Publication Date: 10/07/2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Thriller
Pages: 400
ISBN-10: 1442474262
ISBN-13: 978-1442474260
(Received for an honest review from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound
Becca Fitzpatrick on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Synopsis:
Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.
Britt Pheiffer 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.
Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and 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, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?
Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…
Thoughts:
Becca Fitzpatrick brings readers her first standalone young adult suspense novel. This book is a major departure from Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series with was largely paranormal in nature. Black Ice is a thrilling novel that the reader will find a hard time putting down. Fitzpatrick uses a spring break back-packing trip to land her heroine in some very hot water with a possible killer. Reader's who are looking for a romantic suspense novel with a younger set of characters will probably find a lot to like here.
What I liked:
First let me say that I have not read Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush series. I like young adult paranormal novels but that is just a series I never picked up. That being said, Black Ice was my first experience with her writing. Fitzpatrick struck me as an author who wants to change things up a bit. Let's face it, there are not that many YA thrillers out there. That type of book is just now starting to catch on in the YA genre. So, I would say this book was a little risky. But Fitzpatrick proves she is up for the task.
Black Ice starts out with a chilling prologue in which the reader learns that there is a killer somewhere in the area. They may not know how that fits in with Britt, the heroine of the book, but they know this isn't your typical YA novel right off the bat. I liked the fact that Fitzpatrick wanted to let readers in on that little secret right at the beginning. It definitely added to the creepy factor. You want suspense, I'll give you suspense, let's kill someone in first few pages of the book! Gutsy, if I do say so myself.
Britt was what I would call a typical teenage girl. She thought she could do anything, including hike the Teton mountain range with a snowstorm in the forecast. Do you know many teenagers that don't think they can rule the world? LOL. The problem was she was a bit of a spoiled brat. She may have trained for her trip but she wasn't a survivalist. She didn't have any experience and she relied a little too heavily on the male persuasion to get her out of trouble. All that being said, she was just a young girl and I thought Fitzpatrick nailed that. She had to learn how to be a strong independent woman, and if being kidnapped doesn't do that for ya, don't know what will.
I loved the tension, the suspense and the sense that you really didn't know who to trust. Who was the bad guy? Even Britt isn't sure. I found myself riveted to the pages, because I just couldn't put my finger on it. I wanted to know how Fitzpatrick was keeping me from figuring out who that killer was. I was shocked at what was really going on. I wasn't even close to being on the right track and that is a rare occurrence.
Calvin was Britt's ex-boyfriend. He cheated on her. He dumped her, he was a scumbag, but she still wanted to impress him. Sound like any teenager you know? Yep, me too! Korbie was Britt's best friend. A best friend that was even more spoiled than she was. A best friend that was constantly putting her down. Friend or enemy in disguise? probably a little of both. Who were the most intriguing characters in the book? the kidnappers, hands down. Mason and Shaun were 'menacing' in some ways. Secretive, hostile. I liked that, I wanted to the bad guys to be bad guys, but I wasn't sure they were bad guys... eke gads! I liked this book a lot.
What I didn't like:
The maturity level was a bit lacking for me, but that might be a my own issue. I wanted Britt to be strong up front, and that took a little while. She was a typical teen and I was afraid she had Stockholm Syndrome when she started falling for her kidnapper. But it got better. And she started to solve her own issues. I didn't like the idea that a man had to fix things and when that faded away I was happier.
Bottom Line:
This book probably isn't for everyone. I think Becca Fitzpatrick gives readers a great teen heroine, but you have to keep in mind that she is a teen. There were moments when Britt let the men in her sphere take charge and had me scratching my head at the idea that it took a man to do it. But all that aside. It was still a good book. One that made me turn the pages fast and furiously. A good take on a YA thriller. We'll see if she does more.
Black Ice is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
1 comment:
Great review-sounds good and quite the departure from angels and the like. I didn't realize it was a stand alone, such a rarity in YA, just assumed it would be a new trilogy! Looking forward to it.
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