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lyssareadz's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I cannot even put into words how much I loved this book. The fact that it was set on my side (west side is the best side) of my home island (Kauaʻi
e_flah's review against another edition
3.0
Iced in Paradise was an entertaining, cozy mystery set on the island of Kauai'i. I loved how immersive the book felt -- between the descriptions of the setting, the vibrant characters, and the use of Pidgin I really felt like I was somewhere else for a bit. The mystery at times felt like it took a back seat to interpersonal conflicts but maybe that's just typical of cozy mysteries. I would've loved a bit more to help wrap up the story since the ending was a bit abrupt. Overall, Iced in Paradise was a fun read and I would definitely read another Leilani Santiago mystery.
C/W:murder, infidelity, alcoholic parent
C/W:
leahsbooks's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I’ve really been enjoying cozy mysteries lately, and I came across this one at the library. While I only visited Hawaii for a 10 day trip, I truly enjoyed it, and figured it could be a great setting for a cozy mystery. Unfortunately what sounded like a great story kind of fell apart in the execution. This book and I just weren’t a good fit.
The description of the setting was perfect. It made me feel like I was right back in Hawaii, and had me dreaming of shave ice. There was a lot of pidgin included in the story, and from what I can recall (although I’m definitely no expert), it sounded pretty legit from what I heard among the locals. Fortunately, there was a glossary at the back of the book (so if you do plan to read this I’d suggest grabbing a hard copy rather than an ebook).
I struggled to connect with Leilani, and she’s the most well-developed character. She’s a hard-core pessimist. I understand that the difficult life circumstances she’s experienced have molded her personality, but it’s hard to like a character who is literally a walking thundercloud all the time. Even worse, there are a lot of characters thrown at us, and it just felt not a single one of the side characters were developed very well at all. They were just kind of there. After a while, I was able to keep track of Leilani’s sister’s names, but none of them really had distinct personality traits. Honestly, neither did her friends, family members, or any of the people in the area.
According to the blurb, Leilani was trying to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend, but the relationship definitely didn’t seem like a priority to her at all. There was no substance to their relationship, no connection, no emotional support, nothing that I like to see that makes it feel real. It just felt like an unnecessary side note — it didn’t add tension or emotion, and it didn’t move the plot along in any way.
Speaking of the plot, this was where I struggled with the book the most. There were elements of the story that just add up. Genres tend to follow patterns, and while some books can deviate from the norm and shine, this one fell short of the mark for me. While a lot of the story is spent chasing dead end clues that just didn’t really fit into anywhere, I was incredibly frustrated to realize that the killer was a character that barely even appeared in the story. There weren’t any surprising plot twists that led to a gasp. Even worse, there were so many loose ends hanging around at the end of the story. And I can’t share one of them without being spoilers, but I’ll just say that something with a swastika appears in the story and is not resolved in a culturally sensitive manner.
I understand the desire to hook readers into a new series. But as a reader? I prefer to continue reading series because I truly enjoyed the ride, rather than because there’s so many loose ends that I have no choice but to keep reading in the hope that they’ll be resolved in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Stalking, and Racism
Minor: Child abuse
mandkips's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Racism
3no7's review against another edition
3.0
“Iced in Paradise” is an interesting mystery set on the even more interesting Hawaiian island of Kaua‘I, a very little island with population close to 70,000 people, if you didn’t count the tourists. Leilani Santiago has returned to Kaua‘I to work in the family business “Santiago Shave Ice.” In a first person narrative, she shares her thoughts about Seattle and the things and people she left behind. She also talks about her love of home, her devotion to family, and the healing power of the sea.
The narrative is driven by conversations in the unique vernacular of the islands, a mash-up of Pidgin, Hawaiian, and Japanese. Characters use “code switching,” changing from one dialect or language to another, and there is a convenient “translation” index in the back of the book.
Readers get to know Leilani well by what she says to people and what people say to her. She also talks to herself, analyzes actions, and second guesses events. The narrative is casual and friendly, as if she is talking to a friend, and progresses at a slow but deliberate pace as things happen. She juggles her family, the police, real estate developers, a potential new boyfriend on Kaua‘I, and her old boyfriend from Seattle.
The narrative is also filled with interesting and vivid descriptions of the people and places.
“Iced in Paradise” is quick to read and is filled with culture, beauty, and mystery. I received a review copy of “Iced in Paradise” from Naomi Hirahara and Prospect Park Books. It gives readers a tiny taste of culture and beauty along with a mystery.
The narrative is driven by conversations in the unique vernacular of the islands, a mash-up of Pidgin, Hawaiian, and Japanese. Characters use “code switching,” changing from one dialect or language to another, and there is a convenient “translation” index in the back of the book.
Readers get to know Leilani well by what she says to people and what people say to her. She also talks to herself, analyzes actions, and second guesses events. The narrative is casual and friendly, as if she is talking to a friend, and progresses at a slow but deliberate pace as things happen. She juggles her family, the police, real estate developers, a potential new boyfriend on Kaua‘I, and her old boyfriend from Seattle.
The narrative is also filled with interesting and vivid descriptions of the people and places.
“She comes out with her hair down and dripping with water, looking like an angry troll who just survived a drowning. Her blond, wavy hair is shaped like a tangle of dried seaweed.”
“As the uniformed officers descend on the beach, they remind me of black ants seeking their next piece of sustenance. My father, a juicy morsel.”
“Iced in Paradise” is quick to read and is filled with culture, beauty, and mystery. I received a review copy of “Iced in Paradise” from Naomi Hirahara and Prospect Park Books. It gives readers a tiny taste of culture and beauty along with a mystery.
chonkeyhong's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
astranoir's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dailywaffle's review
4.0
I haven't fully jumped into cozy mysteries the way some readers have, but I wasn't going to miss Naomi Hirahara's ICED IN PARADISE.
Set on Kaua'i, it features a Filipino-Japanese protagonist who comes home to Kaua'i after going to UW on the Mainland. The big draw for me was that it takes readers to the real Hawaii, away from the resorts. And if you read closely, you can ID a spot or two from real life.
Just as with her Mas Arai mysteries, Hirahara creates vivid characters that are so familiar they seem real. Where ICED IN PARADISE shines is in the family dynamics, the sprinkling in of Japanese and Hawaiian vocab, and the battle for Native Hawaiians to hold onto their ancestral lands. The mystery unfolds in an almost matter of fact way, so don't go in expecting twisty turny suspense. I'll definitely be back for more, and in the meantime, I'll be dreaming up some fanfic for Leilani and Sean.
Set on Kaua'i, it features a Filipino-Japanese protagonist who comes home to Kaua'i after going to UW on the Mainland. The big draw for me was that it takes readers to the real Hawaii, away from the resorts. And if you read closely, you can ID a spot or two from real life.
Just as with her Mas Arai mysteries, Hirahara creates vivid characters that are so familiar they seem real. Where ICED IN PARADISE shines is in the family dynamics, the sprinkling in of Japanese and Hawaiian vocab, and the battle for Native Hawaiians to hold onto their ancestral lands. The mystery unfolds in an almost matter of fact way, so don't go in expecting twisty turny suspense. I'll definitely be back for more, and in the meantime, I'll be dreaming up some fanfic for Leilani and Sean.
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