The City of Light

Whiteout #4

by Flint Maxwell

Where there is light, there is hope. No longer stuck in Woodhaven, the survivors must race against the clock in order to get Mia to the City of Light before her delivery. Along the way, they meet a former resident of the City, and with this new acquaintance's help and guidance things begin looking up for Grady and company. But the wraiths, the darkness, and the constant snowstorms have other plans.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Dystopia, Supernatural, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Thriller

290 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2020

About the author

Flint Maxwell was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and still lives there today with his beautiful wife and daughter, and their four furry best friends.

He primarily writes horror fiction, but has been known to dabble in many different genres.

Reviews

[Jennelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The City of Light

This was the best in the series by far,so far. Mr. Maxwell has built on the story book by book making each a bit more horrific. More terrifying. It's an insanely ( no pun intended) good read. It could end here but why stop when it keeps getting better......? On to the fifth.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Kindle Book 📕
I love these kinds of books and this one in particular is one of the better ones. I have one more after this and am disappointed there isn’t more.

[Yaredi Pizano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 esos entes demoníacos cada vez están peor.

[Gary Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grady & co race to reach the rumored safe haven I light of Mia's condition. Guided by a former resident, they navigate the perilous, snow-covered landscape, confronting new threats that test their resolve and unity. But as they get closer, they begin to question if true safety even exists.
These books are ridiculously easy to read, highlight addictive, and do get better with each instalment. It's a little crazy as there is a slight repetitiveness to them at times, but I'm still hooked.
As before the building on the relationships, tension, atmosphere and overall bleakness of the situation is well done and it's again pepperes with some unsettling and gripping moments keeping you drawn in as the survivors strive for safety.
As Maxwell himself said, you could end the series here if you wanted given the point we leave our group of survivors, in a seemingly "safe" environment, but where's the fun in that? I've seen enough TV showa like to walking dead to know that's never the case.
Again another great entry to the series and horror fans to check out

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying read!

So the pace had picked up again in this book so once again I had greatly enjoyed it. The descriptions were very vivid and even though I have aphantasia (A blank minds eye) I could almost see or imagine some of the scenes from this book. The thumbprint creatures outside the theater were especially vivid. So creepy! Lots of action and close calls too..and since characters do indeed die in here you never know who is going to make it - if anyone makes it. I do think that adds to the realness of the story.

I admit since I started reading this I do wonder about what caused this new ice age and the shadowy creatures. Its fun to think about in my spare time even if the author never gives a real explanation. Maybe it was some mad scientist playing around with stuff best left alone.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am over the non stop goofing, We have added Mia and she also has the sense of humor of a sarcastic 11 year old boy much like the others. I do not get it, the world is ending and it is freezing but Stone is still insulting Grady every chance he gets looking for a laugh, Grady throws it back at him, it doesn't come off as keeping spirits up it is immature and I hate it.
New character added was Ramsey he seems ok, but is also a cheater so who gives a damn about that guy, am I right? I am.
Moving on to the last book of the series, I really like how compact these stories are, each installment packs a lot of tension and thrills in a relatively short read

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh no, how do I only have one more book left? I am racing through this series but it's just so fun. I think it gets a little better with each installment honestly.

In City of Light, Grady and the group escape the nutter who held them hostage in Woodhaven and head towards the rumored City of... you guessed it... Light before Mia has her baby. But, of course, something, or rather, some ONE gets in their way and slows them down again...

And the wraith action hits high gear here too!

I cannot wait to see how it ends but I know I'll be sad when it's over. #readerproblems

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4th installment of the "Whiteout" series by Flint Maxwell. Another quick read, easy to devour. I don't want to give too much away, the survivors from all the previous books continue on their journey. Their new destination is a place called 'The City of Light'. This city is a place of refuge, with medical car, supplies and security to keep them safe. Not all is all sunshine and rainbows in this new city, and the survivors will have to find this out for themselves on their journey.

[J Sams · Rating 4 out of 5]

All four together would have made a great book 1.

I like the story so far but give your readers some credit. We can and will read a book with some length to it. There is something fundamentally unsatisfying about a 'novel' I can read in two hours or less.

