Review: Snowblind by Christopher Golden

February 23, 2015 4 stars, Book Review 16 ★★★★

Review: Snowblind by Christopher GoldenSnowblind Published by Spencer Hill Press on January 1, 2014
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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*This book was provided by the Publisher for review. No compensation was provided and all opinions are strictly my own.

In Christopher Golden’s first horror novel in more than a decade--a work reminiscent of early Stephen King--Snowblindupdates the ghost story for the modern age.

The small New England town of Coventry had weathered a thousand blizzards...but never one like this. Icy figures danced in the wind and gazed through children's windows with soul-chilling eyes. People wandered into the whiteout and were never seen again. Families were torn apart, and the town would never be the same.

Now, as a new storm approaches twelve years later, the folks of Coventry are haunted by the memories of that dreadful blizzard and those who were lost in the snow. Photographer Jake Schapiro mourns his little brother, Isaac, even as---tonight---another little boy is missing. Mechanic and part-time thief Doug Manning's life has been forever scarred by the mysterious death of his wife, Cherie, and now he’s starting over with another woman and more ambitious crimes. Police detective Joe Keenan has never been the same since that night, when he failed to save the life of a young boy . . . and the boy’s father vanished in the storm only feet away. And all the way on the other side of the country, Miri Ristani receives a phone call . . . from a man who died twelve years ago.

As old ghosts trickle back, this new storm will prove to be even more terrifying than the last.
four-stars

Snowblind by Christopher Golden is a seriously satisfying winter read for those nights when you just want to crawl under the covers with a cup of tea (or hot chocolate, no judgment here! J ) and read a good book.  Often compared to Stephen King, Christopher Golden’s writing is intense and addicting.  This book was my first time reading anything by this author, and I could not be more pleased after finishing it.  Set in the small New England town of Coventry, this story details the lives of the town and it’s members as they fight an unknown evil that comes with each huge snowstorm.

Admittedly, there are a lot of characters from the get go, that you need to remember for later on.  At first, this was an issue for me, because I felt like there were too many characters being introduced at once, and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight, especially some of the police force and detectives.  As I got further into the book though, it became easier to remember all the characters and their part in the story.  What I especially enjoyed about Snowblind was the characters’ connections to one another.  Without these connections in the story, I think I would have found it difficult to attach myself to some of the main characters and the part they played in the story itself.

The beginning of the book is about the first huge snowstorm in the town of Coventry, which results in numerous deaths.  Some of these deaths the police boil down to simple snow incidents, such as car accidents from driving in the hazardous conditions.  Others though, they have a harder time explaining, and many of the deaths remain open investigations for years to come.  The members of the town are haunted by the tragedies that occur this night, and they aren’t able to forget this night easily.

The next part of the book takes place 12 years later, and gives the reader a glimpse into the same characters’ (and a few more new ones) lives.  It’s at this point of the book that I really had a hard time putting the book down, because this is when things start to get weird in town.  People aren’t acting themselves, and many of the characters think they are seeing things and having hallucinations.

 “A face at the window.  Icy hands coming through the screen…”

Despite the fact that many of the characters are haunted by this night, the town doesn’t speak much about the events that occurred the night of the first huge snowstorm.  Rather, many of them choose to suffer in silence.  I think that’s why many of them choose to believe they’re hallucinating 12 years later, when weird things begin to take place.  It’s not a coincidence though that they’re all experiencing the same thing, and as things around town start to get weirder and weirder, the members of Coventry are thrown together and forced to work as one to defeat the evil that has returned to this New England town in the second huge snowstorm.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was suspenseful without making you wait too long to find out what would happen next, and while there were clues throughout the story that hinted at ghosts, it never gave anything away.  Prior to reading this book I read a few fellow bloggers’ reviews on this to see what they had to say.  A common phrase I kept seeing on many of the reviews was that Snowblind is not your average ghost story, and I couldn’t agree more. Whether this is your first experience reading horror novels, or you read this genre all the time, you won’t be disappointed.  This book’s plot was riveting and original, and I look forward to reading more of Christopher Golden’s books in this genre in the future to come.  After reading this book I bet you’ll think twice about looking out your window on a snowy night.   🙂

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Reviewed by Emily!

Emily

My name’s Emily and I’m a 21 year old college student. I’m studying business and eEnglish with the hopes of getting into editing and publishing when I graduate. I live in Wisconsin and when I’m not busy cramming for exams or working, I’m reading books at an alarming rate, or writing. I also enjoy photography and camping with my family. I love reading all types of books, but my favorite is fantasy! I co-blog over at Wholly Books.

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This is one of our wonderful Guest Readers. Tabitha couldn't squeeze the book into her schedule so passed the book along to this ravenous reader so they could gobble it up and review it for Not Yet Read.
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16 Responses to “Review: Snowblind by Christopher Golden”

  2. Mary @ BookSwarm

    My brain gets all confuzzled when there are too many characters (especially when introduced in a rush) but, as long as the story is captivating, I can hang in there. I think I need to add this author to my TBR — haven’t heard of him but his stories sound right up my alley.
    Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted…Do It In 140: Tweet-Short Reviews (12)My Profile

    • Emily Alfano

      i’m kind of a chicken, so i’m not sure how i would feel about a horror audiobook! LOL. at least with a book you can stop if it gets intense! (although i suppose you can do that to an audiobook as well :)thanks for checking out my post Carmel!
      Emily Alfano recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday (80)My Profile