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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
If you’re in the market for a wintry creature-feature to snuggle up with by the fire while you watch the snow pile up outside, Ahlborn has written The Shuddering for you. Also, it would be a great choice to take on a weekend ski trip, especially if you’re staying in a secluded cabin in the woods.
The first scene of this book is so beyond good—wow! I was completely hooked. I wished that the book could have kept up with that sort of momentum throughout, because with this style of book, what I really want is to spend time with the creatures, with the horror, and for me, this one didn’t deliver on that.
The scenes that you do get with the creatures are great—I loved the descriptions of their physical features, how they stalked and attacked, and even their personalities. The slow realization of the characters that what they are dealing with is not just some wolves but a completely unknown quantity is a great, tense ride.
Where the narrative got bogged down for me was that it spent a lot of time focusing on the romantic entanglements of the characters, and in particular the will-they-won’t-they tug of war between main character Jane and her old boyfriend. To be honest, I just didn’t see the point of all that runaround and it dragged for me. Of course the characters need some sort of background, some reason for being there, but I felt like that narrative just went around in circles without creating any fresh tracks. None of the characters, their decisions, or their life struggles felt unique or all that interesting to me.
But once the action kicks in, it really kicks in, and I found the second half of the book to be much more engaging. It goes to interesting and innovative places—for characters that are literally trapped in the snow far away from anyone or anything that might be able to help them, once they know what sort of dire situation they are in, they work every angle and it is great.
This was a quick read for me and though it isn’t perfect, it is definitely great as a winter read, and I always enjoy reading books set in the state where I live!
The first scene of this book is so beyond good—wow! I was completely hooked. I wished that the book could have kept up with that sort of momentum throughout, because with this style of book, what I really want is to spend time with the creatures, with the horror, and for me, this one didn’t deliver on that.
The scenes that you do get with the creatures are great—I loved the descriptions of their physical features, how they stalked and attacked, and even their personalities. The slow realization of the characters that what they are dealing with is not just some wolves but a completely unknown quantity is a great, tense ride.
Where the narrative got bogged down for me was that it spent a lot of time focusing on the romantic entanglements of the characters, and in particular the will-they-won’t-they tug of war between main character Jane and her old boyfriend. To be honest, I just didn’t see the point of all that runaround and it dragged for me. Of course the characters need some sort of background, some reason for being there, but I felt like that narrative just went around in circles without creating any fresh tracks. None of the characters, their decisions, or their life struggles felt unique or all that interesting to me.
But once the action kicks in, it really kicks in, and I found the second half of the book to be much more engaging. It goes to interesting and innovative places—for characters that are literally trapped in the snow far away from anyone or anything that might be able to help them, once they know what sort of dire situation they are in, they work every angle and it is great.
This was a quick read for me and though it isn’t perfect, it is definitely great as a winter read, and I always enjoy reading books set in the state where I live!
3.5 stars
Good horror read, little disappointed with some parts but overall a fun, quick read!
Good horror read, little disappointed with some parts but overall a fun, quick read!
She almost lost me as a reader on the first page. I'm ok with occasional impossibilities, but this book had a few too many. When, right off the bat, someone low on firewood goes to chop down a tree, I get impatient. I lived at 8300 feet elevation in the Colorado mountains for almost 20 years, and one does not chop down a tree and burn it that day. It needs to be seasoned. The word "season" implies months passing. Not an afternoon. And a hatchet? Or an axe? I don't think so. A chainsaw, yes. But if Don had a chainsaw, Don would still be alive.
Nitpicky? I think not.
There were good, scary moments to the book, but a lot of holes. I still can't quite figure out why all of a sudden, the bad guys became problems. Apparently they get problematic from time to time, but why this particular year? And why the hell doesn't anybody have a working phone or Plan B? Again, one does not simply head to the mountains without...(xyz).
Nitpicky? I think not.
There were good, scary moments to the book, but a lot of holes. I still can't quite figure out why all of a sudden, the bad guys became problems. Apparently they get problematic from time to time, but why this particular year? And why the hell doesn't anybody have a working phone or Plan B? Again, one does not simply head to the mountains without...(xyz).
DNF
The story centres around five main characters - a set of twins, their best friends, and an unwanted tag-along.
The author seems to want you to dislike the tag-alone but as far as I'm concerned, the tag-along, April, was the only decent person and the author's attempts to make the reader dislike her just made me like her even more and the other characters even less.
I made it halfway through the book before being unable to go on. I only made it halfway in the hopes that the main characters, excluding April, would meet horrific deaths.
The few moments of horror were actually pretty great, but unfortunately, this book was more romantic drama than horror.
The story centres around five main characters - a set of twins, their best friends, and an unwanted tag-along.
The author seems to want you to dislike the tag-alone but as far as I'm concerned, the tag-along, April, was the only decent person and the author's attempts to make the reader dislike her just made me like her even more and the other characters even less.
I made it halfway through the book before being unable to go on. I only made it halfway in the hopes that the main characters, excluding April, would meet horrific deaths.
The few moments of horror were actually pretty great, but unfortunately, this book was more romantic drama than horror.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was surprisingly really good! Classic gore-horror, well-written and thrilling plot combined with a snow cabin setting and nightmare like monsters, i loved it!
The tension crawled slow but steady furthermore and the ending was just simply perfect. Def not my last book from the author!
The tension crawled slow but steady furthermore and the ending was just simply perfect. Def not my last book from the author!
The Shuddering is a delightfully fun horror novel. Though it may not be packed with twists, the shocking outcomes still leave an impact. Reading this book is akin to watching a thrilling movie, which adds to the enjoyment.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Neat creature feature, but I can't really say much more than that. The characters came off as real petty, and some of their deaths didn't feel all that impactful to me.