Book Review: Black Ice

Black Ice

By: Becca Fitzpatrick

Published By: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 2014

Page Count: 392

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Young Adult - Mystery/Thriller

Black Ice took me by surprise as a very compelling story. I wasn’t really expecting it to get as good as it did, as the start is a little slow and I didn’t warm to Britt much; she’s a bit of a princess and it was all a bit much when she and her whiney friend, Korbie, go off to the mountains instead of to Hawaii... I would have gone to Hawaii! Britt has something to prove to her ex, Korbie’s older brother, and thinks that backpacking will prove it, so off they go...  

Korbie is completely witless and Britt is determined that she is going to get her out backpacking... well I just wasn’t going to enjoy the whining but things started to look up for me as it got worse for Britt and Korbie, when a huge snow storm rolls in and stops them in the tracks on their way up to the mountain. They are ridiculously unprepared and head off into the storm on foot (leaving all their kit in the car?!) abandoning their car. I was really pinching the bridge of my nose at this point... BUT. THEN. they meet Shaun and Mason, and things get complicated and the book started to get a whole lot better. 

 The dynamic between Shaun and Mason is fascinating, and I found it really hard to decide who was bad, who was good, who might have murdered that girl who went missing last summer... the mystery is what captured me. Britt got a lot more likeable too as she goes through a hostage situation and has to start being resourceful. By 60% through I was completely unsure of who was a goodie and who was the baddie (which I loved being confused by!) and I couldn’t put this down at all; I raced through to the end. 

 I did maintain a healthy scepticism throughout though as there were times that I felt that they were just bumbling around in the wilderness needlessly for a while, but I enjoyed the ride as they did it, so I didn’t mind too much. The characters really grew and there were some fun tips about the wilderness thrown in. Sure it was a little convenient at times, but there were also some great scenes covering a budding romance which more than made up for it.

Summary:

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…