This book is beautiful but I was unable to go through all of it in proper detail in the timed copy I had.
There is so much to absorb in the collection that this is not an appropriate format to try to do it in.
Since I was unable to read the whole thing, I cannot provide a more in-depth review, but this would be a terrific coffee table book to hold in your hand and peruse.
I have read multiple such books in the recent past and this is probably the best of the lot.

A stunning collection of photographs which draw our attention to the many places around the world we probably have never heard of before. This is definitely a book that focuses on the visual. From wonderful waterfalls, unusual rock formations and sea glass beaches to incredible bridges, homes built in the rock and the world's largest wine cellar, this is a real feast for the eyes. After a brief introduction to each of four sections, the descriptive captions are short, which I liked. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to the author, publishers Amber Books Ltd., and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This book contains a stunning array of images of places from all over the world that are largely unknown to the majority of people. It's equally amazing and exciting to think about what's out there to be explored by travelers willing to venture off the beaten track.

Containing a lovely mix of images of urban and rural settings, this is an ideal coffee table book that would be lovely to dip in and out of as time allows.

I'm off to get my passport renewed!

From the very outback of nowhere, to Colmar's gorgeous Germanic but still French buildings, and, er, Lanzarote – this book successfully serves the armchair traveller wanting the esoteric. And by my unique juxtaposition of Lanzarote and esoteric you know either more about the world than I did, and/or that this is a sterling success. Perfect photographic selection, and snappy little captions heavy on the geology to explain why these places are so admirable and unique, make this a wonderful coffee-table type affair. You practically cheer when a place you've been crops up – it happened about six or eight times for me (and took me to one of my second homes in my fantasy existence) but you've got to have put in some serious air miles for this to feel old hat. The fact this never once bodges the road to its remit makes this a five star book for me – hidden rarity indeed.

I loved all the photos from the book and learn more about the hidden places. It looks like it can make a great coffee table book.

Hidden Places: From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines by Claudia Martin roams across the globe in search of hidden treasures and secret places off the beaten track. Explore the Silfra Deep Trench in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create a remarkable rift and freshwater dive site; experience the weirdest of woodland walks through the Crooked Forest in Pomerania, Poland, where a grove of 400 pines are uniformly curved; marvel at the colorful, gold-plated temple of Doi Suthep in northern Thailand; or visit the world’s highest sand dune, Grande Dune du Pilat, on the Bordeaux coast. Each location is accompanied by a caption explaining the geography and history of the place. Illustrated with 180 color photographs, Hidden Places ranges from the sparse landscape of the Arctic Circle to the rich rainforests of the Amazon basin. Read this book and discover the special, hidden places that will come to define your bucket list – many of which are much closer to home than you think.

Hidden Places was a wonderful book to look through and enjoy. As someone that has travelled little, but often thinks about going to the less travelled places in the world, I really enjoyed getting a good look at the quiet places that I am likely never going to see. The photographs are wonderful, and for the most part show locations with few to zero people taking advantage of the locations (just how I'd like to see them). I liked the variety of locations and climates included. There were snow and ice covered locations, lush forests, deserts, as well as man made or altered locations from all over the world. The colors in each image are so vibrant and perfect that it feels almost like you are looking out a window rather than at a picture on a screen, or page in the case of a print version. Some of the colors and wonders included looked so perfect that I was squinted to make sure the image really was a photograph rather than a painting since they looked so fantastic. I think this book offers readers exactly what they will be hoping for by the title and cover, weather they are regular travelers or those that prefer staying home and enjoying from afar.

Well I have a new bucket list. I want to visit all these places in this book. Some of these are just mind blowing that they actually exist. This is the perfect gift for a travel loving friend.

Amber Books book are perfect for armchair travel of if you are curious and want to see new places.
This was an informative and interesting book with great pictures.
Perfect in paper.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

"Hidden Places - From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines" by Claudia Martin provides an excellent pictorial introduction to remote and beautiful destinations throughout the world.

The book is logically divided into four broad sections: (1) North and South America, (2) Europe, (3) Africa and the Middle East, and (4) Asia and the Pacific. The book describes and includes beautiful pictures for over 150 destinations. Since many of these are in remote locations I have never heard of in far-flung countries, I was somewhat surprised to realize that I have actually visited and walked (in one case swam) through 8 of these locations. Although I am certain that anyone who looks at this book will have a couple of additional candidates, I enjoyed and agree with the selection.

Starting with the hauntingly beautiful cover picture, these photographs would all look nice framed and decorated in any study. The introduction and the descriptions of each highlighted location are well written and evoke a desire to travel. As a coffee table book, this would certainly make an excellent conversation piece. (I can imagine the "oohs" and "aahs" and "Gotta visit here!" and "Honey! Look! We visited this one!", etc.) This book is a wonderful reminder that most of the world is not the concrete jungle or well ordered suburban developments that all too many of us live and work in.

