C.J. Tudor has written an adrenaline-fueled thriller set in a world decimated and transformed by a terrible virus. There are three settings: a group of students on a bus that has crashed in the snowy wilderness, a stranded cable car on an icy mountainside, and an isolated building in a wintry ski area. You will definitely feel cold reading this novel! All of the storylines involve gripping survival plots with plenty of mysteries, but in the end there were so many details and names to keep track of that my interest waned. Without giving any spoilers, it's hard to say more, but I wish the story had been told in a slightly different manner. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

I have read two C.J. Tudor books in the past. I loved her debut novel, The Chalkman, but I was not a fan of The Other People. The Drift is an exciting story of a virus that has spread globally and takes place in the winter when everything is covered in ice. It follows three different storylines. Hannah is trapped inside the coach with others on their way to The Retreat. At the same time, Meg and other people are trapped inside a cable car that stopped working. And the third storyline follows Carter and his colleagues who work at The Retreat.

I think the author did a great job of building tension in all three stories. There is always something happening. The idea of trying to survive the dangers from outside and inside was done excellently. To be honest, I thought three storylines were a bit much at times. Each storyline has a set of characters. So there were times that I was mixing up the characters from Meg and Hannah’s stories. Yes, there is a reason that I don’t like such structures.

However, I believe the author did a good job of keeping all the stories exciting by including all the thrilling elements. Just before starting this book, I finished reading How High We Go in the Dark, which has a similar concept and structure! I prefer The Rift though over that. I was conflicted about how to rate this book. I was torn between 3.5 and 4.0, but then I felt this had the entertainment factors that kept me interested, so I am going with 4.0 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced apocalyptic thriller for about the first half or so. After that, it became a bit too complicated and hard to follow, with too many details to try to keep track of. However, I kept reading, since I needed to know how it would end. I’m not sure I ever was able to piece it all together. Still, a worthwhile read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three separate groups of people just trying to survive, a storm of massive proportions on the way, added to which, some of the people in the groups may already be infected - and there’s no way out!

Lots of tension, wondering how the three groups are going to survive the nightmare with seemingly no escape. It’s also gripping waiting to discover just how the groups are linked, but with C.J.Tudor at the helm it’s all brought together nicely, and a difficult one to put down!

The Drift
by C.J. Tudor

The last thing I wanted to read after two long years of Covid is a world devastating new virus! But I did and it was thrilling! I was offered an arc copy for my opinion and I am so happy I agreed!

This takes the reader into the remote icy wilderness, where starving animals hunt, no help is around, and something else lurks in the snow. Three groups of people are followed. Each group is in dire need of help but they are all on their own. All involved have secrets from each other.

One group is in an accident on the way to the "Retreat". Some die immediately. The clues are adding up, they were all meant to die! So much tension, suspense, and great atmosphere! I felt cold just reading about it!

The next group was drugged and put on a cable car high above the valley below. The group wakes by the swaying of the car. I felt terrified. I am afraid of heights and, boy, this group was the most terrifying for me! Especially when they open the bottom hatch! They were freezing, up high, no way down, and no one could be trusted.

The last group was in an abandoned chalet. Can't say they had it easier because it was on land and in a building. They had severe issues to deal with themselves. Like I said, they all had secrets. Terrible, terrible secrets! What a great book!

The riveting story all comes together at the end as all the strings are pulled. Unique characters, gripping suspense, an atmosphere to die for (sorry, couldn't resist), twists, and a virus that wasn't a zombie story! Thank goodness for that! This is a book I had to read almost non-stop! Quite a thriller!

We follow three different POVs, Hannah, Carter, and Meg. They have all found themselves separately stranded somewhere with a group of people during a huge snowstorm where temps are plummeting, resources are limited if there are any at all, and with no escape on the horizon. They must all use whatever is at their disposal to survive. Then not only are they dealing with this immediate problem but there is an infection that is spreading and either killing people or turning the survivors into what they call "Whistlers" I'll leave what that might mean up to your imagination until you read the story for yourself. And they are everywhere just waiting for the right moment to strike.

I love the way CJ Tudor has woven these three storylines together! I had no idea how they were all going to be connected, not even a little bit until it was revealed, and even then we didn't have the full picture of what was happening. it's fast-paced with so many twists and turns, I could not put it down. It gave me the best snowed-in claustrophobic vibes and with danger literally around every corner and watching our MCs figuring out how to survive minute to minute kept me on the edge of my seat. until I flipped the very to the very last page.

