
5.0
Whatever you thought about North Korea before – including the risk of a nuclear attack – you will soon realize that it could be much, much worse. Jenna Williams is a young very well respected professor of foreign affairs. She is Korean American and the identical twin of Soo-min (Susie) who disappeared from a South Korean beach 12 years earlier while a student in Seoul. Soo-min supposedly drowned while picnicking with a fellow student. Mrs. Moon is a North Korean peasant woman who after spending the last 20 years on a prison farm decides to try her hand in the market place after finding and secretly keeping the contents of a balloon that landed in the woods near her home. Cho is a high ranking official in the regime who believes he is doing what is right. Star of the North may be fiction but each of the extremely well developed and interesting characters and each of their stories are based on facts gleaned from intelligence operations, stories from escapees, stories from prison camp guards and knowledge of the way our state department works. When their three storylines intersect we are treated to a remarkable spy thriller that is as timely as it is terrifying.
mollykduncan's review against another edition
5.0
This book is difficult to categorize--it's like a brainy, emotional spy thriller with excellent character development. It's pretty rare for me anymore to find a book that I literally don't want to put down, but I found myself reading this on the beach and thinking "I never get to come to the beach, and I should put this book down and swim or something... but I HAVE to know what happens next."
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
My pet peeve is alternating POVs and this book has 3 of them! I don't like them because you get vested in one POV and then you get switched to another. But ultimately I liked this book more than my pet peeve. The writing was easy to read and follow and much as I didn't want to, I was forced into the nightmare that is North Korea. Most of what I read was new to me and I was horrified by it. I don't want to get into politics in my reviews but if you want to know about conditions suffered by common people in NK, you should read this book. I got this book free as a review copy.
ombe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
cocopeia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
malagajames's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fictional book but very timely. The abductions program, seed-bearing program , gangster diplomats, labor camps, guilt by association, human experimentation, and missile program are true and presented realistically. The story is a bit far-fetched but entertaining.
theresey01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
amarasanti's review against another edition
3.0
I would round up to a 3.5 on this one. I haven't been surprised by a twist in a book in a long time and this one had one of those instances. This book is based on true stories of North Korean history. A few sections that are not so pleasant to read but sadly are based on truth. I also liked that the author shared other books to learn more about the history.