3.5 rounded up to 4.

I really wanted this to be a 5 star read and don’t get me wrong I really did enjoy it. However, I think the biggest issue for me was that it dragged a little, I felt that the build up was a little too slow and then when things kicked off it all happened and was over too fast. I love Coate’s ability to create such intricate and in depth characters that you can really believe in and this was still the case here even if the majority of them were downright detestable (purposefully).

This was a fast paced thriller that was hard to put down... Ended up reading late into the night. I've read several Darcy Coates books, and this is my favorite so far. A locked room type mystery that keeps you guessing. 4 stars.

Thrillers are not the type of book I typically read, so Dead of Winter definitely offered up more blood and gore than I am used to. It did keep me turning the pages to see who the next victim would be. I had a hard time believing that the characters were able to carry on in such conditions and that their cell phones held a charge as long as they did. Thanks to NetGalley, Black Owl Books and the author for a copy to read and review.

This was such a tense and gripping read! The mystery starts off straight away, which really hooked me in, and I was always left with questions at the end of each chapter, making this a book that was difficult to put down. The plot was a little bit unrealistic in places, which is why I am giving it 4 stars, as I felt that took me out of the immersive experience. Otherwise, this was a really gorey, intense thriller, that was filled with twists and turns.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pin Press on the Arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is the perfect read for winter, This book was a fun tense thriller, that kept me guessing until the very end who the killer was. My first read by Darcy Coates and definitely will not be my last. Highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers and slashers, you will really enjoy this book!

3.75 stars

I’d been meaning to get to this book for quite a while, and I finally got there. It was dramatic and tense, the kind of snowed-in, locked-room story I tend to enjoy (although a bit heavier on the graphic violence than I was expecting at some points). I didn’t puzzle out the details of the conclusion before the end of the story, too, which was nice. It wasn’t necessarily my favourite in the genre, but it was a pretty solid addition.

This was my first Darcy Coates book and while I did enjoy it, I also found it very predictable. It was disappointing to figure out who the killer was within the first 1/3 of the book. With these types of locked room/remote setting themed books, I expect to be surprised by twists & shocked at whose to blame. The twists would of been great it I hadn’t figured things out so soon. What I did like was the full cast of characters and the setting of the book. I love a good creepy book set in a snowy, remote place where escape is nearly impossible. I will definitely be reading more from Darcy in the future.

Filled with untrustworthy characters, brutal violence, and gore, I loved it... but was a bit bored with how predictable it was. Love the setting and atmosphere, it was very chilling, and still do recommend it. I'm rounding up from a 3.5 star read.

I'll be honest, I started this thinking I was going to predict it all from the start and it be just another "cabin in the woods" story. How wrong I was. This had me gripped from the outset and it was so much more than I could have predicted.

Dead of Winter was a fast paced, heart pounding, anxiety inducing read.I loved every single moment, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. OMG the twist will have your head spinning. How have I never read a book by this author? Definitely on my radar now. This book published on July 11, 2023 don't walk run and get this one you won't regret it. Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

A thriller/horror novel set in an isolated cabin in the Rocky Mountains. Traumatized, introverted Christa is invited on a magical trip by her soon-to-be fiance: two weeks in a mountain lodge, a chance to drop out from the worry and stress of the working world and focus on connecting to nature. Unfortunately, the trip to the lodge is derailed by a massive blizzard, her fiance disappears into the storm, and Christa and her fellow vacationers end up in a backwoods cabin with no electricity, no food, and no phone line. And, since no one was expecting to hear from them for two weeks, no rescue is coming. To make matters even worse, someone begins murdering the vacationers one by one, mutilating the bodies and leaving them as macabre surprises for the survivors. Is the killer someone hiding in the woods? The mysteriously missing owners of the cabin? Or one of the vacationers themselves?

Dead of Winter is, in every possible way, the novelistic equivalent of a shitty slasher movie. Now, I have a lot of love for shitty slasher movies. They are an excellent way to spend a few hours, in my opinion. If you also enjoy them, you will probably enjoy Dead of Winter. Christa is a satisfactory final girl, the gore scenes are nicely gruesome, and the cast of expendable bodies is just interesting enough that you're sad to see them die. My one big complaint is that the identity of the killer is pretty obvious and I wish we'd gotten the reveal earlier, because I had to wait 150 pages after figuring it out for Christa to catch up.

