Monday, September 29, 2014

Review: Black Ice

BLACK ICE
Becca Fitzpatrick
Young Adult/Mystery/Thriller
400 pages
Simon & Schuster
Available October 7th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?


MY THOUGHTS
Black Ice is a page-turner from beginning to end, wasting very little time introducing us to Britt before we're stranded in the freezing cold right along with her. Adding an extra layer of tension to an already-perilous survival situation is a pervading sense of unease thanks to a truly chilling prologue in which we witness the tragic murder of a young woman, the knowledge that her death and Britt's predicament are intertwined ensuring we hardly dare to breathe for fear it will affect Britt's chances of making it out alive.

Britt, as mentioned previously, is not someone we get to know all that well before her world is tossed into chaos and the girl she used to be has no choice but to adapt given the drastic and violent change in her circumstances. Threaded throughout Britt's current hostage situation though are flashbacks to the beginning of her romance with ex-boyfriend Calvin, a young man (and her best friend's brother) who acts as her mental lifeline when the constant threat of death starts to overwhelm her. What's perhaps most fascinating about these flashbacks is the fact that we as readers see them in a completely different light from Britt, the memories she shares with us clearly remembered fondly, but what she glosses over thanks to the rose tinted glasses of first love we see for the glaring red flags they are, warnings we want nothing more than to shout at Britt in the hopes she'll see what's so hauntingly clear to us.

Our ability to see what Britt cannot is a source of both dark anticipation and frustration, our breaths becoming sharper and more labored the longer Britt allows past feelings to rationalize questionable behaviors in the present, but while we can't help but appreciate the boost of adrenaline that comes from knowing something she doesn't, her continued obliviousness in this one particular area tests the boundaries of our patience. Britt from the beginning proves herself to be capable and quick-thinking, assessing the level of danger she and best friend Korbie are in when the bad whether hits and taking action when Korbie can do nothing but complain and lay blame. She continues to show an impressive ability to problem solve under extraordinary pressure, thus making the hold a childhood crush and first love has on her all the more baffling because we know her to be capable of shaking loose those shackles.

Luckily though, when faced with evidence she simply cannot explain away no matter how much she might wish it, Britt doesn't spend valuable time mourning the loss of everything she thought she knew, instead she rallies as she has all along and refuses to let weather, injury, or murderer get the better of her. Overall, Ms. Fitzpatrick thoroughly impresses with Black Ice, thrilling us with a tale of romantic suspense that ensures every fiber of our being is involved in the fates of those whose entire lives changed the moment the first snowflake touched down.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Becca:


This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

47 comments:

  1. Okay, Ali liked this book too, so I guess it's a must that I read it. Britt actually sounds like a character I'd enjoy.

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    1. I thoroughly enjoyed this one Christy! Highly recommend:)

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  2. That is quite something different from her, cool

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    1. Yes it is:) I hope she writes more in this genre!

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  3. I enjoyed this book a lot too, Jenny! It was my first by Fitzpatrick and I was very pleasantly surprised. I understood Britt when it came to Calvin. It was easy enough to forget that she was merely 17 years old and become frustrated with her, but then I would remember that emotional maturity comes somewhat later in life and suddenly I was able to sympathize completely.
    Overall, I thought this was an excellent read. I'm glad you thought so too.

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    1. I understood her continued loyalty to Calvin despite the evidence that suggested he was not going to win boyfriend of the year, but that didn't stop me from wanting to scream my warnings at her!!! I loved her overall though:)

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  4. Ooh this sounds really good - amazing cover too! x

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  5. Glad to hear you enjoyed this one, Jenny. I've actually seen a lot of negative reviews around - mainly because readers do not seem to like the MC!

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    1. I was frustrated with her a time or two Leanna, but overall I was really impressed with her quick thinking and the way she handled herself once she gets taken. She was way better at surviving than I would have been!

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  6. It must be interesting to get to learn more about Britt. When I saw this book at first I was so sure it wasn't for me and now I wonder if I made a mistake because the reviews are so good!

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    1. I hope you give it a try Melliane, I had a blast reading it:)

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  7. Awesome review, Jenny! I just received this book for review the other day and loved Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series, so I am excited to check this out. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  8. It's on my stack! As always, great review

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  9. I'm loving all these thrillers you're reading, Jenny. This one sounds like it really delivers on the thriller label. Reminds me a bit of a true crime show I saw once, too. Creepy.

