Whiteout by Gabriel Dylan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Stripes (Red Eye) 

Released: 10th January 2019 

‘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….

What I Have to Say 

A good old fashioned vampire story. I'm not ashamed of liking vampire romances, but I do feel this was a good way to start bring vampires back into YA. It's about time to get a few back in, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. But I do think, that bringing back scary Nosferatu inspired vampires was the perfect start. 

I was a little disappointed this wasn't a bit more creepy. I have to admit, I was in this for scenes of vampires creeping around in the blank whiteness outside while the characters were hiding and hoping not to be found and there was less of that and more of vampires trying to break down doors, but it was still really gripping. 

I loved the characters. It was good that the characters thrown together by the events were people who didn't know each other that well. It created great tensions between the characters and watching them come together and get to know each other, when they had only before known themselves in passing. 

I loved the vampire mythology they used too. This is definitely a great point horror vampire book. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Stripes for providing me with this copy for review. 

Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 288
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Released: 7th of September 2017

Valor is under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown prince. Her parents are outcasts from the royal court, her sister is banished for theft of a national treasure, and now Valor has been sentenced to life imprisonment at Demidova, a prison built from stone and ice.

But that's exactly where she wants to be. For her sister was sent there too, and Valor embarks on an epic plan to break her out from the inside.

No one has escaped from Demidova in over three hundred years, and if Valor is to succeed she will need all of her strength, courage and love. If the plan fails, she faces a chilling fate worse than any prison ...

What I Have to Say 

This was a really great book full of daring escapades and unspeakable punishment. The relationship between the two sister was probably one of the best ones I have read, because they will do anything for one another, even risk their life. Valar does everything throughout the book with her sister in mind and doesn't stop caring about her for even a moment. 

The friendships formed with the other characters were great as well. There were good bonds formed between them, ones that you can only form by risking your lives for one another. 

Valar was such a great character as well. She was literally willing to do anything to achieve her goals, even when she feels like breaking. She's a strong, brave girl who doesn't let other people get in the way of rescuing her sister. 

I definitely want to read more about Valar. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this copy for review. 

A Girl Called Owl by Amy Wilson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 336

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 26th of January 2017 

It's bad enough having a mum dippy enough to name you Owl, but when you've got a dad you've never met, a best friend who needs you more than ever, and a new boy at school giving you weird looks, there's not a lot of room for much else. 

So when Owl starts seeing strange frost patterns on her skin, she's tempted to just burrow down under the duvet and forget all about it. Could her strange new powers be linked to her mysterious father?And what will happen when she enters the magical world of winter for the first time?

What I Have to Say 

An interesting new take on the myths and legends that surround the seasons, A Girl Called Owl explores the suffering of a young girl who doesn't know who her father is and has a mother who doesn't seem to be willing to share a single detail but fairy tails, and what happens when those fairy tails turn out to not be quite the stories they seem to be. 

The desperation that Owl shows on wanting a father is shown beautifully and juxtaposed against the subplot of her friend's trouble with her parents separation. But I feel as though the fight between them was pushed in for no reason but to create conflict. From the start, Owl's friend was on her side believing her, so I feel like if Owl had been honest with her from the start, nothing would have happened. 

All in all, I did really like this book and the mythology it explored, but I felt it could have been a bit more thought out and crafted. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing me with this copy for review.