What a ride! It's sort of a fever dream/ancient myth/hypothermic hallucination/young adult survival quest. This book works on so many levels that I wish I was still teaching because my students would love it. There is the basic plot of "something" under the lake ice that feeds nightmares for all of us. There are multiple portals and alternate realities to throw a monkey wrench into the action along with a cast of characters that I wish I knew personally.

But there's more...Falc's family is dealing with his grandfather's deteriorating dementia which is scary for all of them, including his grandfather. Another family is dealing with divorce while two LGBTQ women are dealing with racism and "body-slamming ignorance" in their lives. Lastly, the young teens, Falc & Ayianna share the coolest first kiss ever. See what I mean? I immediately ordered copies for my oldest grandchildren as well as one for myself.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this available through Read Now or else I would have missed it.

I really enjoyed this, but wished it had gone on longer and wasn’t rushed. I feel as though this could have been developed in to a longer story. I really enjoyed it but was over too quick!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Howl of the Ice by Christian Raymond is a thrilling adventure novel that tells the story of two 14-year-olds, Falc and Aiyanna, who find themselves trapped on a collapsing frozen lake in a mythic entity’s uncanny hunting grounds. Falc, tracks his erratic grandpa to an ice fishing shanty town atop Lake Blackbird. Where he finds a quirky community of fisher people, including Aiyanna, a tobogganing daredevil from school. However, when new friends and family all vanish, Falc and Aiyanna must begin a desperate quest for survival by plunging after the community into a frigid labyrinth of mystifying ice fishing hole portals underpinned with lurking secrets.

I found Howl of the Ice to be an enjoyable read. The setting was particularly captivating as it reminded me of where I grew up and my memories of ice fishing. The book was well written with its fast pace making it relatively short yet digestible. The characters were quite likable too; I found myself relating to Falcs’ grandfather’s struggles, which added depth in character development. One standout feature that made this book unique was how fantasy elements were merged together in such an intriguing way that left me pondering about what exactly they symbolize beyond just that moment in time.

Overall, Howl of the Ice is an excellent read for those looking for an action-packed tale set in an icy landscape overflowing with interesting characters and magical creatures!

**ARC Via NetGalley**