Whiteout

Red Eye

by Gabriel Dylan

‘She sat us all down and told us a story. About things that lived in the woods. Things that only came out at night.’

For Charlie, a school ski trip is the perfect escape from his unhappy home life. Until a storm blows in and the resort town is cut off from the rest of the world. Trapped on the mountain, the students wait for the blizzards to pass, along with mysterious ski guide Hanna.

But as night falls and the town’s long buried secrets begin to surface, the storm is the least of their problems….

A chilling RED EYE horror, perfect for fans of Dawn Kurtagich, Juno Dawson and Charlie Higson.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Vampires, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 25, 2018

About the author

Gabriel is a secondary school teacher who spends his free time living the double life of a YA and MG author.

Daddy to a tribe of small children, and a keen surfer and snowboarder, Gabriel loves travelling to snowy or beachy destinations, and reading horror and fantasy novels.

The idea for his debut novel, YA horror WHITEOUT, came to him whilst leading a Sixth form ski trip to the wilds of Austria and wishing a horde of vampires would descend from the trees and devour the students who weren't behaving.

His new book, MG horror SHIVER POINT : IT CAME FROM THE WOODS, is the first in a series from Piccadilly Press. Due out in September 2023, it mixes scares with humour, and references Gabriel's love of classic horror films from the 80s and 90s.

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warning for suicide.

It begins with 30 students, 3 teachers, some ski instructors, and a variety of townsfolk. It ends with … less. A lot less.

Charlie is one of the sixth-form students on a ski trip in Austria. As an outcast, the jocks, geeks and princesses all ignore him, but Charlie doesn’t care. In fact, Charlie doesn’t really care about anything these days.

It was one of the girls that found the blood.

When a snowstorm severs all contact with anyone outside the village the students discover they’re not alone on the mountain, and that’s when the fun really begins in this adrenaline packed massacre. The pages of this book are drenched in blood and I couldn’t wait to see if my favourites would survive, or be recognisable through the blood spatter, at the end.

I loved Charlie and Hanna, both damaged by life, and would have happily used Tara as a human shield. Tara was one of those characters that I love to hate and I kept hoping she’d meet a gruesome end. A fair amount of the characters in this book were clichés but I don’t mind that in a horror book, just as I don’t need to have an emotional connection with a bunch of people that are likely to be slaughtered any minute anyway.

After everything it took to get there (including my favourite description, “entrails dangling like spaghetti”) I would have liked the final action sequence to have lasted a bit longer. It felt too quick and easy, given the horrors the survivors have experienced up to that point.

I love Stripes’ Red Eye series and am at the point where I know I want to read a Red Eye book before I even read the blurb. I wish they’d been available when I was a teenager. I really enjoyed this debut and am interested in reading whatever this author comes up with next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Words: Friendship, family, vampires, horror, isolation.

Book Review: Whiteout by Gabriel Dylan

This book is bloody and intense. It's scary and chilling and one hell of a ride to read. Especially if it's snowing.

Charlie is the main character and a pretty complex character - but we also see a few other perspectives. As I mentioned in my Book Beginnings, I could relate to Tara quite a lot. She is definitely, absolutely a brat and a bitch, but I get it.

I loved the setting, it was already remote at the start but as events - and the storm - build it just increases, the atmosphere feeling heavier and heavier. The writing is rich with description that really bring the story to life, and I loved the contrasts of blood and snow. They were shocking to read at times.

And the ending? The ending of Whiteout by Gabrial Dylan was fantastic, and I loved how everything didn't quite wrap up as I expected.

Other Red Eye Book Reviews:
Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
Fir by Sharon Gosling

[Cherise Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw this in my local bookstore, and after reading the blurb and looking it up online, I decided to take a chance and pick it up. Prior to this, I had never heard of the author before, and I am really pleased that my first time reading his work was a success.

This book was fast paced, atmospheric, creepy and gory. I love an isolated winter setting, and when you throw creatures and folklore into the mix, it's even better. The characters being teenagers of course added a little dramatic flair to the mix, but not in an exaggerated way that distracted from the plot. The book was written well, easy to follow, and very bingeable. Short chapters made it feel like the book was moving at a faster pace which I always love.