On the other hand, if you're not already a slasher fan, then I don't think Dead of Winter is going to change your mind. It's not doing anything new with the genre, and the writing style is perfectly adequate but not special.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6050163467

This was my first Darcy Coates novel and boy did I have fun!!

I have been told time and time again to read her books if I liked spooky horror, and people were not steering me in the wrong direction. This was spooky and scary and downright insane! I loved the writing and the pacing of this book. It kept me on my toes the whole way through and I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.

I’ve since hand sold Coates’ books to customers because I need them to experience the magic that is her writing. So. Much. Fun.

Isolated setting? Cold? Snow? Freezing? Horror? A slasher? Sign me up! This was my favorite Coates book yet. I loved this! That is all I have to say, thank you. Oh, and go in blind. Blind as hell.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was well thought out, and I loved how Darcy made it seem like this was a random group of people. But, it turns out it wasn’t quite as random as one would think. I really like how with the isolated setting combined with the active need to survive made the characters paranoid and unable to truly think rationally. The only downside was I did call the killer within the first two chapters. I think if the killer had a bit more to nuance to them, so they didn’t really stand out among the group I would have given this a 5 star.

This was my first Darcy Coates that I actually finished and wow, my jaw was in hell for a majority of this book. The cover is what initially drew me in since I don’t read the synopsis of books and I thought it would be a perfect book to read during the month of December. What I wasn’t expecting is how much this book would shock me and how much I’m still thinking about it even after it’s done.

The twists and shocks start very early in this book and they never seem to stop. Just when I was getting over the shock of one twist, here came another one that I didn’t see coming. The atmosphere added so much to this book for me, the way the snowy wind was described and how frigid the temperature was actually made me cold a couple of times.

The ending of this book was definitely the part that shocked me the most, it was twist after twist and even though I thought I knew who the killer was, I was completely wrong. I had to backtrack a couple of times to make sure I was really keeping up with the story and wow, it really blew me away. Not very many thrillers or horrors shock me as much anymore but this one had me cringing, shivering, and almost not believing what I was reading. I’m very excited to continue on with Darcy’s books now if the rest of them are as good as this one.

Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary copy for my honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. The plot sounded intriguing, but the entire story was a complete bloodbath and I had the plot twist figured out early on. Don't waste your time!

🥶 Quotable:

"I'm struck again by the idea that this is some kind of purgatory, that the real world has ceased to exist, that reality has narrowed itself down to this little cabin and the shed behind it and the torments they contain."

🥶My Review:

It is not a secret that Darcy Coates is one of my absolute favorite Horror authors but in Dead of Winter she flexes to more of a Thriller and it is SO WELL DONE.

The sense of doom hits as soon as the tour group gets up into The Rocky Mountains, and the characters are immediately thrown into survival-mode.

My only criticism is that, twice, it is said "the lake is frozen over, so no fishing" "no fishing during the winter". I can assure you as a Minnesotan that ice fishing is very much a thing. 🤪

🥶Tropes:

❄️ Final Girl/Survivor Girl
❄️ Isolated places
❄️ Can't call for help
❄️ Safety in numbers
❄️ "I'll be right back."

5⭐

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel though @netgalley and the publisher @poisonedpenpress / @sourcebooks. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.*

I think I've decided that the thrillers that Darcy writes aren't always my favorite. I definitely prefer the vibes of her horror books over the thrillers. I am not one that usually guesses who the murderer is, and this one felt like it was really easy to guess? The book felt really formulaic and there just weren't a lot of twists and unexpected things.

This was a great first read by this author! Although I guessed pretty early on who the killer was, I really enjoyed the journey to the reveal, and all the second guessing on my part as Coates threw out so many red herrings! Overall, this was such an enjoyable read, and I can't wait to pick up more of her books!

While this plot line has been used for many books and even television shows, Darcy Coates has given it a few twists and set the characters apart with attitude, while still being just a step in front of the killer. This killer seems to enjoy the horror and terror thay have brought to this small weather bound group. He's....she's......turning up the tension and making every person suspect the others while still managing to stay hidden. When the end comes......well, you'll just have to read the book.