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    1. I can't help it, Criminal Minds is occupying all of my available brain space. I crave mystery/thrillers:)

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  10. Oh, seeing your review here was such a relief! I'm not sure what it is,but I was both excited about this one and worried when I got my hands on it at BEA. A part of me felt it would be awesome but another part wasn't so sure. Reading how you describe everything from the tone, to the characters, to the mystery definitely put my worries to rest. It really sounds like a story that is well put together and engaging from the first page to the last! I can't wait to dive into this one, thanks for the awesome review Jenny ^^

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    1. Oh good! Glad I could lay some of your fears to rest Micheline! I had so much fun reading this and sincerely hope Becca writes more in this genre:)

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  11. I honestly only skimmed your review because I'm soooo excited to read this soon! This is the first review I've seen, and I love to see that you enjoyed it! :)

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  12. I'm excited to hear that you loved this, Jenny and you make it sound like a really interesting read. I've been avoiding reading reviews for this on GR because I feel like 50% of the reviews there are basically just judging the book even though they haven't read it.
    This sounds intense and I think I'm going to enjoy it.
    Lovely review! :)

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    1. Yeah, I stay away from GR for the most part. I just put my reviews up and then run away and rely on the bloggers I visit every day for recommendations:)

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  13. Yes! I was keeping my fingers crossed that you would like this every bit as much as I did Jenny! So happy you did. :)

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  14. What a fantastic review, Jenny! I really feel more like reading this one the more reviews I read, even if I wasn't the biggest fan of the author's previous books! But I feel like I must really give her another try with this one!

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    1. Thanks Pili! I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of the Hush, Hush series either, but I really enjoyed this book. Definitely give it a try!

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  15. I'm a bit worried about this one, Jenny. I can already picture myself yelling at the character for the glaring warning signs. I find that very frustrating. This one doesn't seem to be my cup of tea, but I'm glad you thoroughly enjoyed it.

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    1. I just tried to put myself in her shoes Rummanah - I had the advantage of knowing she couldn't trust certain people, so I can't really blame her for not wanting to drop those blinders. She did eventually though and I was rooting for her the whole time:)

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  16. I'm so glad to hear this was a hit with you, I've been worried I wouldn't like this since I wasn't the biggest Hush Hush fan. While I do think I'll be frustrated with seeing Britt's competence in other areas contrast with her putting blinders on when it comes to romance, it sounds like it didn't impede your enjoyment, so I'm totally on board. Awesome review Jenny!

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    1. I wasn't either Lauren, but this one was such fun (and I mean that in the mystery/thriller sense, not in the light, cute romcom sense). I couldn't put it down!

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  17. Oooh - Black Ice sounds very chilling and a hit with you Jenny! You totally caught my attention with:

    "Our ability to see what Britt cannot is a source of both dark anticipation and frustration, our breaths becoming sharper and more labored the longer Britt allows past feelings to rationalize questionable behaviors in the present."

    Oh Boy - count me in. I need to find a copy of this now. Super-fantastic review. I'm drooling - lol :)

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  18. Eeek! This sounds so heart stopping! I usually don't like the survival types of books, but this sounds really different and thrilling!

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    1. I really loved it Pam! I was in a funk at the time I picked it up and it yanked me right out of it:)

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  19. Though Fitzpatrick is a well-known author in the YA community I have yet to pick up a novel by her. Not sure why, frankly. I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one, though, Jenny--I'll have to give it a try!

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    1. I definitely preferred this to the Hush, Hush books Keertana, I would start here for sure!

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  20. Argh! I skipped this one because I was hesitant, but I was so curious about the Teton setting. Now that you have reviewed it, I must read it.

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    1. LOVED the setting. Made me want to go hiking. Except in the summer, not the winter ;-)

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  21. I can see how Britt would become a source of anticipation, frustration and delight. I wasn't a fan of her last big novel, but I'm becoming more and more interested in this one!

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    1. This one was very, very different from Hush, Hush Melissa, I definitely recommend giving it a try:)

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  22. While I liked it better than her other series, I still wasn't blown away by it. Pretty good but there were a few TSTL moments that pushed me to the edge. Oh, well!

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  23. You know, I loved this book so hard until the last 1/4 of the book. Then it went from a tight, taut thriller to watching a daytime soap opera. Sigh.

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  24. I just finished this today and I'm writing my review so I'm going to hold off on reading yours, Jenny. Nice to see your 4 starts! I LOVED this one! :)

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  25. Sounds like a good plot. The only book I've read by this author was Hush, Hush, which wasn't for me at all, but maybe I'd like a non-paranormal read by her.

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  26. YAY! I enjoyed this book as well Jenny :))

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