If you like wintry settings, folklore, cryptids, teenage angst and carnage. This is the perfect read for you. I think it would be great for this time of year.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

W "Zamieci" jest wszystko to, co powinno być: odcięty od świata pensjonat, grupka zdezorientowanych dzieciaków i niezrozumiałe zagrożenie. A do tego sekret, który ma pazury, szerokie szczęki i ostre jak brzytwa zębiska. Jest też napięcie, jest walka o życie i zaskakujący twist na końcu. W zimowej ciszy, pośród białych połaci śniegu można się wystraszyć, a pośród wiosennej aury na pewno można liczyć na klimatyczną lekturę.

Być może dla horrorowych wyjadaczy "Zamieć" będzie wydawać się poczciwa i przewidywalna, ale myślę, że dla początkujących w gatunku i dla młodszych czytelników okaże się smakowitym hororrowym wyzwaniem. Na pewno ma w sobie coś z komiksu "30 dni i nocy"– kto pamięta odcięte od świata alaskańskie miasteczko, 30 dni zorzy polarnej i wampirycznych przybyszy, którzy zrobili tam jatkę nie z tej ziemi, ten wie, co mam na myśli. Bardzo podobny zarys fabuły znajdziemy w "Zamieci", ale Gabriel Dylan zadbał jednak o swój indywidualny styl i ten młodzieżowy sznyt, który całość w pewien sposób udelikaca.

"Zamieć" to świetna horrorowa zabawa, idealna dla tych, którzy z horrorem są już za pan brat i dla tych, którzy dopiero chcieliby rozpocząć swoją bezsenną przygodę.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Austrian Alps are the setting for this wonderful little story. Charlie is a teenager and is on a ski trip with his school friends to Kaldgellan, he snowboards while they ski, he has an unhappy home life and is glad to be away doing what he loves. After he wipes out because of an avalanche he is rescued by Hanna a ski guide with a bad attitude and secrets.

While Charlie has been getting covered in snow his class mates have been in the town wondering why everyone is leaving, the towns folk know something bad's a comin' and want to be well away from there for a bit, with no way of leaving they all trek back to the hotel and settle in to wait out the coming storm.

Things go to shit pretty quickly when noises are heard and teachers are missing, blood is found and then they're all suddenly attacked, people ripped apart and thrown around, chaos ensues. When the blood settles they realize that from 30, they're down to 9, pretty good going for about 5 minutes!

The survivors have to band together to work out what the actual fuck just happened and how they're going to survive until the storm passes, Hanna and her mysterious past have some answers, can they make it through and come out the other side unscathed!?

I know that's a pretty vague review but I think it's best to go into this not knowing too much and letting the story take you away. I will say that it's violent, bloody and gore filled but it's not as graphic as the usual adult horror that I read, this isn't adult horror though, it's YA, which is probably why. This is a good start for easing YA readers into horror as a genre as there's just enough gruesomeness to not distract from the story but give you an insight into what sort of stuff happens.

The setting and characters are well written, the story paced nicely and the ending is spot on. Couldn't ask for more really, was a quick and enjoyable read.

