Hello, my friends! I have another book review for you this week, over Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates. It’s been a while since I reviewed a book prior to its release, but here we are. Dead of Winter publishes on July 11, two days after my birthday this year, so I hope you’ll consider purchasing through my affiliate link below. I could use the affiliate income, and it would be a cool “win-win” birthday gift 🙂 You get an amazing book, and I get money. See? Win-win!
Ok, so without further ado, here’s my book review over Dead of Winter, by Darcy Coates. Enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission through your purchase, and I’m so grateful!
Synopsis
Christa and her boyfriend head to the Rocky Mountains for a much needed vacation. She’s hoping that this trip will allow her to finally put ghosts from her past to rest. Fate, however, seems to have different plans. When their bus breaks down, and the group is forced to take refuge in an isolate cabin, Christa is forced to confront her past in a way she never expected.
Their guide is killed, and over the next couple days, other guests start dropping dead under suspicious circumstances. Christa decides to investigate herself when a fellow guest tells her they know who the killer is. Can she discover the truth before her premonition of “everyone is going to die” comes true?
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of (book) in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Thoughts
I was surprised to actually choose a book in the horror genre. I don’t read much horror, because I like to be able to sleep at night. Even when I watch a horror movie (nothing too scary, think Scream or Paranormal Activity) I have to watch something light and airy (think Chuck, or Alias) before I actually go to sleep.
Luckily, Dead of Winter wasn’t so much scary as it was thrilling. The mystery, also, was fun to try to solve. I ran into a couple twists that enhanced my enjoyment of the story in ways I didn’t expect.
Characters
I don’t read many character-driven stories, but even when a book is full of action, I prefer well done characters. In Dead of Winter, their interactions with each other and relationships with the others as the story progresses is what carries the story. Without their various personalities and perspectives on what’s going on, the book would be SO boring.
Christa
Christa is the main character, and it’s her eyes through which we watch what’s going on. She has plenty of baggage from her past, but she desperately wants to move on from mistakes she’s made. When people start dropping dead, Christa finds herself determined to find out what’s going on, despite the premonition she keeps getting, “We’re all going to die here.”
Kiernan
Kiernan is Christa’s boyfriend, and he’s the one who talked her into going to the resort for a vacation. At the beginning of the book, when the bus breaks down, Kiernan and Christa decide to hunt down help, getting caught in a snow storm. Kiernan and Christa are separated during the storm, leaving Christa with even more questions as the story moves on. I like Kiernan’s character, because he seems to really care about Christa, and takes care of her whenever possible.
Brian
Brian is the tour guide, and unfortunately the first person to die. I won’t spoil anything by mentioning anyone else, but Brian’s death hits the entire group differently, leaving them each to their own devices, and with their own opinions on how to get rescued.
Alexis
Alexis is the youngest of the group, and Christa sort of takes her under her wing and protects her when possible. When questions start coming up on guilt vs. innocence, Alexis starts confiding in Christa, leaving the rest of the group out. This divide is interesting to read, and I felt protective of Alexis as well. She was a very sweet young woman. Smart, too.
The Rest of The Group
The rest of the characters are actually too numerous to list by themselves, but they each have their own parts to play in the book, and I enjoyed them very much. Miri was fun, and her husband Steve was a piece of work. They had come on the trip to reconnect after retirement, so their interactions were interesting. Simone and Blake were irritating. I didn’t really like either of them, but if you ask me why, I’m not sure I could give you a straight answer.
Setting
Along with characters, setting means a lot in a book like Dead of Winter. You can have the most villainous characters this side of Hannibal Lecter, but without a good setting, the book can fall apart. Dead of Winter has a great storm scene in the beginning, when Christa and Kiernan get separated. I could almost imagine I was right there with her, freezing myself. It’s the kind of scene that makes you want to turn your space heater on.
The Cabin
The cabin in Dead of Winter was so well described. Since it’s the place where most of the book takes place, I get that Darcy needed it to be perfect. She did a fantastic job with it, even with the tree next to the cabin. You’ll know what tree I’m talking about when you get there. I’m not gonna say too much about it. The cabin itself is basically one room, and I don’t think it even had a bathroom. The guests were having to go outside to do their business. Cramming 8-10 people in a room the size of a studio apartment doesn’t seem real comfortable. Especially when there was very little furniture. A couple guests managed to grab the couch, leaving the rest to sleep or sit on the floor.