I thank Amber Books and Claudia Martin for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

A beautiful book with, well,...hidden places! With stunning photos and good information, whether you're looking for a gift, coffee table book, or places to add to your bucket list, Hidden Places has it all.

Beautiful images of architecture and environment that may not always receive the attention they merit may be found throughout this book.
The factual information incorporated into the descriptions allowed me to acquire new information in addition to seeing some interesting new locales.

I could get lost in this book, discovering a new magical place every day. Stunning photography as always. Would make a lovely piece on anybody's coffee table who enjoys photography, nature, travel or geography.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

I still haven’t made up my mind if I think that the photographs of nature are more awe-inspiring than the man-made wonders in “Hidden Places: From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines” by Claudia Martin, or if the opposite is true. Either way, unlike some other books, the photos are all spectacular and make one realize that there is much in this world still left for one to explore.

The book is divided geographically, starting in the Americas and finishing in Asia / the Pacific. The photographs focus on the lesser-known places, the “off the beaten path” spots of beauty, both human and natural. We see a gorgeous library in Toronto followed by shots of the Yukon. Waterfalls and small towns. Geysers and pueblos. Sand dunes and fishing piers. Each photo has a location and a short description, just enough to let you know why this is so spectacular. Moving on to Europe, fjords and turf houses, windmills and pink granite. A bit more focus on the man-made in Europe, but Ms. Martin manages to show us how we’ve managed to co-exist with the natural world. Followed by the natural beauty which is the focus of Africa and the Middle East. And finally our global tour ends in Asia and the Pacific, where ancient civilizations co-exist with ageless wonders.

A coffee table book, a travelogue, a picture book that one will turn to again and again. Well done, and get your passport ready.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Amber Books Ltd, Amber Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book is packed full of gorgeous photographs and short explanations about the so many different places around the world, some I’d heard of but many I hadn’t.
Did you know that the most southerly Hindu temple can be found in Punta Arenas, in Chile, and that there is also a thriving Croatian community there too, established in the 19th century! I’d never heard or thought about the fact that there might be a surfing community in Norway, or that on Spitsbergen Island you must legally carry a rifle for protection against polar bears!!
Some of my favourite photos are of the windmills in Estonia, the pink granite lighthouse in Brittany, France, a lava cave in Lanzarote in the Canary islands and the amazing Devil’s Bridge in Gablenz in Germany.
Highly recommended!

Another gorgeous book full of great photos. I was happy to see some places I have visited and loved in the book as well as adding some new places to visit into my travel list

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book contains photographs of various places from around the world. They focus mainly on scenes of nature with few buildings or people. They also cover a range of seasons. There is a small description to go with each photograph.
This is a good book for anyone who likes to see around the world but is unable to travel.

As a travel lover, this was a beautiful coffee table to be able to flip through! There were pictures from all over the world of beautiful locations that are off the beaten path or less popular. Since many are places I may not be able to get to, it was amazing to be able to explore and learn about them through this book. The summaries with each photo were short. While it might have been nice to have a little more information, it was perfect for a coffee table book to pick up and leaf through!

Hidden Places: From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines by Claudia Martin takes us to remarkable natural or man-made places off the beaten track in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific. As a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton series, I loved seeing photos of Yukon, Canada and its second largest town Dawson City. I had no idea that there is a US national park protecting sand dunes up to 230m high in Colorado, nor that a few of the islands off Wisconsin get so cold in winter, their waves and waterfalls freeze, truly spectacular photos. I learnt a whole lot about Europe as well (did you know there’s a village in Italy you can only reach by means of a footbridge from the neighbouring town or that there’s a forest of crooked trees in Poland?) and Hidden Places made me put two countries I’d never even considered visiting on my travel bucket list: Slovenia and Romania. I also bumped Ireland up the list, I’ve always wanted to visit but now I’ve added Killarney National Park and its Torc Waterfall to my to-visit list, it’s one of my favourite photos in this book and I love the legend behind the name. Hidden Places is filled to the brim with stunning photos but two other favourites of mine are the Hitachi Seaside park in Japan, with its fields of baby blue-eyes flowers as far as the eye can reach, and the Rakotzbrücke in Germany, which is the only place I’d heard of before picking up this book. Hidden Places is guaranteed to fuel your wanderlust and is a perfect book to gift yourself or any (armchair) traveller you might want to surprise this Christmas.

This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.

Hidden Places: From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines
By Claudia Martin

Claudia Martin knows how to capture beauty. This book is filled with outstanding photography. As a personal dabbler in picture taking, I’ve bought and looked through a lot of photography books in my life. For those of you who are like me. You’re used to seeing effect shots where they play with light exposure and shutter speed or filters. Martin has the skill to ignore all those easy trappings and allows her subject to shine and that takes talent. She could have easily put filler but it’s a lean mean book.

Martin breaks the book up by geographical location and has a wonderful mixture of man made wonders and natural creations. After reading this book I discovered there’s a lot still left in this world I want to see.