Reviews

The White Road by Sarah Lotz

megan_is_aa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is my shit. I need to reread I think. I powered through this because I needed answers. Answers might not be the right words. Closure maybe? 

I'm a big "why didn't he fucking die?" kind of person in books like this so I am happy that he died 😂 although I think I would have preferred he died in the cave, the mountain doesn't hit the same for some reason.

godofwar's review against another edition

3.0

part one is a promising beginning, though i thought it was altogether too brief. the entire book does well at setting up tension and atmosphere, but the choice of narration, especially in some places where simon references 'future' events (because apparently the entire thing is either a journal or blog post, though that's not really clarified until the end) that just end up pulling you out of the moment. i do appreciate the attention to detail - in the author's note, lotz explains the research put into the novel, and i admire the lengths she went to to write a believable story - but the pacing and lack of likeable characters make it a mild read instead of a compelling one.

moon_daisy's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A super tense, dark and sometimes humorous read spanning way below to way above sea level. The writing is incredible, claustrophobic, and the dread builds throughout the whole book. I just felt that maybe it ended too soon, and rather abruptly. 

lightsoverash's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mwass's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

katiescho741's review

2.0

2.5 Stars.
I love anything about disasters on mountains, and I'm a huge fan of horror films about caving too. I really enjoyed these aspects of this book, but there was something off about it. Maybe it was that I didn't buy a lot of the story - Simon's reasons for going to Everest were a bit flimsy for me, and things sort of fell apart as the book went on. The story drifted around aimlessly.
I liked the opening section about Cwm Pot - creepy, intense, claustrophobic, and with a general sense of horror at the bodies being left down there to rot. Some of the stuff about Everest was good too - there's a general griminess and body horror theme to climbing mountains anyway, what with frostbite and the lack of sanitation, and the brain being starved of oxygen - but everyone but the main character blended into one. Except of course the Love Interest.
I wasn't averse to the idea of The Third Man, but I don't think it was used to its full potential. This book was a bit neither-here-nor-there for me.

idiotreader's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ohlookitssharon's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

ilyones_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

3.75

this book starts so strong and weird and creepy and then it goes on forever and doesn’t end in a satisfying way! probably worth it to read the first part as a short story then leave it at that 

timgrubbs's review

4.0

What’s more important…the journey, the destination, or the toll it takes on your mind and body?

The White Road by Sarah Lotz is a mountain climbing thriller set on one of the tallest mountains on earth.

Simon is a wannabe adventurer who goes to creepy places and gets video of things that he can post on his website for clout or fame or whatever…until a cave dive nearly ends his life…

After surviving the Cwm Pot Cave in Wales, Simon is troubled over what to do next…when his business partner suggests a climb up Everest “the highest graveyard on earth” (again…to get video or photos of corpses hopefully).

What follows is a trek into some of the most dangerous terrain on earth aided by a climbing team and along with other amateur climbers…but what they will find is something else entirely…

As they tried he up the snow of Everest and learn about a lost climber from over a decade ago (one whose corpse was only recently rediscovered), Simon sees the chance to get some unique footage…

All it’ll cost him is a point of flesh, a little bit of his soul, his humanity, and his sanity…

This is a really good book to read during cold weather…