The Pace
The pace in Dead of Winter was perfect. It felt a little slow at times, but then it would pick up easily, usually with the arrival of another body. Spoiler alert: People die in the book. No, I’m not going to tell you who. When people start dying, the action picks up for a bit, with people questioning what in the ever-loving heck is going on, and of course they turn on each other to a point. That’s to be expected.
Dead of Winter almost feels like a study in human behavior, and my inner psychologist absolutely loved it. When you take a group of strangers, shove them in a tiny cabin during a snowstorm, what do you expect will happen? Dead of Winter attempts to answer that question, and I think does a pretty good job of it.
Predictability
So, I’m pretty sure I can call Dead of Winter semi-predictable. No, I wasn’t able to predict the entire book, because dear Darcy did a good job of throwing some twists in along the way, but at the same time, when I got to the end, I sighed in relief because I had been right. It’s a good feeling, being right.
My Original Thought for The Villain
I had an idea of who the villain was at the beginning of the book, because it seemed too unpredictable not to be correct. My opinion changed about 4 times through the course of the book, because of so many twists and turns. Unfortunately for the author, the villain ended up being who I had thought at the beginning of the book. Obviously, I can’t say too much, because that would seriously spoil the book, but once you read it, I’d love for you to comment and let me know if you had the same experience I did.
My Favorite Part of Dead of Winter
I’ve mentioned this before, but the interactions amongst the characters was amazing. I especially liked trying to figure out who was going to die next. I was almost never right, but it was fun trying to predict something so unpredictable.
My husband probably would have had the villain and the death order figured out in about 30 seconds. So unfair.
My Least Favorite Part of Dead of Winter
I didn’t like Simone. I just didn’t. I can’t even really tell you why. I liked Blake more than Simone, and she was probably the laziest of the entire group. When Brian died, Simone took it upon herself to take charge, but didn’t do so in a very grown up manner. She was just really grouchy about everything. I get her motivations, I just didn’t like her personality.
Excerpt
We’re all going to die here.
The head rocks as the wind pulls at it. Brian’s hair whips in a loose flurry on top. His jaw is stretched open, the jagged edge of the tree branch pierces through, protruding like a second tongue. His eyes are open but dull, like his skin. Frozen. He’s been up there for some time.
There’s a muffled, gasping scream behind me. Miri cuts the sound off abruptly, pressing the back of her gloved hand to her mouth. Her eyes bulge, the lids seeming to vanish into the skin around them, then she turns away.
Others heard. Footsteps race toward us. Denny arrives first, Hutch not far behind him, Simone appearing through the gusting snow like a phantom. Still more close in behind her. One by one they approach Miri, then me, asking questions that go unanswered, before following my eyeline toward the tree.
Denny is completely silent as he stares up at the head. Steve mutters an expletive. It’s soft, almost reverent.
I feel numb. Disconnected. The initial shock is morphing into disbelief.
Brian is dead.
More than dead. Butchered. Mutilated. Put on display.
Recommendation
Do you love “not quite scary” horror novels? Dead of Winter is for you. If you, like Cat, enjoy the more disturbing aspects of human nature, you might enjoy Dead of Winter as well, but it’ll be a little more hit or miss. I do hope you give it a chance, regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, because it is a very interesting read, and I think you’ll enjoy it. Pre-orders are up now, and the book publishes on July 11, so grab it soon! Once you read it, come back here and leave me a comment with what you thought!
I’m Interested! Take me to Dead of Winter on Amazon!
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my review of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates. I enjoyed the book very much, especially the relationships that developed among the characters. The book itself wasn’t particularly scary, but definitely had some disturbing parts. If you know someone who would enjoy Dead of Winter, share this review with them! In the meantime, leave a comment below with your thoughts on my review, or head over to the sidebar to subscribe to my newsletter. I’m working on some amazing stuff coming to you soon, so you won’t want to miss it.
Until Next Time, Friends!
