Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Drift

Hannah, a medical student at a prestigious institute, finds herself trapped on a bus with several students. They were on their way to a safe place called The Retreat when their bus crashed during a snowstorm. They will have to work together to survive the low temperatures.

Meg, a former detective, wakes up in a stranded cable car with no idea how she got there, along with five strangers. They head to a mysterious place known as The Retreat. The weather is adverse and as the hours pass; they realize their lives are in danger.

Finally, we find Carter and his group in a secluded chalet they call The Retreat. They prepare for a snowstorm that will be cutting them off from the outside. As the power generator falters, secrets hidden deep within the Retreat threaten to surface.

The book balances among these three storylines. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which makes the novel a non-stop read.

Tudor achieves an intense, mysterious, claustrophobic, and captivating atmosphere. The three stories slowly intertwine in a clever and well-thought-out way. We only see the full picture once Tudor gives us the last piece of the puzzle.

I love how brilliant this author is. His book has layers that you can peel back and analyze from different perspectives. I always reflect and find deep meanings in her stories.

The ending was not what I expected, and that disappointed me a bit. But, after some reflection, I understand why the author went for it.

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kyra_joy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

This was an excellent book! I wish the twisted had been revealed slightly later because after it was there was quite a bit of book left and it felt a little off but a great read it is hard to talk about with out spoiling it though.

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samburkhouse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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zosiablue's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This started out with a bang - three parallel stories taking place during an unnamed, zombie-like pandemic. One of the stories involved a group trapped on one of those high-ass ski mountain cable cars (NIGHTMARE). And then about 75% through, there's a thrilling twist I didn't see coming. But the rest was kind of boring! Instead of focusing on the good bones of the story, there was a lot of interpersonal drama and pages and pages of people trying to escape from things. Loved the world building, but the rest fell fla

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ruthypoo2's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

The story begins with a chilling tease, something to whet the reader's appetite before starting on a journey that includes multiple narrators in multiple locations, all facing dire circumstances. Social dynamics are a driving force, making it critical for the characters in each storyline to work with those whom they're sharing space. Everyone is unsure of the dangers, desperate to survive, and there's a common thread running through all the storylines.

This is isolated thriller at its finest, in a treacherous environment... times three! The book jumps around from narrator to narrator so at times it takes a little work to keep the people and events straight. The author, C.J. Tudor is a really good storyteller, and I was wrapped up in all three stories as their told simultaneously. I didn't mind jumping from story to story and felt that provided a forward-moving dynamic and kept me guessing about what was really going on to cause all the calamity being experienced by these people.

This book is deceptively complex, and I thought it was fantastic. There are characters to love and hate, or at least to root for and against. Human nature is on full display and how we ultimately value relationships can end up meaning life or death in the brutal apocalyptic environment imposed on the people that populate the three interrelated stories that make up this book. The book's finale is a jaw dropper that I didn't see coming, and the perfect conclusion.

I recommend avoiding reviews for fear of one spoiler in particular that can steal away from you what I thought was a clever payoff in the final chapters.

I listened to the audiobook and really appreciated that there were two distinct sounding narrators, Nathalie Buscombe and Rachel Handshaw. Because of the three stories presented in the book, having different narrators helped to differentiate which character and story I was listening to.

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soobooksalot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Hype is often for good reason!
I had serious FOMO once I started seeing all the fantastic reviews of CJ Tudor's The Drift all around these parts.
Take a bit of The Walking Dead, Alive, and even if current-day goings-on had swerved in another direction, and you've got this novel. (Though it's none of these plot points specifically.)
Chapters alternate between Hannah in a full overturned charter bus in the snow, Meg stranded with strangers in a cable car, and Carter in a mountain chalet known as the Retreat.
Ominous enough for you?
Things get a little nasty at times, as apocalypses (apocalii?) are wont to do. There's action! Twists!
I loved this read. Perfect for cold snap weather reading. Recommended!

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syellico's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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