Dystopian thriller may be a new favorite genre of mine. This was just so action-packed and fast-paced. I could not put the book down until I literally couldn't keep my eyes open any more. CJ Tudor kept me intrigued the entire time with all of the different POV's. While it's somehow still 70-80 degrees here in Texas this made me feel so cold and claustrophobic. The way everything comes together at the end was really interesting as well. Definitely a new favorite.

One thing to know about this book going into it is that it is much more dystopian thriller than mystery thriller. Yes, there ultimately are some murders where we are trying to figure out who done it, but the overall tone is one of that of a SF thriller with some body horror. While I did feel like there were points where this was a bit over the top, overall my experience was one of just a lot of fun! This is a perfect book for winter reading and I was highly entertained throughout... my favorite read from this author so far

I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy this book.

I did like that it is fast-paced, and the snowy setting is perfect for a seasonal read. However, the fast-paced nature meant little to no exposition, and I spent most of the story confused. Any slight bit of information is presented as a "reveal," which became tiring quickly. I needed a reason to care about these characters and their struggles.

The characters are horribly generic, and there are too many to keep straight. I don't know any of their motivations, I have no reason to care what happens to them. Most are unlikable.

I've enjoyed CJ Tudor's other books, and I will continue to read more from her in the future. The Drift just felt so entirely different from her usual style, and I wouldn't recommend it.

I have not read any books by that author before this one but have heard great things! The Drift by C. J. Tudor is like a train wreck where one can't look away, this story is compelling, engaging, full of twists. It's definitely borderline horror - high body count so if that's not for you you may want to pass. Don't quite know what to make of it, the story is dismal, terrifying, gory but couldn't stop until found out how it ended. Hard to define, either one will like it or not but an interesting well written read. Dexter without a doubt will be the favorite character.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

This thriller was the perfect setting:
Remote.
Blizzard conditions.
No phones to call for help.
Mysterious deaths.
Everyone is a suspect.

The author does something unusual though with this harrowing story - there is not one storyline with the scenario above, there are three.
Are they all in the same timeline?
It wasn't clear.

I'll be honest, at first, it was hard to keep track of everything, given the 3 storylines and multiple characters in each. But the deaths do pile up quickly, which narrows down the cast. Then my question became, how does everything tie together?

One thing that is consistent in the storylines is a horrific virus (with a very low survival rate). While one storyline studies the virus, the other two seem to be trying to escape it. There is also at least one person in each storyline who is lying about who they really are. Put all this together, and this book had my brain spinning and kept me engaged. While I think maybe too much was going on, this was definitely an entertaining read. Given the wintery conditions, it is a great one to read with a warm drink and a fire.

I usually love everything this author writes but this one was too far out there for me. It was too much of a weird apocalyptic story.

The Drift grabbed me from the start, but then it began to feel too much like a wintry take on The Walking Dead. There were too many characters to keep track of, and bouncing around between three storylines made it hard to get to know any character’s motivations well enough to care about what happened to them. This book was entertaining and fast-paced, but ultimately forgettable.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A page turning survival dystopian set during a time when a mysterious virus is having devastating effects on the population. It's a clever story that packs a punch by the end. There are quite a few characters to keep up with, which can prove difficult at times. Overall, the execution of the story was pretty solid.

Received an ARC and very glad I did! From the moment I started The Drift I had a hard time putting it down, and the action kept me pulled in from start to clever finish. Any version of a review that goes over the specifics feels like it will spoil a little too much, so I strongly recommend going in cold, with very little knowledge about the content. You already know there’s apocalyptic energy, you know a couple of groups of people are trying to survive, and you don’t know why. Dive in and enjoy!

Book Review
The Drift by C.J. Tudor
@CJTudorAuthor
Pub date: January 31, 2023

I love Tudor’s writing and this story was everything I expect from her!

A plague like virus has destroyed most of the population and those that haven’t died have turned into something less than human – Whistlers - and they are dangerous and they are angry.

Told by three different characters in separate timelines and situations, I spent a good part of the book trying to figure out what the common denominator is – in a good way – and when it all came together? Chef’s. Freaking. Kiss.!

