The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
redtemptation's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Gun violence, Car accident, Cursing, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Animal death
soobooksalot's review against another edition
- 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
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.Â
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!
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Suicide, Confinement, and Child death
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Medical content, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Classism, Self harm, and Vomit
melitta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, Suicide, Blood, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical content, Confinement, and Body horror
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Rape
Minor: Animal death
chymerra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- Hannah— I liked her the most out of the three main characters. In her parts of the book, she brought a clinical, almost detached view of what was happening. She learned to do it after her mother died and relied on it to process everything. She quickly discovered certain things on the bus and was instrumental in helping when things started to go sideways. And it was that reason why I was so mad with how the author ended her storyline.
- Meg—She had the most heartbreaking storyline of the three characters. She was the most emotional out of the three because of what she went through. But I liked that she also thought like a cop. She knew something was up with the other people in the car. The scenes where she escaped the car were harrowing, and I didn’t think she would make it during parts of her escape. I disagreed with how her storyline ended, but I got why the author wrote it the way she did.
- Carter—I didn’t understand why he was included until halfway through the storyline. Then a lightbulb clicked on in my head. It made sense why he had such extreme frost bit to his face. I also liked how he followed his gut about who was killing the other people at The Retreat.
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Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Medical trauma, Suicide, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Murder, Medical content, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Body shaming, Torture, Pregnancy, Child death, Car accident, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Addiction
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pedophilia, Child death, Mental illness, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
untitledreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Gore, Car accident, Death, and Blood
diannasbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book at first because there were so many characters and I was having trouble keeping them straight. However, it soon clicked and the story flowed beautifully after! This book was fast paced for me, my heart was racing at some parts. It was very well written and I felt like I was there with the characters! I went into the story blind and I’m so glad I did. It was a very wild ride! It shows you how humanity can behave during an apocalypse, and people show their worst sides.Â
Please check triggers before diving into the story. It is very dark, but amazing! I read it very fast and I really want to read more by the author. I did want to know more about the whistlers though! I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers, horror and dystopian!
Moderate: Body shaming, Addiction, Fatphobia, Murder, Medical content, Death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death
deagaric's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a quick, immersive read, but one that requires (and deserves) your full attention in order to experience the magnitude of the multifaceted story. The book was well-written with many quotable statements, some which I may include in my full review in late January.
**Trigger warning: on top of many triggers for gore, death of a child/sibling/loved one, violence against both humans and pets, I'd like to particularly note that this book might be difficult for those who are not in the mood for a pandemic-based novel. The book covers many topics that may hit close to home so soon after covid, such as descriptions of hospitalizations, medical care being over-capacity, viral spread, etc. Just felt like the abstract might have come off more wilderness-survival than pandemic-survival, so I wanted to make sure that was clear.**
Overall, Tudor does an excellent job at creating a true horror novel, filled with gore and jump scares., but still interlaced with comical moments at the same time. I was entertained and on my toes the entire time. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this novel prior to publication.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Terminal illness, Child death, Chronic illness, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Medical content, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, and Rape