A review by tarynbertalan
The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn

dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 I'd tried to read this twice before but never made it past the second page as I just never was in the right mood for this sort of story but eventually I was craving some 'Until Dawn' vibes and I sat down and once I got started, I flew through it. 

I found myself devasted by the prologue, feeling sorry for the wife left behind and then her eventual demise. 

I loved the character's even April and I wish we'd been able to spend more time with the group before it all kicked off. 

The ending was heartbreaking and ended exactly like a horror movie, leaving me with a gut-punched feeling and the knowledge that I didn't even need to know how it truly ended for everyone in the car as I already knew. 

I thought the pacing was very good, though I felt as though the ski trip was a little pointless, it gave us a little bit of the group's enjoyment before things went to hell. I do wish we'd gotten to know more about the creatures but I think that the lack of information could be seen as helpful to the books consistent tension as it leaves the reader just as clueless as the protagonists.

I enjoyed the fact that this book was just tension and then brutality and then back to tension. It had everything in a horror novel that I really enjoy.