One group trapped on a crashed bus in the middle of a snowstorm, told by Hannah who has a secret but she’s not the only one.

Another group at a secluded ski resort in the snowy mountains, creating vaccines for the virus, told by Carter, who’s frost damaged face tells a story of a life past, tells the story of danger in troubled times. And again, each enigmatic character will play a role in what’s to come.

The last group is stranded in a cable car suspended high over the mountains and told by ex-police officer, Meg, who’s grieving the loss of her daughter from the virus. Meg has woken up amongst strangers after being drugged on her way to the retreat that would shelter them. One by one, they’ll learn that there’s a rat or two on-board with them.

Each group on its own brought so much to the story but when it all comes together, it’s an a-ha moment and what fun it was puzzling and wondering while being thrilled, chilled, and thoroughly invested in these characters and their dire predicaments.

In true Tudor style, the atmosphere is divine and descriptive and the plot perfectly creating the ideal amount of tense anticipatory page turning with each descriptive phrase and dilemma.

Clearly, this is getting all the snowy stars from me.

My thanks to @RandomHouse for this gifted DRC!

Although any fiction with a dystopian tinge is generally not my thing (and a novel about a few brave souls trying to survive a deadly virus was not exactly subject matter that excited me), I put The Drift high on my TBR list because I have enjoyed Tudor’s other works. This is cleverly plotted and definitely held my interest — I thought it was a real page turner — but in the end, it just did not work for me. I think it is very different from Tudor’s previous books both in tone and substance. At times it was very confusing, and the ending seemed to leave too many resolved issues. All in all, I am glad that I read it, but I would not consider it a great read. I do, though, look forward to Tudor’s next work.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed other books by this author. While I’m not a big fan of apocalyptic themes, I still enjoyed the book.

With three groups of people trying to survive a massive snow storm, the author provided just enough tension and suspense to keep me from putting the book down.

I enjoyed the different perspectives that the book was told in. The first few chapters I had to remind myself which group the narrator was part of.

It may not be a book I would go back and re-read but I would recommend it to anyone who likes apocalyptic theme.

Book Title: The Drift
Author: C.J Tudor
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
Genre: Sci-Fi - Dystopian
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
My Rating: 2 Stars

This is my sixth C.J. Tudor novel. "The Chalk Man" was my first and is still my favorite. I wanted to read this without knowing anything about it except that I like the author!

After I got it, I checked a few reviewed - when it was described by one reader: Imagine a winter claustrophobic nightmare in a creepy, Sci-Fi, Dystopian setting.
Hmmm I wasn’t sure if this was going to work for me! ~
D.R.I.F.T ~Department of Research into Infection and Future
Story is told from the POV of Meg, Hannah and Carter -
Meg: A medical student who survived a bus crash on route to The Retreat.
Hannah: A former police officer who lost her daughter…then her will to live. Hannah wakes up on a gondola, hovering midway in the heart of a storm.
Carter: Employee at the Retreat. And right now has his hands full as everything on top of this mountain is rapidly falling apart. He and his fellow workers share the same fear that they also may not survive this snowstorm.

Living in Southern California where we have to drive to get to snow; I usually enjoy snow stories but. . . .
this was not what I was expecting ~ have to admit I was warned!
I am actually okay with dark and creepy but not much into gruesome and violent.

I have no doubts that this story will find the right audience.

When I read "A Sliver of Darkness", Ms. Tudor told us that she had problems with her 2022 novel ~ she actually hated it and worked it out with her editors to scrap it for 2022 but had a passion project for her 2023 novel “The Drift”.

She tells us that sometimes one needs to take a couple steps back to go forward.
(I love to dance so sounds like a cha cha to me! LOL)

Although this didn’t work for me, I believe in this author and look forward to her next dance - oops novel!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2023

The opening of this book absolutely hooked me.

There is a raging snowstorm and a bus has crashed with very few survivors trying to make it through the night. At another location, a cable lift has stopped with people trapped inside. We also meet the employees at The Retreat where the power has gone out and their back up generator is failing. There is a virus taking over and being in close proximity with others is extremely dangerous.

Everyone is connected in this story, but the connection isn’t revealed until the end of the story.

I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters in this one, but I did think the way the storylines converged was very clever. I do think there will be readers that love this book, but for me it was good just too dark and depressing.