First, let me state I really enjoyed the narrator's voice. Everything with that is great.

The story was a little too over the top for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters to make it a story I could really get lost in. It's very graphic (no bother) but felt a bit one-dimensional and lacked an edge of excitement to hold my interest.

The Earth is covered in a thick blanket of ice. The modern world ended nearly 100 years ago. Some humans manage to stay alive in the constant cold. The world is a brutal place. The killing cold. The killing wildlife. The murderous survivors. Henry and his family manage to survive, scavenging what they can to keep living. Then they find a dead man in the snow....and things change for them forever.
This is a brutal, but totally mesmerizing post-apocalyptic tale of revenge. Hackshaw pulls no punches. This is not a story for the squeamish. From cannibalism to animal attacks, this story is gritty and gory at times, but realistic. Modern sensibilities don't fit a planet that has been encased in ice for 100 years. The humans who are left survive the only way they can....as do the polar bears and other animals that have managed to live through the permanent hard freeze of the planet.

I found this book hard to listen to a few times....graphic scenes. But, I kept going because I wanted to know the whole story! Glad I did....on the whole, the story is quite good!

I listened to the audio book version of this story. I'm finding I enjoy suspense/thriller type stories much better in audio. Narrated by Dan Stevens, the audio is just under 10 hours long. Stevens is a superb narrator. He brought the characters and the story to life!

Very enjoyable listen!

**I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this audio book from Podium Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

DNF @ 25%

TWs: Gore, Cannibalism

WARNING: Small spoilers ahead

This is a story that takes place in a post apocalyptic world where everything is frozen, and the winter never ends.

I listened to the audiobook, and I can say that the narrator was great, and if you believe this is the book for you, I would recommend giving the audiobook a try. Now onto the review.

Well, I was really disappointed with this book, to say the least. I was bored. I was very much bored. As I was listening to the book, I was waiting for something interesting to happen, anything, but it never did. Sure, there was the chapter where Henry and his sister found a ship with containers inside, and that was a bit fun to read about, but still nothing really happened. And nothing else was at all interesting.

I just think that this book wasn't for me. I wasn't enjoying it, so I couldn't really force myself to continue reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It did start out a bit slow but it worked for the storyline. This being the author's first novel makes me want to keep an eye out for future books.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. A world where it is permanently winter. A story of survival and revenge, the plot move along at a good pace. Dan Stevens does a good job off narrating would like to hear him do more.

🎧 I admit that I was a little lost at the beginning of the book. Shoulda read the summary 😆

Read the summary! This is a future frozen world where a family chose to live in the boondocks. The evil king & his minions kill Henry’s parents & baby brother & kidnap his 3 sisters & leave him for dead.

This is where it got good for me. Revenge & other tropes but tropes I enjoy. I loved Henry’s character development. I loved his 2 partners in crime. All of the characters felt believable. A story I enjoyed! Great narration. I’d definitely listen to book 2.

NetGalley provided me with this audiobook. Thank you, loved it! Audible won’t let me review it but there’s also one on Amazon & Litsy under Twainy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

devastating apocalypse? Sign me up!
This book really held my attention. I wished the narrator was a little different but oh well! The story is what got me. This is such an interesting story. With a amazing writing and great characters!

Ever Winter, by Peter Hackshaw, is a revenge and character growth journey. What a journey it is! An unspecified apocalyptic event has turned the Earth into a frozen wasteland. Our protagonist, Henry, is a little boy who must grow up way too fast.

Henry’s family lives in isolation on what used to be the Atlantic Ocean. When another man discovers their location, they immediately relocate as humans cannot be trusted. He eventually finds them, slaughters Henry’s family, and takes his siblings captive. Henry finds the horrifically graphic scene the next day.

After his first attempt to save his family fails, Henry must spend months healing and training to try again. These months are a critical part of the story. Peter Hackshaw does a fantastic job of bringing us through this time by allowing us to experience Henry’s isolation and character growth. Henry grows stronger, mentally tougher, and learns to fight.

The well-earned distrust and violence between groups in Ever Winter reminded me of the Walking Dead TV series.

The story’s beginning felt a bit slow, but things really pick up when the family relocates. Ever Winter’s ending is well played and so much more realistic than “happily ever after.” I really hope that this turns into a series. I can envision so many possibilities for future books.

Dan Stevens narrates this book with perfection. He creates distinct character voices and effortlessly breathes life into Peter Hackshaw’s world.

Things I liked about Ever Winter: story pacing, robots, and Henry’s character growth. Some thrillers are written with no downtime and constant high-stress. Ever Winter is refreshingly different. The pacing is unexpected but perfect for this book. Robots! I can’t say much about robots without revealing spoilers. If you like robots, then you are going to love this book!

Source: I received a free temporary copy of this book at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Sensitivity Warnings: This book contains brutality and violence. It also contains graphic descriptions of Henry’s slaughtered family including his baby brother.