*Huge thanks to Gabriel Dylan, Little Tiger Group, Stripes Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was your typical school skiing trip, with your typical kids. The queen bitch, the good-looking guy, the tough girl, the weird kid and the wannabes so it wasn’t long before I had them all firmly fixed in my mind as people from my school days. The addition to the group was a girl not much older than them called Hanna who was a ski guide at the remote Austrian resort.
Charlie is the weird kid, he dresses shabby with poor equipment and keeps himself quite isolated from the group but he soon finds himself having a run in with Hanna when he is being reckless on the slopes. When they all go to bed they waken to find that a blizzard has arrived and all the adults and residents of the village have disappeared. Then things get really creepy.
There is no way off the mountain and no way of communicating with anyone either. The hand of fate throws a mixed group together not by their choice but simply being in a spot at the same time. This is a things that go more than a bump in the night story, it is creepy and heart pounding for the group with situations that bring out the best and worst in these kids.
YA’s will love this book, the characters will be recognisable to them and I would think they would have their own ideas of what is going on and what to do. A story they could see themselves in as heroes. I can also see this as a Netflix film. The characters aren’t together by choice, the group wouldn’t work back home, so besides what is happening there is tension between them. There is of course lots of blood and gore and situations that make you want to squint at the pages because you know things are going to go wrong. The bets are open as to who will still be standing at the end, if anyone. I really liked the end, very shudder worthy.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whiteout, part of the young adult, horror series entitled Red Eye by Gabriel Dylan, is heavily inspired by the author's first ski trip to the beautiful Austrian Alps region and a place called Hochkar. It was whilst on that holiday when Dylan would embellish his story with thoughts of a possible demon-being roaming free in the remote, snowy area where it would take time if help was called for, for them to arrive. The author does a sterling job of making his characters relatable and believable; they are nothing more than a bunch of misfits, and I found myself very much admiring protagonist Hanna for her strength and feisty nature. The visceral descriptions of gore were right up my street and helped to ramp up the creep-factor, and the unease becomes palpable in the last few chapters. Recommended to those who enjoy books centred on the paranormal.

Many thanks to Stripes Publishing for an ARC.

[Amy Rehbein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy, atmospheric, eerie and so intriguing! Whiteout is the perfect YA horror debut and one that everyone should read.

If you love vampire-esque creatures, winter and ski resorts this is the perfect read for you.

Full review here.

[Marta Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, Ladies and Gents: tego się po mnie nie spodziewaliście, prawda? HORROR! Ja i horror i... coż to? 4 gwiazdki na goodreads?! 8 na lubimyczytac.pl?! Acha mam Was!
Ja też się tego nie spodziewałam i gdy zaczęłam tę książkę, byłam przerażona, że się przerażę. Nie cierpię się bać, bardzo łatwo mnie przestraszyć, a po lekturze, czy seansie normalnie miewam koszmary.
Co nie znaczy, że nie wiem, jak powinna wyglądać taka lektura. A ta jest idealnym tego przykładem. Jest normalny świat, jest BUM WTF mistery, jest zagadka, którą bohaterowie próbują rozwiązać, ginąc jeden po drugim (obiecuję, że to pierwszy i ostatni taki spoiler, ale... no... horror, gdzie na początku jest około 30 studentów, chyba nie spodziewacie się, że wszyscy przeżyją?). Pojawia się tam wątek, którego się ani trochę nie spodziewałam, badassem jest dziewczyna (hell ya!), mnóstwo stereotypowych bohaterów (ale, znów, w horrorze tak ma być!). O ile można dobrze bawić się przy horrorze (czy to oksymoron?!), to ja spędziłam naprawdę cudny czas!
Szczególnie, że może to tylko ja, ale serio na rynku młodzieżówek nie widzę takich powieści. A szkoda. Raz na jakiś czas chętnie się na taką skuszę.

[Jamie Brackell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whiteout is the debut novel from author Gabriel Dylan and the latest entry in the Red Eye imprint of horror novels from Stripes Publishing. Reminiscent of the Point Horror imprint from the mid-nineties, the Red Eye series targets a Young Adult audience with the promise of horror and unlike the rather tame and melodramatic Point Horror range, it actually delivers. Set in an isolated ski resort in the Austrian Alps, Whiteout focuses on the gory aftermath of a ski holiday gone wrong. Attacked by mysterious creatures with razor-sharp teeth and talons, Charlie and his fellow classmates have to survive the brutal weather conditions and the bloodthirsty monsters hunting them at night or face a fate worse than death.

The concept of teens stranded in the cold mountains reminded me of the brilliant PlayStation 4 videogame Until Dawn, and I saw a lot of parallels between the two stories. Both focus on the fractious relationships between the characters and how people have to put aside their differences in order to survive. While the actual threat may differ in origin, they were visually very similar and Dylan does a brilliant job at describing the sharp, jagged movements of the beasts as they feed upon their victims. While it may be a YA horror novel, Dylan doesn’t skimp on the gore at all, creating some genuinely unsettling moments in his action sequences and being surprisingly brutal in his death count. I was shocked at how sudden the novel switches from gentle foreshadowing to all-out horror, with a particularly violent night-time scene in the hotel.

