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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Started out with an interesting premise. Then got boring & predictable. I started skimming about 150 pages in. Then, still bored, I just skipped to the end. I read this because it was supposed to be a read-alike for Bird Box, which I devoured in 2 days. It's not. Not even scary & pretty dull.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Twelve years ago a blizzard hit the small New England town of Coventry. A blizzard that brought far more danger than normal. The storm was alive with something dangerous and evil and anyone who dared walk into it never survived. Twelve years later there are people that still remain in Coventry that were affected by that storm and now a new storm is coming with the same dangers.
Blizzards. Ghosts. Supernatural Thriller. An amazing blurb from Stephen King. All reasons I was highly anticipating Snowblind. Unfortunately, this ended up being only passably mediocre but possessed some high points worth mentioning. The most skillful aspect of this novel was the chilling introduction that had me anticipating a sleepless night with the lights left on. Unfortunately, following the frightening intro came a long and drawn out and relatively dull middle. The story was chock-full of characters and each and every one of their back stories. I enjoyed reading about their connection to the storm from twelve years prior, but it was done in excess and with too many characters. They all sort of bled together after a point and it was hard to differentiate between all of them.
The crescendo was not steady and by the time the climax rolled around the thrilling angles didn’t produce the same effect as the introduction had. I also attribute that to the fact that the revelation of what the evils in the storm were wasn't as eerie as I had expected.
Snowblind perfectly captured the suffocating feel of a blizzard and was quite eerie at times. While it was an enjoyable and haunting tale, a surplus of characters detracted from the creepiness and the horror aspects just weren’t consistent enough to keep me fully spellbound.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Twelve years ago a blizzard hit the small New England town of Coventry. A blizzard that brought far more danger than normal. The storm was alive with something dangerous and evil and anyone who dared walk into it never survived. Twelve years later there are people that still remain in Coventry that were affected by that storm and now a new storm is coming with the same dangers.
Blizzards. Ghosts. Supernatural Thriller. An amazing blurb from Stephen King. All reasons I was highly anticipating Snowblind. Unfortunately, this ended up being only passably mediocre but possessed some high points worth mentioning. The most skillful aspect of this novel was the chilling introduction that had me anticipating a sleepless night with the lights left on. Unfortunately, following the frightening intro came a long and drawn out and relatively dull middle. The story was chock-full of characters and each and every one of their back stories. I enjoyed reading about their connection to the storm from twelve years prior, but it was done in excess and with too many characters. They all sort of bled together after a point and it was hard to differentiate between all of them.
The crescendo was not steady and by the time the climax rolled around the thrilling angles didn’t produce the same effect as the introduction had. I also attribute that to the fact that the revelation of what the evils in the storm were wasn't as eerie as I had expected.
Spoiler
It was basically icy Gremlins and while they were creepy it seemed almost corny at times. The ghost of Niko coming back didn’t help the corniness either.Snowblind perfectly captured the suffocating feel of a blizzard and was quite eerie at times. While it was an enjoyable and haunting tale, a surplus of characters detracted from the creepiness and the horror aspects just weren’t consistent enough to keep me fully spellbound.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this in the midst of a snowstorm which really helped me get into the ambiance and terrifying isolation you can get while in the middle of a blizzard. Overall I really enjoyed this and I was honestly spooked when I had to go to bed with the wind howling and my neighbors and friends losing power.
What really brought this book down for me was some of the language used in regard to women and the usage of the word “spaz”. I know this book is 10 years old at this point so that’s kind of on me, I guess, but I don’t feel it holds up.
If you're looking for a Christopher Golden book to read, you should read All Hallows during October. Now that was top tier.
Character - 7
Atmosphere - 8
Writing - 5
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 8
CAWPILE = 3.57
What really brought this book down for me was some of the language used in regard to women and the usage of the word “spaz”. I know this book is 10 years old at this point so that’s kind of on me, I guess, but I don’t feel it holds up.
If you're looking for a Christopher Golden book to read, you should read All Hallows during October. Now that was top tier.