In the book Ever Winter, author Peter Hackshaw writes about surviving an earth that has been plunged into always winter. Following Henry and his family as they try to survive the harsh climate. But the climate and wild-life is not who they need to fear!
The was a very good story line similar to Water World and other apocalyptic books. This is the first book I have read by Peter Hackshaw and it makes me want to read more. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of the audio book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audio narrator did a great job!

In his debut novel Peter Hackshaw takes readers to a world where the latest Ice age has taken over the Earth:

Earth has become a desolate place of snow and ice; only those with the strongest will be them human or animal will survive. Henry and his family have been able to survive on the tundra by themselves, never interacting with other people. That changes when a stranger enters their home, a predator who is only looking to take. This starts a new journey for Henry and his family as they have one more threat they need to deal with in order to survive.

Loved this book and what made it even more great was that this is Hackshaw’s debut novel. This was a dark dystopian read but also a coming of age story. I feel like Hackshaw was able to tell an interesting and harrowing story that will have you wanting to read this book in one sitting. It really does grab a hold of you from the very beginning and just a warning there is some darker events and images within this book that very much fit the time that it is placed in.

I have not read any dystopian books where it is the next ice age we are fighting for survival of the human species with. I liked that Hackshaw understood that the greatest enemy in this world, probably other than the cold, are Humans and that humans turn to baser needs when faced with challenges, like “Meat is meat” and you have to be some form of brutal to survive. Henry and his family are surviving on ice in the traditional Inuit way (even though I am pretty sure they are Scandinavian in descent), which I found very interesting. I cannot comment on whether how they hunted or built their home as accurate, but it sounded to me like Hackshaw did some research to authenticate these aspects of the the story.

Henry is a great character who you root for throughout the book. The book is mainly told from his POV but we do get some chapters from his sisters every once in awhile as events of the book unfolds. I liked that it is mainly told from his point of view and does not jump around too much as this makes you as the reader become invested in him and his struggle, both mentally and physically.

There are few things that were stretching it a bit with the fantasy aspect, like guns still being able to work and things like that, but we do not know when the ice age hit the Earth so there could have been some extra technology that was created to make guns and certain electronic equipment come to life after many decades. Also I am not sure about the Cave aspect that is introduced later in the book, I'm not sure if it is needed or if Hackshaw is setting something up for a later date but it just felt out of place with everything out going on in the story.

This was a great read and something different for my in the dystopia genre. Hacksahw told an interesting story, that could ring true, who knows when we are due for the next Ice Age. I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for something a bit different in the dystopia genre coupled with a coming of age story with darker aspects. I look forward to seeing what Hackshaw comes up with next, I hope it is another journey.

Enjoy!!!

I was drawn to this novel for the cover, then the plot sounded interesting and then I found out the audio version is read by Dan Stevens. Absolutely listen to this book on audio because Dan Stevens is an amazing narrator and he definitely brings the story to life with his various voices for the different characters. If he read the dictionary I would still be intrigued and hanging on every word, but the story was interesting so he just elevated it with his talents. Henry goes through so much on this journey throughout the novel. If you are into epic adventures with a little bit of suspense you will love Ever Winter.

I enjoyed this book! Readers (or listeners) beware, however, there is quite a bit of detail and many characters to remember. I think I would've really loved it had I either read a physical copy, or had a little less on my mind over this past week while listening.

Overall enjoyable! The narrator was great. Thank you NetGalley and Peter Hackshaw for this free ALC!

DNF at 30%

As much as I love listening to Dan Stevens read to me, I just couldn't continue with this book. You need a strong, strong stomach to read this one. It is not only gruesome regarding animals, but the killing of humans and babies. Oh and eating of said humans. In graphic detail.

But if those things don't bug you, definitely give the audiobook a try as Dan Stevens is one of the best narrators out there.

I was pretty stoked for this audiobook, but unfortunately, between the cannibalistic opening and gruesome, graphic murder of a tiny baby, I had to DNF. Dan Stevens is an INCREDIBLE narrator, a total pleasure to listen to--he's so talented! The story seemed really neat and I was enjoying it other than how graphically violent it is. Maybe in a print version I could have gotten past it, but you can't just skip intense descriptions in an audiobook. It was at about 20% when the description of the murdered baby was coming up, and I ripped my phone out of my pocket and stopped the book so fast. I'm so glad I had just missed it because that's the kind of stuff that sticks with me for months and years. Why does description like that have to be included in a book meant for entertainment? Could the point not have been made otherwise?

Thank you NetGalley and Podium Audio for a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

Listening to this audiobook truly pulled me into the story. On a post apocalyptic frozen earth where a family is surviving on their own away from all other humans I shivered imagining the cold that enveloped them. They survived on fish, seals, birds or even humans if one was found nearby that had not died from illness because "meat is meat." Food was scarce and you did what you had to. After collecting the meat from a man they had found near their home who had been stabbed and not been dead long. A stranger showed up in their home asking if they had seen his friend. This visit is the catalyst that spins Henry, the oldest son, and his world out of control. After reluctantly letting the stranger leave their home alive the family must leave their igloo home and travel to find anther location to stay safe. Unfortunately, the stranger comes back pulling Henry's family apart and leaving Henry to greive and plot revenge. The narrorator brings the characters of Henry and his sisters alive in such a way that you feel that you get to know them. The characters are so well written that you can feel what they feel and imagine what they are going through. The foes that Henry must go up against are ruthless and cold. Just as one would imagine the worst of humanity that would rear it ugly head to dominate the remnants of human life. This audiobook pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. I can't wait to see what more this author has in store!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

This book definitely wasn’t for me. I don’t think the narrator was bad at all, I actually enjoyed that bit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t truly get a sense of the setting. It seemed to be in one time then a next. It caused a disconnect that hurt how I interpreted the rest of the book.