[Austin Meffert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, we’re getting there—lord I hope this last book isn’t a giant disappointment.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very good 👍

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dragged on a little long in places. It was still very good! I love this series!

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow the longest of the series so far but also the dullest.
Book 4 is very conflicted.

It starts extremely strong with an introduction to a new character and some actual answers as to what is going on. The gang end up playing a round of "horde" mode before finally breaking out and making a desperate run for the city. It's actually one of the most action pact entries to the series so far. So how is it dullest?

This author can't write dialogue. I'm sorry man but it's unbearable now. It reads like AI pretending to be human.
Its the same disjointed and in-authentic dialogue you see from pre-school "don't do drugs" performances.
It rips me out of the action every time now and the whiplash is brutal.

Example. The break to the city is the climax event of this book. The desperate suicide mission of Grady and Mia. Mia is mid labor, it's dark and the wraiths are in their hundreds chasing them down. Voices of Grady's dead mother is coaxing him to join them. The dead boy who haunts his dreams screaming at him for letting him die in a fire. Grady is battling mentally to stay focused and not give in to their sirens call whilst navigating a blizzard and keeping Mia from bleeding out.
It's a great scene. Mia starts to drift in and out and so Grady tries his best to keep her awake.
They end up talking about kissing a poster of Zac Efron and how hard it is to be a woman getting unsolicited pictures sent to you.... What!? What are we doing!?

Is that a cherry picked example that sounds worse given it's out of context in a review, yeah I guess but it is what happens.. it's so brain dead.
In this situation Mia is actually pretty cool about it but it's Grady taking the white knight "god, men are such pigs. I'm sorry you had to go through that Mia"

Bro, she's actively dying in labour, she's not going to sleep with you because you have chosen now to understand a woman's struggle.

That's one example anyway. Is it that deep, not really. But I'm four books down with this type of dialogue and it's starting to boil over.

Anyways 3 stars I guess.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

City of Light is a 3.5 out of 5. It's not a bad entry in the Whiteout series, but it unfortunately isn't as good as its predecessors. The pace is slower, and there were a few occasions where I gave up reading. It does get there in the end, and overall I'm glad I finished it. 4 books in, its the characters that keep driving the series forward, and Maxwell does a good job of making you care about them. The overall plot however, just isn't on the same level.

Interestingly, at the end of the book, Maxwell felt the need to answer those critical of the series. He states that you could stop reading the series here (It does provide an ending, just not a satisfying one), and talks about plans going forward. My only concern is that he comes across as unsure of where the Whiteout books are going, and I'd be surprised if there ever really be a satisfying conclusion. I may try the next book upon release, but for now, I might stop reading with this one.

[Deb Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** #5 stars in my book!!

This series has kept me reading (and missing some really good television shows that my husband has been watching) for about 2 weeks! I absolutely love the supernatural aspects and love the characters! I only wish Mikey had not been killed! (Sorry for the spoiler) Mia is one of my favorites. Im so looking forward to the next one coming out at the end of this month! (July 2020) Dean Koontz is my absolutely favorite author, and I love that he was quoted at the front of this book! Just know, Flint, that while Koontz still re.ains my #1 favorite, your story has brought you up to a 2 or 3 in that ranking!!! Keep up the writing!! You said you get a lot of enjoyment writing, we I get a lot of enjoyment reading what you ha e written!!! Much love!

[Veronik Durocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

DO NOT mind the whining Ted Ingalls' review! There is no feminist BS in that story (unless you're the kind of snowflake who feel threatened in his fragile male ego by women when he can't act like an ass! You know, the type of dude that complained they can't say anything to women? Probably an incel...).

If you think that "don't call me sweetheart" or "never argue with a pregnant woman" 5 or 6 times in a whole story is feminist BS, you are probably the kind of sub-male who feels untitled for a "reward" because you paid a cheap beer in a crappy bar to a lady...

That book didn't lower his IQ, like he said, he did it all by himself!

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In novella 4 of the series, the group are more suspicious, having lost one member to the cruelty of someone who appeared to be a Good Samaritan but was really a servant of the wraiths. The stakes have been raised given the possibility that people can be working for them without a tell-tale dark jagged mark on their faces.