Character - 7
Atmosphere - 8
Writing - 5
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 8
CAWPILE = 3.57
Perfect book to read while its a little snowy. I mean, just imagine that you are out building a snowman, perhaps tobogganing and some fog comes up, and bam your dead.
What?!
Yup, thats the premise of it. Snow Zombies.
Every big ass snowstorm these 'snow zombies' (they aren't actually called that in the book, but I just felt like they explain the things the best) come back and try and get more victims. But this time the snow zombies try and warn the town and all the people who lost someone in the first freak snowstorm.
Such a weird idea but it worked.
3.5-4 stars.
What?!
Yup, thats the premise of it. Snow Zombies.
Every big ass snowstorm these 'snow zombies' (they aren't actually called that in the book, but I just felt like they explain the things the best) come back and try and get more victims. But this time the snow zombies try and warn the town and all the people who lost someone in the first freak snowstorm.
Such a weird idea but it worked.
3.5-4 stars.
THE GOOD: The twist at the end was effective, albeit predictable. The setting was described well and the action (once we got to it) was compelling.
THE BAD: The book suffered from Second Act Drag. Between a compelling setup and an exciting conclusion there were a couple hundred pages of plodding narrative that had almost no action, thrills, or suspense to it. It felt like the characters (and the author) were just hanging around town reminiscing about the last big storm while waiting for the next one. None of the characters were particularly interesting, so this middle act of the book was slow enough that I was tempted to start skimming. The writing itself wasn't particularly stylish or sophisticated, which isn't something I normally pay attention to... except when the plot and characters don't hold my attention.
OVERALL: I wasn't impressed with this book. Perhaps I had set my hopes too high going into it since I picked it up based on Stephen King's blurb on the cover. I really had a hard time engaging with this story and its characters, especially during the lengthy chunk of the book that takes place between the big storms.
THE BAD: The book suffered from Second Act Drag. Between a compelling setup and an exciting conclusion there were a couple hundred pages of plodding narrative that had almost no action, thrills, or suspense to it. It felt like the characters (and the author) were just hanging around town reminiscing about the last big storm while waiting for the next one. None of the characters were particularly interesting, so this middle act of the book was slow enough that I was tempted to start skimming. The writing itself wasn't particularly stylish or sophisticated, which isn't something I normally pay attention to... except when the plot and characters don't hold my attention.
OVERALL: I wasn't impressed with this book. Perhaps I had set my hopes too high going into it since I picked it up based on Stephen King's blurb on the cover. I really had a hard time engaging with this story and its characters, especially during the lengthy chunk of the book that takes place between the big storms.
Fun monster tale that reads quickly. The idea of a blizzard for me is already full of mystery and unease, this book deeply plays into that. Watch out for any time something goes well, because it will quickly become not well.
No sé, esta entetenido pero tampoco es lo que estaba buscando. Empiezo a pensar que me he vuelto inmune a la literatura de terror. Entiendo que tampoco ayuda a meterse en situación cuando vas leyendo de pie en el metro...
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Review from 2024: I did not remember reading this book back in 2014. I was surprised when I added it on December 19, and it popped up from 10 years ago. It has done a good job of lasting. This book is still terrifying, and it was perfect to read on a dark winter's night. It wasn't stormy, but the book is still excellent!
Review from 2014: Frightening. One of the scariest stories I've read in a long time. I'm glad our winter storm season is over. On the other hand, this would be the perfect book to read on a dark, stormy, winter's night.
Review from 2014: Frightening. One of the scariest stories I've read in a long time. I'm glad our winter storm season is over. On the other hand, this would be the perfect book to read on a dark, stormy, winter's night.
I thought the beginning of this book was amazing. I expect the lag that came in the middle for this type of book with a large gap in time so it didn't throw me off too much and I remained invested. I was however a little unhappy with the ending. When the story finally picked back up it felt rushed and I found myself reading the last few chapters because I felt like I was missing something. That being said I still would count this book as worth reading.