Tuesday, October 21, 2014

ARC Review- Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick


 Publisher: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers
 Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Genre: Romantic thriller (YA)
Source: ARC

Synopsis:
Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer 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.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt 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 in the mountains, 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…


Review-
Once again I'm caught in a whirlwind of romance and mystery. Kind of. Going into Black Ice, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard mixed reviews which put me off for a little bit but I've finally ventured into Fitzpatrick's new world. Which is much different than Nora and Patch's world.

What I got from the very beginning of the book was that Britt & gang were shallow assholes. We've got Britt who obsesses over her ex-boyfriend through the entirety (or most anyway) of the story. We even get short chapters throughout of their relationship( her and the ex). Her character is the kind I hate. You know the type of girl who is dependent on everyone yet still wants to be independent? I found that she had tremendous growth throughout the whole novel but her actions and the way she thought would still annoyed the crud outta me.

Which brings me to Calvin, the ex. Britt puts this guy on a pedestal and I don't even know why. He treated her bad and he cheated on her. Then when she sees him for the first time since he broke up with her, he acts like a charming, flirty jerk. There's a reason for him being the way he is. My thoughts on that front will remain closed since I don't want to give anything away. The opinion I have on him is still in somewhat of a confused state though. On one hand I think he is scum but then on the other hand, I just pity him.

Point number three, Calvin's sister and Britt's "best friend". I use the term best friend very loosely because let's face it, the two were more like frenemies. Korbie is the epitome of how not to be a friend. She's snobby, bitchy, and puts Britt down constantly to make herself feel better. Yuk. Britt tries to justify them being friends but I'm sorry, nothing can justify that type of behavior. Korbie to me is the character that is just there to fill some gaps because she was completely useless.

While those may be some of the negatives, I actually did find this exciting. I wasn't able to put the book down and I liked the setting of the story as a whole. Especially the last hundred pages or so, it got really creepy...well not creepy but thrilling.

This is classified as a romantic thriller. Well, I'd hardly call it romantic, I didn't see much romance until after the halfway mark. Like way after. Obviously, she starts having a sort of attraction to one of the captors but it took me a long time to even like him. The mystery aspect to the story was done in an okay fashion. You can see what's going to happen a mile off but some scenes I was surprised.

The book starts off with Britt and Korbie preparing to go on a week long backpacking trip in the mountains during spring break instead of going to Hawaii with friends. Britt wanted to hike in hopes that Calvin would see her in a new light. Anyways, it turns out that Calvin has to go and chaperone the two friends, leaving Britt panicky since she hasn't seen or talked to Cal in about eight months.

Once Britt and Korbie set off for the week of hiking, they hit a bad storm in the mountains, leaving them stranded with no choice but to walk and find help. Luckily, they find a cabin with lights on at their brink of being frozen to death. But the two handsome men aren't what they seem and something feels very off. Britt has the feeling that the two guys, Mason and Shaun, are hiding something, but she shakes it off. Both her and Korbie are being idiots trying to call dibs on a guy they know nothing about. Seriously? Yes, I'm so serious.
Korbie actually called dibs... Wth?

It turns out that Britt maybe should have trusted her gut instinct all along because the guys are fugitives and take the girls hostage. The only reason Britt is being kept alive is because she told them she knows the way to highway for them to escape.

This is when I found the story start to pick up. I was able to put my dislike for Britt aside because I really was very interested in how she would be able to test her survival skills and put them to use. How would she escape these men? While one is psychotic, the other gives off very mixed signals of being good/bad.

If you've been deterred from starting Black Ice because of reviews, I highly recommend reading the book anyways. While the characters can be annoying and stupid, I still think the story did well in keeping readers interested.

*Thank you to San Francisco Book Review via S&S for providing me with a review copy for an honest review.

About the Author:
Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She is the author of the bestselling HUSH, HUSH Saga.  

Website-  
Twitter: @becfitzpatrick

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/10fZcf2
B&N:  http://bit.ly/1yTtDG4




 
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