Told from multiple perspectives, Dylan introduces us to a diverse cast of characters – not all of whom are guaranteed to make it out alive – and this uncertainty fuels that sense of horror. We spent most of the book with our two main protagonists, Charlie and Hanna, and Dylan does a great job at showcasing these tragic characters – both of whom have suffered trauma in their past which is brought to the forefront during this vicious attack. I became surprisingly invested in their “will they/won’t they” relationship over the course of the book, and they made for a strong pair of heroes.

I know very little about modern YA Fiction, often equating it to the likes of Twilight and The Hunger Games, but this novel doesn’t feel watered down or specifically targeted to a younger demographic at all. Aside from its millennial (or is it Generation Z now?) cast and the occasional pointed reference to an iPhone or Xbox, I would have assumed it was written for adults. Dylan doesn’t shy away from the violence or complicated moral decisions, with a cast of characters that are continually whittled down to a small group. One scene involving a trio of survivors attempting to make their way down the mountain is particularly harrowing with its bleak, nihilistic tone and is something I didn’t expect to read in a YA horror book.

Outnumbered and overpowered, the odds are stacked firmly against the surviving students and Dylan piles on the tension with each subsequent page. The sense of isolation is palpable, and equally as terrifying as the supernatural threat that stalks. The novel definitely feels influenced by Survival Horror videogames, creating that same feeling of unease when walking the streets of Silent Hill. There are plenty of exciting action set-pieces throughout the novel that evoke a cinematic quality, riffing off the best supernatural horror movies to create a vivid reading experience. The final sequence felt hugely reminiscent of the end of Aliens, resulting in climactic confrontation that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

Whiteout is a very impressive debut novel, demonstrating Gabriel Dylan’s knack for creating strong, three-dimensional characters and maintaining a tense atmosphere throughout. More than a brainless gorefest, Whiteout focuses on that determination to survive against the odds, pitting characters against extreme weather conditions and cannibalistic creatures of the night. Perfectly paced, and filled with well-timed twists and shocks, Whiteout is a distinctive voice in YA Fiction. It’ll definitely make you think twice about taking a skiing holiday!

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A class skiing trip ends in disaster when Charlie and his classmates are marooned on the mountain by a snowstorm. Oddly, all the locals and most of their guides and teachers have disappeared, and the teens are left to fight for their lives against an ancient evil.

Having read previous books in the RedEye YA horror series, I was looking forward to reading this one. I wasn't disappointed as it was an entertaining read. Charlie was a character the reader could really empathise with, although I thought the conflict between Hanna and Tara was rather manufactured as there didn't seem to be any reason for it to go on so long. Overall this would be an enjoyable read for anyone who loves the YA horror genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Little Tiger Group / Stripes Publishing, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well let me begin by saying I really don’t like vampire books.
Unfortunately for me I picked one without knowing,

This book is a vampire-esque story which isn’t revealed in the write-up, and not in the novel until about 20% of the way through (and even then I second-guessed the story). But I do have a deep love of the mountains, which kept me reading past my initial disappointment at the discovery - when I almost added it to my abandoned pile.

But despite my aversion, this book was compelling to read and I’m glad I continued to the end. It was pace-y and well written, so that although no characters were likeable it was still a good read. And that’s from someone who really doesn’t like vampire books (did I tell you that?!) The ending for me was more than a little predictable, but then the genre is YA.

So would I recommend it? Yes I would. But I’m not rushing to read another vampire novel anytime soon still!
*Warning for parent of teen readers - there are some gory parts!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy.

[gem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliantly creepy and gory horror story that would make an excellent film!
I loved everything about this from the characters who were well realised and brought to life through their secrets as well as their dialogue and the setting was perfect - it heightened the sense of tension with each chapter and it became almost claustrophobic as the snow, and therefore the danger, seemed inescapable.
A must read for fans of any of the other Red Eye books.
I can't wait for this author to write more!

