Blog tour: Snowglobe by Soyoung Park (some spoilers in review)

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. A groundbreaking Korean novel translated into English for the first time! “ The Hunger Games meets Squid Game in Soyoung Park’s dystopian thriller Snowglobe ” – Entertainment Weekly

Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty - four - hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city. The residents of Snowglobe have everything: fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves.

Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star — and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life. Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach.

Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean, Snowglobe is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. It is the winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award.

Content Warning: torture, murder, forced work, socioeconomic inequality

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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.

What I did find confusing, though, was why would this particular star be so highly thought of before birth that she was cloned multiple times? Are there multiple copies of every star hanging around out there, or just this one? Perhaps that will be explained in the sequel, which I very much hope I'll get to read, as there's plenty more story to come here!

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




Book Info: Snowglobe by Soyoung Park 

Genre: Young Adult Sci - Fi/Dystopian Publishing 

Date: February 27, 2024

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171681724

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Snowglobe - Soyoung - Park/dp/0593484975/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/snowglobe - soyoung - park/1143707860

IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/snowglobe-soyoung-park/20155364

About the Author: Soyoung Park major ed in communication and media at university. She is a winner of the Original Story Award and the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award. She is the author of the Snowglobe duology.