“A school ski trip to a remote Alpine resort descends into terror when a snowstorm cuts off the group from the rest of the world. For, as Charlie and his classmates are about to discover, something ancient and evil lies in wait.”
Whiteout has everything you could want in a YA horror. It has action, it has suspense, it has jump scares, and it has evil vampire like creatures that you can tell are grotesque. It really was a thrilling read and one that I just couldn’t put down, despite how scared I got at times.
The setting in Whiteout is so atmospheric, creepy and just perfect for the plot! Reading it during a cold spell made the reading experience just that bit more eerie. It felt like I was there with the students trying to figure out a way to end the horror. I could also tell the author had done a lot of research into ski resorts, as even the littlest of details were perfect.
The plot itself is unique, and this isn’t just down to the setting but also the characters/monsters. The monsters were so fascinating to read about. Are they vampires? Or are they something else entirely? It isn’t really stated at any point in the story and I loved that little bit of mystery.
Charlie is a character who grows from strength to strength over the course of the book. Starting off as an outsider, he learns to channel his troubled past and do what is right in the interests of his fellow students and ski guide Hanna. Come the end of the book, he is a changed person.
Hanna, just like Charlie, has a troubled past, and as the story progresses you learn more about her motivations for being in the resort. She is determined, strong-willed and willing to do whatever she can to find out the truth. Hanna is a true heroine.
Whiteout is an outstanding debut book and one that is certainly going up there on my list of favourite YA novels. Everything about it had my adrenaline pumping and my heart racing, so much in fact that I devoured it in a few days and am now dying for a sequel.