[Małpeczka Książek · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 chyba
Trochę nie rozumiem tej książki nie pozostawiła we mnie nic fajna do przeczytania na wieczor ale nic dobrego

[Jen (The Jenerator) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading all the books in the Red Eye Series.....I am now a HERMIT!!!!!!!!! I'm never leaving the house again! GOSH!!!!!!!!!! (hehe)

[Marisa Blagden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I'm a big fan of the horror genre and this didn't let me down. Best edge-of-my-seat book I've read in a very long time. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days, managing to ignore my family! It's scary, creepy and really makes your heart pound. The pace never lets off and the characters are really put through the ringer. Will be one of my favs of 2018

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely surprised me when Nico died was not expecting that and when hanna and Charlie got together like no

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden YA horror story from a debut author. Love it! Check on the interview we did here: http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.co...

[onetwothree fourfivesix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whiteout
Warning: Spoilers
So I read this book, expecting it to be a hidden-gem, but I was completely wrong. I loved this book, it was written beautifully, but I think a lot of people would not expect that from a YA horror/thriller. I see a lot of people criticise the fact that it changes perspective on every other chapter, but I think it makes a good change of scenery and a lovely cliffhanger.
Personally, my favourite character was Hanna, as we could see her relate and find comfort in Charlie through this book. Charlie is also surprisingly good at comforting people. We also find out Leandra’s fascination with Charlie, which was predictable from the beginning.
I loved the whole church scene. When Poppy was fighting Hanna, I didn’t realise she was still alive. I almost cried, I loved Hanna. Luckily, she was alive. This happened a lot in this story, many times I thought characters were dead and they weren’t. I think Hanna was a great character to have in this story, I liked how I could relate to her for quite a lot of the book. One of the things I couldn’t relate to her about was her brilliant leadership skills. She would often say things like, “ If you want to go a different way, I never forced you to come.” And, “ it wasn’t my choice that you followed me here, if you want to survive, I recommend you stick to my plans.” A lot of these messages were towards Tara. I see some people say that they like the character of Tara, which is fine, but people like her in real life tend to be rude to people like Hanna or Charlie. I have learnt this the hard way, through experience. I am fine with people liking Tara and I think she is a crucial character to have. To add on to that, I do prefer Tara to characters like Leandra.

Comparison to Frozen Charlotte.
I had to include this paragraph because these two stories are quite different. If you love Frozen Charlotte, do not expect to read this and think these stories are even remotely similar. They have very different plots. Frozen Charlotte is heavily spirit and ghost based, like the Haunting, and Whiteout is more supernatural creatures, which is personally very different to ghosts and spirit reads. I prefer this book to Frozen Charlotte, but this is for you to decide.

This book was a 4.5 star read (which I will round up to 5 stars). There were some parts of the book which didn’t flow naturally, like the van scene. But other than that, a stunning YA horror/thriller read.

[Liliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

I loved the premise of this book! There’s something lurking around the resort, stalking kids who have gone up there on a school ski trip, and then just slaughters them! It was pretty brutal, gory, but I liked that!

The story itself started off slow—well, it started off with an avalanche but then it moved onto a whole bunch of character introductions I couldn’t keep straight.



I was pretty meh about most of the characters—I just couldn’t really connect with any of them. By the end I did like a couple of them, but not enough for me to cry over them when they died. Which is fine cause I was here for the kills! 😈

The creatures themselves that were stalking the kids were not immediately described which confused me because the kids had a clear view of the thing. I just wanted to know what they were! Lol.

So these things turned out to be vampire-like—they only come out at night, but they don’t drink just the blood, they eat the entire thing! They can also turn others and are connected to the queen... like a hive mind! It was pretty interesting. Although I was surprised that Tara was one of the survivors at the end. She was such a bitch throughout the whole book—I just did not like her! Then came the Epilogue... and duh. Of course she got bitten and is now carrying the queen Sabina in her brain. Why not... I guess?