Mad Max on Ice. I mean, that's essentially what it is, in the best way possible. It takes place in a world of "ever winter," a few generations after an instantaneous freeze wiped out the majority of humanity, leaving the scrappy few to survive. Henry and his family (parents and numerous younger siblings) have found a way to fend for themselves, building their own homestead out in the middle of the ice, away from the strange quasi-society of the "favela" nearby. One day, their peace and isolation is ruined, and Henry is left on his own to survive and get vengeance. Cue the perfectly executed Hero's Journey and coming of age story.

I thought this book was a great foray into science fiction/fantasy for those (like me) who don't normally like that genre. It was normal book-length, not 50293848 pages like those books usually are, and had just the right amount of desolation, dystopia, and drama to reel in any reader. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Dan Stevens - and boy! does that guy have a future in audiobook narration. He made all of the characters come alive and gave them each a perfectly fitting personality.

I loved the first two-thirds of the book. I thought the character development was really strong, and I loved seeing Henry grow and change as a character, especially in his Rocky-training-montage moments. I became very endeared to Hepburn, Henry's supernatural aide (if you're following along the Hero's Journey steps) and Panthera as well. The ending fell a bit flat for me. I didn't think it merited the hype leading up to it, but it's not easy to create an epic battle when you don't have the hundreds of epic pages to preface it - basically, it's no Lord of the Rings.

I overall really enjoyed this book, especially Dan Stevens's narration. I would recommend it to any fan of the SFF genre or anyone wanting to dip their toes in. Thank you to the publisher for the audio ARC via Netgalley!

4 / 5 stars

S U M M A R Y
The earth is an ice covered, almost barren wasteland in this post-apocalyptic tale. In the time of the great-greats, some cataclysm happened that froze almost everything. Henry has only ever seen his family until one day, while hunting, he and his father find the frozen, gunshot body of another man. This starts the beginning of a long and blood-soaked tale of murder, revenge, and a quest for family.

C H A R A C T E R S
I feel like, on the whole, the characters are pretty fleshed out and real. Henry and his family are real people. I have a few qualms through out (his eldest sister's reaction to events, for instance), but on the whole really like it. The setting was also really well done. We might not get the entire history (which I do want, by the by), but I feel like it's pretty well shaped and formed despite that. I especially like the robot. I also enjoyed what was done with language and such.

P L O T
The pacing is well done, it kept me hooked and reading all day. There were some definite twists and turns. On the whole, well done.

N A R R A T I O N
Dan Steven's does a brilliant job!

O V E R A L L
I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic dystopia type books and this definitely punched the right buttons for me. I honestly just want more. While the two small extras at the end were nice, I wanted more of how and what happened, as well as more of what happens next. It feels ever so slightly cliffhangery with the last extra, and if there's not going to be another book to resolve it, then I'd almost rather it not be there.

#everwinter #netgalley @netgalley @peterhackshawauthor #thriller #postapocalyptic #dystopia #bookstagram #bookish #bookreview #audiobookreview #audiobook #winterread

Anyone who knows me knows I love me some post-apocalyptica.

This one is decades after the world ends and everything is frozen and cold. I don't usually love the way many authors writing speculative fiction use language (i.e. making up weird words to emulate swears, etc.) but the language here was a beautiful and seemingly organic mix of a bunch of different languages that felt completely authentic. Especially considering how language does change and grow.

The characters were great; I got big The Road vibes from the father and Henry, and while the rest of the family did feel a bit under-developed throughout, Henry felt like a real person. Henry's relationship with Hepburn was excellent and I thought it was a nice touch; I'd never considered what AI would be like years and years after an apocalypse that sent humans back to the stone age.

Henry's sisters unfortunately suffered from being plot points, as did the few other female characters; I think they were there only so Henry could have his hero's journey and try to be a saviour. They and their obstacles were just tropes from start to finish.

The third act happened all at once and was kind of tricky to follow but the outcome was really good and it made me wish this were a series.

The narrator of the audiobook is Dan Stevens and I have not been giving him enough credit for his acting skills, apparently. His narration absolutely made the book for me.

Ultimately, this is a great addition to my favourite genre; a pleasure to listen to, compelling, and thoughtfully put together.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Podium Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Really great story!! I really loved it. When Henry's parents where killed oh how I wanted to cry! (that bit won't be published) wil definitely be reading more by this author and the narrator was fantastic too!