Tuesday 7 October 2014

{Review} Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone 
Release Date: October 7th 2014
Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 390
Genre: Thriller
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Book Depository | Amazon | Simon & Schuster

Britt Phieffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trip with her and go trekking through the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming.

But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, and find two knights in shining armour, Shaun and Mason, who are also hiding out.

But all is not as it seems, and Britt quickly discovers that the guys are there for reasons other than hiking…dangerous reasons that mean they need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, Britt is forced to guide them down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to get out of this alive is to pretend she is on their side.

But playing nice is hard, especially when Britt is unsure whether Mason, gorgeous and sexy, is the enemy or an ally. And as she begins to lose track of who is in control it is only a matter of time before things turn deadly…

*I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me this for review, it does not influence my opinion.*

Oh. My. God. I cannot even express in words how much I loved this book! It was so different from Becca Fitzpatrick's other series Hush Hush and in no way should you compare these novels. It was a completely new experience for me since I haven't ever read a thriller (I love thriller movies though) before but lets just say it was great exposure to this genre.

Summer break is approaching and Britt Phieffer wants to do something adventures at least once in her life. Britt and her best friend Korbie take a trip to the mountains where Korbie's family own a holiday house. Britt has been preparing for this vacation all year so she was well prepared. So she thought. An unpredicted snow storm hit the two girls on the way up the mountain leaving them stranded in Britt's car. Knowing they couldn't survive sitting in the vehicle, they make the decision to try and find shelter. Finally they found two men who were willing to take them in but soon Britt realised they made the wrong choice in trusting these men. Their motives were tainted. In a battle to save their lives, Britt leads the men through the mountain range in an attempt to keep out of harms way.

The plot in this novel was something you never want to find yourself in. The whole time I could just picture myself in this dire situation and thinking, "What would I actually do?" It's like everyone's worst nightmare; being stuck in the mountains where you could freeze to death and on top of everything you're trapped with two guys who could kill you. You're low on supplies and the possibility of dying due to starvation or dehydration is high. What else could posibbly happen? This is what you think when you're halfway through the book but somehow Becca Fitzpatrick manages to create even more plot twists.

If 'page turner' had a definition, the cover of this novel would be the picture beside it because the whole time I was on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down once and I read it all in one sitting. The things that Britt had to do to survive was crazy, there were so many situations where I thought, this is it for sure! But she still managed to push through.

Britt was a great protagonist and I could clearly see her character development throughout the novel. Prior to the dangerous trip (that will soon change her life), she was that sort of person who relied heavily on the people around her. She wasn't very independent as she had always been babied by her brother and her father. But since they weren't there to protect her, she had to rely on using her own intelligence to get out of the situation. I have to say that Britt wasn't a stupid character. She had great instinct and common sense which I value so much when it comes to main characters nowadays. She continued on even though there were so many situations where a normal person would give up.

A lot of the plot surrounds heavily on the topic of her ex-boyfriend who dumped britt a while ago. She clearly wasn't over him which got a little annoying at times but this helped add to her character development. It also added depth to the story as there were many flashbacks to Britt's childhood. Her ex-boyfriend was her best friend Korbie's older brother so it put a little strain on their relationship. I really didn't like Korbie's character as I didn't think she was a loyal, trustworthy friend. She was incredibly whiny and useless but thankfully she wasn't there for majority of the novel. I don't even know how Britt considered her to be a friend!

Overall I enjoyed this book immensely! I liked reading the familiar writing of Becca Fitzpatrick but like I said before, you shouldn't compare the novels. If you like suspenseful thrillers with a strong protagonist then I think this is the book for you! If you're new to the genre like me, this is great novel to introduce you to it. I ended up finishing the novel on the bus and I think I was grinning like an idiot. (People gave me weird stares haha!) The ending is so sweet and I like that this novel isn't rushed.


Have you read anything by Becca Fitzpatrick before?

Do you like thrillers?



6 comments:

  1. I absolutely hated the Hush, Hush series, so I've been putting this book off because of that. Thanks for letting me know that I shouldn't judge it because of her first series! I did find this premise to be very interesting and thrilling, so it's wonderful that it lived up to it. Britt sounds like a very smart girl, and I do value common sense and intelligence in my characters as well. Ohhh, her friend isn't in the story much? Does she die or something haha! I'll be picking this one up for review soon! I hope I enjoy it as much as you :D Wonderful review lovely xx

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  2. Ahh this book sounds great! I haven't read anything by this author but now I feel like I really need too! Love your review. The main character sounds great, I love when the protagonist doesn't give up and is inspiring to the reader :) I've heard lots of hype for this book, and it's probably safe to say it'll be on my Christmas list :)
    I tagged you to do the Book Cake Tag! :D
    Love your review,
    Cambrie @ http://andsothebookbegins.blogspot.com/

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  3. Hush, Hush certainly has not interested me in the past but the sound of this book and your review of it have made me want to pick this one up! I really enjoy a thriller if I'm in the mood for it... And this would be my first Becca Fitzpatrick book! :D
    Fantastic review!!

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  4. Yay I am so glad you enjoyed this book and it's great to see that Britt encountered quite a bit of development throughout. The concept of Black Ice totally freaks me out and it'd be interesting reading it during a hot hot summer day. Lovely review Francoise, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!

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  5. I wasn't a fan of Hush Hush but I am hoping that I like Black Ice more--going to give this author a second chance. I'm so glad that you adored it so much! :D


    Lovely review, Francoise <33

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  6. Brilliant review. I have been seeing so many negative reviews for this book and it was making me nervous to get to it. So I didn't. Now you've made me feel a bit better and I will definitely be getting to this one now. Great review :)

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