Whiteout

I've been a huge fan of the 'Red Eye' series for a while-they do for teens what Ste King did for adults many years ago-it's a genre of books lots of Y7&8s want, but there was little age-appropriate material around until these came on the scene. I cannot wait to purchase this one for my library-just wish I could get it on the shelves for Halloween! When the storm hits the ski resort, most of the locals go back to their houses, leaving a school trip behind. To be eaten. But some refuse to give in, and go out for revenge... great, edge-of-your-seat stuff, with teen angst, romance and what could've been thrown into the mix.

I read this in one sitting. I love any book set in winter or snow, especially horror. Really atmospheric, full of suspense and intrigue. Good characters, really well written. I will be recommending this book to all my book people!

I really enjoyed "Whiteout" and hope the author writes more as his storyline and characters are ideal for young teens. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and loved the snowbound setting. It is gruesome in places but young people nowadays would probably not worry about that, growing up as they do with monster filled tv and video games! It is an exciting page turner with a good twist at the end. I particularly liked the character development of the two main characters and felt totally in sympathy with them both. There was good character deveopment too of the other teens involved which the author achieved effectively at critical moments of the story. The story certainly tackles the ideas of empathy, courage and friendship and also the weaker sides of human nature such as avarice and selfishness so it would be a good book for young teens for many reasons as well as just for being an exciting story.

I love the Red Eye horror series of books, I think they are fantastic, so when I saw this on NetGalley for review, that was me sold.

The story follows Charlie, who is at a ski resort with his school, from what we can gather Charlie has not got the greatest home life and really does not want to go home. On arriving back at the lodge, the next morning blood is found by one of the students and on the night they are all attacked.

I found this to be a well-evolved story and found myself liking the twists within the story. This is Gabriel Dylan's first novel, and he has done himself proud, you are kept on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out what these creatures are, and wondering who is going to survive.

I loved that you were kept on the edge of your seat and that you really didn't know who was going to make it out of the situation alive. I did love Charlie, as a character, you found out his backstory, and that he was trying to make his father proud of him. I also liked Hanna, I thought she was such a strong character, and she was going to go down fighting.

I will admit the twist with Poppy, I did see that coming, and you don't get a full explanation near the end (these were why it lost a star), but it was a great story, and that epilogue, I really didn't expect that but then in hindsight thinking about it now it should have been obvious.

Overall a really great story, especially for Halloween or even the winter months. The book is released in EBook format on the 25th Dec 2018, and Paperback on the 10th Jan 2019, I will be picking up a paperback copy.

Whiteout is a creepy expert plotted YA horror which kept me reading late into the night. Gabriel’s atmospheric writing brought the freezing Alps vividly to life, and as for the monsters - I don’t want to give too much away but this is definitely one to read with all the lights on! Can’t wait to see what Gabriel writes next!

Thanks to Stripes for the opportunity to review this book.

Whiteout will stick with me for a long time and continues the great Red Eye Horror series published by Stripes.

The main protagonist is a young man called Charlie. Charlie has a troubled past and this follows him throughout the book in the way people interact with him and how he’s portrayed.
Charlie and his Sixth Form class from Bristol get stuck on top of a Austrian Mountain which is a ski resort. A storm blows in and the residents scatter as the class gets cut off, Monsters start killing the students off and the storm won’t lift until they are all dead.

I really loved this book, I loved the characters, plot, scenes and the monsters which were completely new and fresh.

Therefore I happily give whiteout the full five stars and make it one of my favourite reads of the year.

Whiteout is published on the 10th January 2019!

Thanks for reading this review!

Aw, man. If it snows this year, I am curling up in a ball with a pillow over my head. This is terrifying, and unlike Alex Bell's Charlotte stories it could really happen. I'll be eyeing any news of Alpine avalanches very carefully this year...

(Also, the ending. Never sleeping again, thanks for that...)


I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whiteout is part of the fantastic Red Eye series from Stripes and is one of my favourite titles so far. It ranges from unsettling to downright terrifying and somehow has an old-school feel at the same time as being like nothing I've read before.

I can tell Gabriel Dylan is a massive horror fan. This story has all of the ingredients of a classic horror story, from the remote setting with no way out to the frightening threat waiting to pick off the main characters. It also has a fresh feel that meant I had no idea what was going to happen next, or who was going to make it to the end...

I'm a huge fan of mythology and backstory underpinning a book, and Whiteout handled this really well. Details about the world and characters are seeded through the story without it becoming overpowering.

Whiteout strikes the right balance between shocking scares, building unease and quieter moments to get to know the characters. It also has one of the most intriguing endings that I've read for a very long time!

I also really liked the main character, Charlie. It feels like you get to know him as the book progresses and he isn't one of those horror characters who sits back and lets the beasties get them.

This is the best horror book I've read for ages, YA and otherwise. I can't wait to see what Gabriel Dylan writes next and I'm going to catch up on the few Red Eye titles that I've missed while I wait.

For Charlie, a school ski trip is an escape from his unhappy life at home. That is until a storm blows in and their resort town is cut off from the rest of the world. Trapped on a mountain all Charlie and his fellow students can do is wait for the storm to pass, along with strange ski guide, Hanna. As night falls and the secrets of the town come to fruition the storm is the least of their worries.

YA Horror is a genre that I don't read enough of so when I had the chance to read Whiteout I was so excited. The premise of it sounded so intriguing and in a way I couldn't wait to be scared by this unique story and let me tell you this...I was both scared and amazed!

Whiteout had everything you could want in a YA horror. It had action, it had suspense, it had jump scares and it had evil vampire like creatures that you could tell were grotesque. It really was a thrilling read and one that I just couldn't put down, despite how scared I got at moments. When a book does that to me I know it's a good one.

The setting in Whiteout was so atmospheric, creepy and just perfect for the plot! As I read it during a cold spell this made the reading experience just that bit more eerie. The descriptions were spot on that it was like you were there with the students trying to figure out a way to end the horror. You could also tell a lot of research had been done into ski resorts as even the littlest of details were perfect.

The plot itself was so unique and unlike anything I'd read in a YA horror before. This was down to the setting but also the characters/monsters. The monsters were so fascinating to read about. Were they vampires? or were they something else entirely? It isn't really stated throughout the story and I loved that little bit of mystery. It really added to the atmosphere of this menacing book.

Charlie was a character who grew from strength to strength throughout the course of the book. Starting off as an outsider he learnt to channel his troubled past and do what was right in the interests of his fellow students and Hanna. Come the end of the book he was a changed person and his character development was just outstanding. Hanna, just like Charlie had a troubled past and as the story progresses you learn more about her motivations for being in the resort. She was determined, strong willed and willing to do whatever she could to find out the truth. Hanna was a true heroine.

Whiteout was 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. Please, Gabriel, make this happen!