The setting I really loved! One of my favorite books is Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep , and one of the reasons is because of the setting at a ski resort. It’s just so good! But this one, I don’t know... I just needed more. Maybe more set up in the beginning? Idk.

Overall, it was an okay read. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. I just needed more from it. The characters were meh, the story was a little slow at the beginning, but I liked the vicious creatures and just going on the journey with the characters and seeing them try to survive.

[Tracy Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Read this ahead of my teen reading groups. I think they'll really like it. It's about a group of Bristol students on a ski trip to the Austrian Alps when the worst blizzard in years strikes. All the locals scarper and this tense atmospheric thriller is akin to the Walking Dead in an arctic landscape. It's violent and gruesome but manageable so for this age group. Looking forward to the discussions!

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of expectations to live up to, after all I did read the Frozen Charlotte duology and felt like I haven’t come across another book that scared me as much as those two did. Until this, oh no this book was just so good and just so disgustingly gruesome!

It's the perfect book to read during a winter storm, that will provide that perfect backdrop while you read this and get so freaked out.

Sequel please & thank you to Stripes Publishing for approving me to read this ARC.
Full review can be found over on my blog which is linked below.
bookishpaige.wordpress.com/2018/11/09...

[яσвεят · Rating 5 out of 5]

خب خب 😧
کتاب کولاک ترجمه ی شهره نور صالحی
انتشارات پیدایش
این کتاب رو یک معرفی کلی ازش در اینستگرام دیدم و با قیمت مناسبش ترغیب شدم که بخرمش
اولش که دیدم زده ادبیات وحشت +۱۶ خنده ام گرفت
که خب قراره یک کمدی بخونیم 😂
وقتی داستان شروع شد اوایلش معمولی بود رفته رفته عمق ترس رو حس کردم 🤯
****»داستان عده ای دانش آموزی که در یک اردو بالای کوه ها برای اسکی کردن قرار دارند اما یک شب با صدای جیغ یک نفر خون ریخته شده ی عظیمی جلوی در هتل پیدا میشه و از معلمین کسی نیست به غیر از جوان ترین آنها...******

حاوی اسپویل⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕
خدا رحم کنه آخر سر یک بازمانده از این موجودات باقی موند داستانش ادامه داره تارا انتقام چه کسایی رو میگیره
به همون روش فرو کردن چنگال های تیز و دراوردن قلب قربانیش ...

[Amir Arsalan the nameless · Rating 5 out of 5]

داستانی مهیج و ترسناک. کتابی که موقع خوندنش یک لحظه هم نمی تونید زمین بذاریدش. تم معمایی که از اول تا فصول آخر داستان همراهه و اون گنگی و منگی که نویسنده سعی داره خواننده رو در اون حس قرار بده به خوبی حس میشه و باعث میشه که بیشتر با داستان و شخصیت هاش همراه بشید و باهاشون ارتباط برقرار کنید. فضای داستان به شدت اسرار آمیز و مهیجه (بیشتر تا ترسناک). نویسنده از لحن صمیمی و نوشته ساده استفاده کرده و داستان رو در هر فصل از طریق دیدگاه یکی از اون افراد حاضر در فاجعه به صورت سوم شخص تعریف میکنه که باعث جذابتر شدن هرچه تمام تر کتاب شده.
در کل کتاب خیلی خوبی بود و توصیه میشه.

[Lindsay Galvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whiteout froze me to the bone! Closed set horror in the most remote of locations, the characters are distinctive and real and I was hooked from the first pages and couldn't put this down as their situation gets steadily more horrifying. The dilapidated ski-resort setting showcased the author's atmospheric cinematic writing and it's no surprise that Gabriel Dylan is a keen snow boarder. I loved the range and choreography of the action scenes, and the ending made me gasp. Perfect winter chiller!

[Noelle Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Read

In the depths of Winter, preferably when it’s snowing for extra atmosphere.

My Thoughts on the Book

Whiteout delivered to my Kindle on Christmas Day, just in time to snuggle up and read by the Christmas tree. I devoured this book from page one.