Hence, when they encounter a man in another town who has set up a base at a cinema they are initially very suspicious, especially since he at first menaces them with a gun, and Stone in particular is downright hostile to him. Eventually he proves he isn't one of "them" and gives them news of the City of Light, a haven which they have heard mentioned earlier, but what initially seems to be a safe place in the cinema is soon breached by the menace of the wraiths. With Mia going into labour, Grady has to drive her in a snow mobile to the place which their host has pictured on a roughly drawn map and survive perils not only en route but in the City itself.

The threat of the wraiths continues to evolve, as they seemingly develop stronger powers as time goes on. Their ability to read people's deepest fears and traumas and then to feed off the negative emotions created by playing to those makes them a growing menace, especially since they appear to be developing resistance to light.

I've always found Grady a bit irritating, but he was especially so in this instalment. Whenever the wraiths appear, he always freezes up. Mia, in advanced labour, has to slap him across the face to snap him out of it at one point, and he later causes an accident because of his inability to deal with them. I can understand a person behaving like this initially, but when he has had umpteen encounters with the creatures and knows they are just impersonating various people, it becomes a bit annoying. Also irritating is the rather laboured banter that goes on between the group members, especially Grady and Stone, which isn't actually funny at all.

One positive aspect is that I have warmed more to Mia as the books have gone on as she is often decisive and takes action, or jolts others out of their paralysis. The situation in which the group finds itself at the end offers the possibility of new kinds of conflict which is promising, as up to now they have only encountered individuals along the way and never had to fit in with a community. On balance, I am awarding this 3 stars.

[Judith Trail · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of this segment of the series, the author explains that this is a series that at this time does not have an end. He intends to just keep writing about what happens to these characters in this ice and snow bound world. This takes some of my concern about the structure of each novel away: they break off where they do, and pick right back up in the next book, so the uneven pace or story structure cannot be expected to be following more standard writing rules. However, character should still receive the majority of the attention, as it is what drives the events based on how each character responds to the stress of cold, hunger and fear. Grady, the primary character, acts inconsistently: sometimes like a trained professional first responder (he should stay focused, organized and calm) and sometimes like an inexperienced teenager. For example, why does he act like such a jerk when he is taken out of the snow by the City of Light. He brings about harsh treatment because he acts uncharacteristically violent. The characters know the risks presented by the wraiths, but they keep running out into the dark and cold; they panic and crash the snow mobile. I almost believe that this group should succumb to the aliens because they just can't manage to be sensible. We will have to see where this goes.....

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I read the note from the author at the end of this book - and I definitely do *not* get the feeling he is “milking it for all it’s worth”. Hell, no. Keep writing them, please!! I’m so excited to read the next in this series. Love the characters & the story… thinking it would make a pretty good limited series on #Netflix or #Hulu.

Point of View: This book is in first person & the narrator (the MC) gives little Easter eggs of the future throughout.

World Building/Back Story: Its great. I know enough about the world from the MC’s reminiscing about the past. It’s essentially OUR world - and is set in present day.

Characters: Love them. I mourned losses, celebrated worthy events & *cared* alongside Grady. Top notch.

Plot: Really good. I finished all 4 of these within 72 hours & am already looking on GoodReads to find more books by this author. It’s exciting & scary about being unnecessarily gorey (there is some, but it fits the scenes).

[Helen Robare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series! I have to say this is the first time I have ever read a series of 5 books in ONE day!!! I just could not stop until I read them all. (Yes, I will have read book 5 before today (4-12-2022) is over! :) Of course, it helps that all 5 books do not equal the pages of one Wheel of Time book. :)

This particular book deals with the gang getting to the City of Light. The trials and tribulations, including delivering Mia's baby!!!! We do meet another friend named Ramsey who is a soldier and lives in a movie theater. He is also a mechanic which helps a lot with the two old enclosed snowmobiles the gang is using. :)

As usual, the snow continues and the weather is colder than frigid. And the wraiths (to use Grady's name for the monsters).

Note: For fans of Stephen King there are a few references scattered throughout the series of Mr. King's most scarriest books! :)

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! Something interesting, fresh, and not another cookie cutter book!

