Author: Gabriel Dylan
Title: Whiteout
Publisher: Little Tiger Press
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Middle Grade
Pages: 416
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
I received a review copy of Whiteout in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions in this post are entirely my own.
‘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….
Well this book was incredible and far more scary than I thought it would be. I thought it would be a more tame middle grade but honestly this was really creepy at times. And it did not hold back on the tragedy.
I really loved how gripping this story was, I was hooked from the first few chapters. Admittedly whilst reading the beginning I was sceptical, it didn’t start off with the kind of vibe I’d expect given the nature of the rest of the story, and I thought it would be a fairly tame read. But a few chapters in it began to accelerate into the horror that the synopsis advertises.
There is very little character development to show, which I think I would’ve liked to see. However this was more of a story that shows characters for who they truly are, but I think some of then could’ve had the potential to stand up and evolve – it was a matter of survival after all. This likely would’ve been more possible if the story gave more of an introduction, relative to the length of the story there was very little time before the action began.
The ending makes room for a sequel too but I think Whiteout stands well enough on it’s own. I would be content without another book but I have to admit that I am curious to see what additional stories Gabriel Dylan can tell, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this became a series at some point.
It’s a very fast read too, I think due to the fact it is aimed at slightly younger readers (though please make sure they are mature enough to handle some slightly violent and graphic scenes). The storyline is fairly simplistic, and although we get multiple points of view, the plot remains relatively 2-dimensional. In this sense it is easy to follow and easy to read, and I think the main plot line is gripping enough that there didn’t need to be loads of interwoven stories for this to be a good book.
Overall I’m awarding this book 4.5/5. I found it both gripping and thrilling, and my only criticism is that no characters really shed the skin we saw them in during the first chapters. I feel like some of them might’ve had the potential to show their true colours, but it was made clear fairly early on which were the strong members of the cast. But it’s a fantastic read and a little scarier than I thought it would be – no complaints though. This is what had me hooked.
It’s addictive, fast paced, and adrenaline fuelled.
Thank you to Little Tiger Press for the review copy of Whiteout.
Sammy's Shelf 