Whiteout centres around a group of classmates on a school skiing trip, who end up stuck in a lodge in the middle of a deadly, blizzard. The townsfolk abandon the town, alerting the reader to the fact that the group are in serious danger.

The blizzard is not the only danger that they face when a bloodthirsty group of fanged monsters attack the lodge, with gory consequences.

The Whiteout vamps are not the sparkly, romantic types. They are terrifying monsters with no conscience. It is fantastic that vampires have been brought back into popular fiction with a real bite. They were maybe the best part of this book for me, I could vividly imagine all their horrendous features.

I also loved the characters. The author plays on all the popular tropes here – The Nerd, The Jock, The Beautiful Spoiled Princess, The Outcast and The Bully all play their parts. The author terrorises them, pulling and pushing them out of their comfort zones. The writer does a great job of making the reader part of group as they struggle to survive the whiteout in Kandgellan.

The central character of the book is Charlie, a snowboarding, adrenaline junkie with a hidden past. He is mysterious and rumoured to be a juvenile delinquent. Added to the group of students is local girl, Hanna. Hanna is feisty and doesn’t suffer fools gladly, especially not spoiled princess Tara.

I’m slow to divulge any more as I want you to the book yourself, but the teenagers struggle with the usual every day issues, while trying to stay alive.

I’m a big fan of Red Eye’s books, such as Frozen Charlotte and Charlotte Says, and Whiteout is an excellent addition to the collection.

To conclude, Whiteout is fantastic and bloody. It contains genuinely terrifying scenes and compelling characters and is a teen horror that both teenagers and adults will love.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

You do not have to be a young adult or a teenager to enjoy this rather deliciously gruesome and chilling tale (in more senses then one), you just need to have a love of horror and a desire to immerse yourself in a story where nightmares become reality. The story is set in a remote and not very popular Austrian ski resort village called Kaldgellan. Staying there on a school trip is a party from a Bristol comprehensive comprising of an eclectic mixture of students. The main character Charlie has a troubled past and is ostracised from the rest of the group, the book beginning with him snowboarding rather dangerously on his own off-piste and being admonished and rescued by one of the ski guides, the enigmatic Hanna. As a storm develops we get the impression that something is not quite right with the village as evidenced by the desertion of it by its inhabitants as night draws nearer and a warning to leave given to Hanna by a fellow ski instructor. But what ancient secrets are there laying and lurking outside in this remote location soon to be cut off as the snow begins to fall more heavily and the wind begins to roar?

I do not want to give too much away except to say that there is a high body count and you do not know who will be next. One thing is for certain not many will survive. Among the mayhem and slaughter there is also some character development and romance. It is certainly edge of your seat stuff and there are not many lulls in the plot. The end is terrific and hopefully it is not too much of a spoiler to say that there is a twist at the end which I certainly did not foresee that will hopefully ensure a sequel. This could also well make a rather good British horror film. A greet read for snowy winter's night.

[Claire Fun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brrr! Whiteout is a quick chilling read - in all senses - and has a exciting, if familiar, plot. The scene-setting was very good and completely brought me back to my holiday up in the Swiss alps...im glad i was there in summer and not during a terrible winter storm, like this school party. Its not long before the teachers and most of the locals vanish one night...but there's definitely something out there in the storm.
The characters were fine. The two main characters, Charlie and Hanna, got a bit of backstory to flesh them out, and a few of the other kids had personalities. They were perhaps a little cliched and basic, but then it's a fairly short book and...well, not everyone sticks around long enough to get attached to.
The plot was pretty good! It wasn't a difficult book to read or to follow and the action was exciting. I rolled my eyes a few times, but mostly at the kids not believing the supposedly nerdy one (he reads books and watches horror films...I'm not sure that's all that unusual).
What I enjoyed the most was how...cold I felt! That probably sounds odd, but I read this as autumn is Just getting chillies and I'm starting to think about Christmas. It never snows at Christmas here (south east UK!) But this really made me visualise the snow, from all the descriptions of it falling, the kids crunching through it, the wind flurrying it around and stopping visibility, it backing up in drifts against doors and walls - and I really loved it. The snowstorm itself was an important part of the plot and was really always in my mind. I bet this book would make a good film, set on a snowy mountain top...like I said, brrr!
I am grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Jessica Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you would expect from a YA horror

Full review here

The premise for this book is chilling. A school ski trip, where a snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world is scary enough. Added to that, all of the locals pack up and leave the town just before the snowstorm and are being pretty shady about the whole thing...they know something, but they aren't saying what.