I started this series not expecting much. Normally I avoid series books because they seem to start off with a marginal plot at best , then repeat the same scenario throughout the series with each progressively getting worse. I am pretty picky about what I like to read, I dont enjoy plots that are muddled or , drawn out with lengthy descriptions, or semi-talented writers whose writing is full of porn scenes just to add "filler" to their book . I was so impressed I read 4 books in 2 days! I LOVE this writer, I have enjoyed eivery minute of each book and can't wait to start the next. Its different, it keeps you guessing, And now I'm off to read #5!

[Elli Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop after this book if you want to discontinue the series. It does have a more natural ending than the others. The author does plan to keep going with it though, so if you like it, by all means, carry on.

The group is haunted by the things they have seen and experienced, the death, the horrible humans they have come across, and their resulting skepticism, along with the relentless cold and snow... The situation they are in is taking its toll.

Along with the 3rd book, there is a continuing grittiness and desperation. I feel like books 1&2 should have been combined, and 3&4. This is also quite short, but fast-paced. In book 3, there was more of a focus on horrible humans than the things in the darkness which I missed. In book 4, they made more of a return.

[Diana LaB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been slowly reading this series so it doesn’t end so quickly! I love that each book is small but so packed full of adventure that they really do need a separate book for each part. I truly hope someday this series could be made into a mini TV series!! I can easily visualize it and the characters. The loyalty and love that’s spread throughout such a horrific time is inspiring when this time right now has been a roller coaster of emotions.
Flint, your writing is beautiful, terrifying and everything I want in a supernatural book series!! Please keep writing, ignore the complainers, you’re an amazing author and I will continue to read every book that comes out of your creative mind!
Thank you!!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a very good story. It dragged in places, but there was also a lot of heart. Our group is reeling after losing one of their own and Grady has a lot of self-doubt because he sensed something was off but said nothing. This book he's trying to navigate his "family", to the 'city of light', only to learn, it was overrun about a month before and most residences were killed, and the place was severely damaged. I felt for Grady, who is secretly falling apart, but trying to remain strong and keeping it together for the sake of the others. Looking forward to see how this turns out...... even though I read the ending of the last book in the series :)

[sandra scahill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apocalyptic brilliance

I just love these apocalyptic books, this has only just came out but during the world's current pandemic it's much needed lifeline for me in many ways!!! Great storyline, totally current and I (kinda hate to say...coz don't wanna pressure the author)can't wait for the next!!!!!😉 not the one to give whachamacallit...Easter eggs??🤔 spoilers.??!!...my review is purely support that this literal getaway from current craziness gets you right into a mad crazy world..whod have thought this up???!!!!🤷❤

[Belinda in Alabama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good

Book 4 of 5. I really can't wait to start book 5. At the same time, I don't want to finish the series. Book four was good. Not quite as good as the others until close to the end but it it kept my heart in my throat. Freezing cold,limited resources and people you don't know. Who do you trust? I think in my case it wouldn't matter because I don't have the stamina to walk in snow, fight wreaths or make the best of things. I would say to leave me. Now I'm a popsicle. Really these books and enjoy. Happy Reading.

[Marinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

I absolutely love this series and Tues characters, they come to life thanks to the awesome writing of the author. The idea behind this apocalyptic adventure is pretty awesome, monsters in the snow. Each book gets me more and more invested in all the characters and I will definitely read as many books as Mr. Maxwell decides to put out in this saga, and I hope there's way way more.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really have liked this series

I liked your explanations at the end. And don't listen to the naysayers. It seems every Kindle book now is a series. That's just the way it is. We have to eat one way or another. I really like the characters in this series also. So if you keep having more in the series I will continue to read them. If this is the last one that's fine too. A job well done Flint, a job well done.

[Shelly Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!!!

I love this series and I had not really read this type of genre before discovering the first book The Snow. The way they are written cells like you are there, every snowflake and conversations among what has become a 'family' are so easy to sink into and feel like you are watching it. If I may say so, bloody Brilliant! Keep writing them! :) Looking forward to them all being on Audio as well☺

[Apple · Rating 1 out of 5]

this started out as a regular 2 star because even though the story is nice, it felt unresolved just like the others and not enough to stand on its own two feet or be called a book rather than chapter in a book. it got docked to one star after i read the author's note about how he does this for fun and not money... which doesn't match with how they are publishing and pricing the series at all. honesty is important