Title: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 07, 2014
Hardcover: 400 pages
Series: No

Where’d I Get It: For review from the publisher

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 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?

My Thoughts: Once again, I’ve had to take a while after reading this to really gather my thoughts about it. Initially, one or two or three pages in, I was docking stars every word. I was down to around negative five before it switched over into the actual meat of the book and got marginally better.  This is a thriller/mystery that is a little less thrilling and slightly less mysterious than I’d have liked.  Britt made me want to groan probably around every other page, because her taste in men is unhealthy at best. This is yet another YA novel where the parents are nonexistent and the kids are just absolute morons.  That said – our protag did eventually put her big girl panties on and stepped up, sort of… A little? Well, anyway, she got less annoying.

The author’s writing is lovely, but the plot just lacked something. That, combined with a weak protagonist who had Bella Syndrome in the extreme (and a weird case of Stockholm Syndrome, on top of it), made me glad this is a stand alone and not the start of a series.  All in all, it was a moderately enjoyable evening’s read – it kept me engaged enough to keep the pages turning, but I didn’t love it.

Rating: 3 of 5

 

 

Annd…apparently there’s a book trailer? I’m taking no credit here, obviously, this was produced by or done by or set up by … well, whatever … Simon & Schuster.  I’m just sharing, because sharing is caring!