And then the kids on the school trip wake up to find that all their teachers seem to have disappeared. It is just them left with their ski guides and they are wildly unprepared for the horrors that are about to unfold.

The blurb doesn't really tell you this, but I should warn you that this book is a bit ... 'vampire-y', in case that's not your type of thing. However, if you're now imagining some twilight-esque vampires that seem human and have morals, then think again. These monsters are hideous and all they want is to satisfy their desire for human flesh.

Much like your typical horror movie, the students are picked off one by one. The author isn't afraid to get pretty gruesome with the descriptions of their deaths either. It is, as you might expect, pretty gory. My preference is for creepy books, rather than all out horror, but I enjoyed the pace of the book. The group lurch from one horrific attack to another and you don't get much time to catch your breath.

You get your full quota of stereotypical teen characters; the spoilt rich girl, the geeky boy, the sports jocks etc. And some of them are really downright obnoxious! There were quite a few in the cast that I was quite happy for the vampires to pick off and some of them were just a bit too cliché to really feel credible.

It's a relief to me that YA fiction still does horror pretty well. I remember reading the 'Goosebumps' books when I was younger (much too young to be reading them in fact) and freaking myself out, and I think this is a great book for a young teen audience looking for some gruesome thrills. I have to say that of any horror fiction, I find vampires the least scary, but this is an action packed horror that isn't too challenging.

Whiteout was released on 10th Jan 2019 by Little Tiger Group

Big thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[☆ Iga ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zacznę od tego, że spodziewałam sie po tej książce dużo więcej. Przedstawię Wam kilka jej elementów, które mogły zagrać ze soba idealnie i stworzyć strasznie ciekawy thriller: grupa nastolatków pozostawiona sama sobie na odludziu; hostel w górach; niekończąca się, potężna zamieć; motyw paranormalny; krwawe opisy i tajemnica, którą znają nieliczni. Czy to nie brzmi wspaniale? No właśnie - brzmi. Klimat gór, burzy śnieżnej i innych zjawisk pogodowych jest bardzo dobrze ukazany, co na pewno jest ważne w powieściach tego typu. Autor wykreował tu postaci tak, że jednych lubimy i im kibicujemy, a innym wręcz przeciwnie. Pewna relacja, która łączy dwójkę bohaterów dodała tej książce takiego ludzkiego wymiaru i bardzo mi się podobała. Niestety, jest coś, co przekreśliło moją pozytywną ocenę - przewidywalność. To zjawisko nie powinno mieć miejsca w thrillerach, a w "Zamieci" domyśliłam się wielu rzeczy, które powinny czytelnika zaskoczyć. Samo zakończenie mi się nie podobało, chociaż ostatnie strony były całkiem intrygujące. Jednak przed nimi stało się coś dziwnego - w pewnym momencie autor przerywa akcję, wręcz ja ucina, i przeskakuje do przodu o kilkanaście dni. Kompletnie nie rozumiem, dlaczego. Jeszcze powiem coś na temat "krwawych" opisów - dla mnie nie były one jakoś bardzo rzucające się w oczy. Może dla osoby, która jest wrażliwa na takie rzeczy, byłoby to za dużo. Mi one nie przeszkadzały, a właściwie mnie nie obeszły.
Podsumowując, "Zamieć" to nie jest powieść, która mnie zaskoczyła, przestraszyła ani pochłonęła. Mam jednak pewność, że wielu z Was się spodoba. Dlatego polecam, ale nastawiajcie się raczej na thriller młodzieżowy z elementem paranormalnym, niż krwawy i nieprzewidywalny horror.