This book was really great, good story, good characters.

The book takes place in the now (Antarctica) and the then (San Francisco). Slowly we find out more and more about Harper (no, not named because of a certain book). We find out what drove her to go to Antarctica, we find out all the reasons why she ran away, ran away to a place where no one would be able to get to, where she would be having some peace and quiet.

I liked this format, though I have to say at times it was a bit annoying, the Antarctica parts were getting great and then we would switch over again.

I felt sorry for Harper. I can imagine why she might have run away to Antarctica and stay there for several months. Working so hard to get to be a ballerina in one of the top spots, years of devoted dancing, training for days and weeks, but then finding out slowly that maybe it isn’t for you to be a top ballerina. That apparently your body isn’t the right one, or that you do things not the right way.
It must hurt so badly to find that all out after years. Having your teacher push you to try something different, something you absolutely don’t want, even if you love doing it in a way. Because that is not what you had in mind for your future and you don’t want to have anything else. You just want to dance, to be the top. To be everything. To dance all your life.
I can also imagine she didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to see what was right in front of her eyes.
And then to find out that your best friend is doing all that and also more than that, I can imagine it must hurt even more. It might even feel like a betrayal.

The San Francisco parts are parts filled with hope, but also with sadness and hard work. With trying to do something, anything. To find a love, a boy named Owen, who is there for her when she needs him.

The Antarctica parts are filled with sadness, with hopelessness, but also with new found hope, with growth, and much more.

I loved the Antarctica parts the most, as you could just see her grow. You could see her accept, go through the stages of grief. They were the parts that spoke the most to me.

I loved Vivian and Charlotte, they were terrific characters, even though I have to say that I didn’t like Vivian in the beginning, but slowly this ice queen will melt and show another side, a side that I loved. I am glad though that the writer didn’t make it instant friendship, I think I would just have been annoyed with it. Harper is at that place to find peace and quiet, not instant friendship.

The ending was perfect and really fitted with Harper, I am happy with her choice and I am happy for her. She deserves it. I am glad that she grew and found out all her answers and more.

There were just two things I didn’t like in this whole book.
1) The hallucinations she has. I know it is T3 and all that, but come on, her talking to some dead character was just weird and out of place. In the end I was just like: “Oh, she is hallucinating again? sighs skips” I am sure it was meant to be her inner self or something, showing up due to T3, but it really didn’t work for me this way.
2) The love triangle. I know, I know she isn’t officially with Owen and all that, but I hated that she was crying and reading those emails from him, and then went on dates/kissed with another guy. It just pissed me off. You can’t have both girl. What were you planning? Dating both of them in the end? HAHAHA, no.

All in all this is a great book. Ballet, Antarctica, boys, finding yourself and much much more. And I just love that title for the book + the cover is also really well done (ballerina in a warm jacket + ice around her). I would recommend this book to everyone.