After being very confused with the first few chapters - the order of events, locations, characters and the general timeline of things - I was pleasantly surprised.

Having read the blurb, I did however expect the plot to mainly follow Damira and her experience being among the mammoths, and maybe that’s what added to my initial confusion. I was just waiting for things to go in another direction.

On the other hand, if I hadn’t read the blurb I don’t think I would’ve understood at all what was going on, since the blurb is basically telling you the backstory and not the plot: The book follows not one, but three perspectives, and much of Damira’s POV consists of memories from her human life as she’s already lived with the mammoths for several years. So that took some time to understand and was a bit of a bummer. But once I got into the story, I found myself enjoying what I was reading - having already accepted I was never going to be able to keep the names straight and decided to just roll with it…

It’s a short, quick read that packs a lot into its pages; ethical dilemmas about poaching and extinction, the future of humanity and questions about consciousness, all while blending in elements of thriller and science fiction in the Siberian tundra. The book balances being thought-provoking and engaging, though I have to admit I found some of the memories and moral debates a little slow and would have liked more time exploring the lives of the mammoths.

But overall its well-written story that’s easy to read once you start getting the timeline straight, and it gives you a lot to think about. It didn’t blow me away, but I found myself enjoying it and appreciate it not being dragged out just to up the number of pages. 4-

Intense, layered explorations of human greed, memory, and resurrection. Made me feel feelings I didn't want to feel. 5 stars and I kinda hate it.