The first 25%-40% of this book is a solid 5-star rating in my eyes. The portions where the narrator is a child are lively and beautiful and addicting to read. So too are the initial flashbacks to her ancestors. Once we approach the halfway mark, however, the book is overwhelmed with characters from various timelines and it becomes impossible to keep them straight. The portion of the text that correlates to the description--the protagonist on an Arctic expedition gone awry--pales in comparison to the fascinating and intricate early chapters.