A good old fashioned vampire story. I'm not ashamed of liking vampire romances, but I do feel this was a good way to start bring vampires back into YA. It's about time to get a few back in, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. But I do think, that bringing back scary Nosferatu inspired vampires was the perfect start.

I was a little disappointed this wasn't a bit more creepy. I have to admit, I was in this for scenes of vampires creeping around in the blank whiteness outside while the characters were hiding and hoping not to be found and there was less of that and more of vampires trying to break down doors, but it was still really gripping.

I loved the characters. It was good that the characters thrown together by the events were people who didn't know each other that well. It created great tensions between the characters and watching them come together and get to know each other, when they had only before known themselves in passing.

I loved the vampire mythology they used too. This is definitely a great point horror vampire book.

Content warning for suicide.

It begins with 30 students, 3 teachers, some ski instructors, and a variety of townsfolk. It ends with … less. A lot less.

Charlie is one of the sixth-form students on a ski trip in Austria. As an outcast, the jocks, geeks and princesses all ignore him, but Charlie doesn’t care. In fact, Charlie doesn’t really care about anything these days.

‘It was one of the girls that found the blood.’

When a snowstorm severs all contact with anyone outside the village the students discover they’re not alone on the mountain, and that’s when the fun really begins in this adrenaline packed massacre. The pages of this book are drenched in blood and I couldn’t wait to see if my favourites would survive, or be recognisable through the blood spatter, at the end.

I loved Charlie and Hanna, both damaged by life, and would have happily used Tara as a human shield. Tara was one of those characters that I love to hate and I kept hoping she’d meet a gruesome end. A fair amount of the characters in this book were clichés but I don’t mind that in a horror book, just as I don’t need to have an emotional connection with a bunch of people that are likely to be slaughtered any minute anyway.

After everything it took to get there (including my favourite description, “entrails dangling like spaghetti”) I would have liked the final action sequence to have lasted a bit longer. It felt too quick and easy, given the horrors the survivors have experienced up to that point.

I love Stripes’ Red Eye series and am at the point where I know I want to read a Red Eye book before I even read the blurb. I wish they’d been available when I was a teenager. I really enjoyed this debut and am interested in reading whatever this author comes up with next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

If you loved the movie 30 Days of Night you will enjoy this chilling thriller.
Trapped in a small settlement by extreme weather where all the locals have left, a small group must do their best to keep safe and warm till the storm abates . Unfortunately the other dwellers on the mountain have their own plans for the group.
They come in the dark, they are deadly, they are silent and they are ravenous. Who or what is picking off the group with such deadly intent? All these questions and more face our rapidly dwindling group on the frozen mountain. The group struggles with decisions that will effect them all , to stay or flee, to fight or retreat indoors. All too soon they are given no choice other then fight for survival as their numbers are picked off with horrific ease. The weather is still a huge factor in their fight as it becomes clear its not lifting and they are cut off from any help. A lone local hiding out the storm yet found by the group gives them an insight into what is out there. This leads them to make the choice to take the fight to their tormentors and try to end the fight that way
If you want to know the outcome then go buy the book. The author takes an inhospitable terrain and throws in some inhuman foes and gives us an icily chilling read. Taking various horror story elements the author presents a great rounded story in this offering. I love a good thrilling horror story and this certainly ticks that box for me. You get a striking twist towards the end that takes your breath away ( much like the chill in the mountains ), its a satisfying end to the book that leaves you wanting more.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an arc of this in exchange for my impartial review.

Kaldgellan isn’t your normal ski resort. Situated high in the Austrian Alps, it’s more off the beaten track and less costly than most, and therefore perfect for school trips. A group of British teenagers find themselves stuck at their hotel when a snowstorm descends and makes it impossible to use the gondola – the only way in or out of the town. The locals are acting strangely, with many deserting the town before the storm kicks in.

When the blood is found, there’s nobody to tell – the adults have vanished overnight. With no power, and no way to contact the outside world, and the storm too heavy to attempt hiking down the mountain the kids have no choice but to stay put and wait for rescue. But will rescue come in time, or will Kaldgellan’s other residents get to them first?

Whiteout is a compelling novel – well written, descriptive, tense, and so much more than I expected from a first-time author. It may fall into the Young Adult category, but no punches are pulled, and fares equally well under the Adult Horror classification. Gabriel Dylan is one to watch, and I’m already impatient for his next book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whiteout
Gabriel Dylan
“‘She sat us all down and told us a story. About things that lived in the woods. Things that only came out at night.’

For Charlie, a school ski trip is the perfect escape from his unhappy home life. Until a storm blows in and the resort town is cut off from the rest of the world. Trapped on the mountain, the students wait for the blizzards to pass, along with mysterious ski guide Hanna.

But as night falls and the town’s long buried secrets begin to surface, the storm is the least of their problems….

A chilling RED EYE horror, perfect for fans of Dawn Kurtagich, Juno Dawson and Charlie Higson.”

This was a thrilling read, I became quite wrapped up in the story and with the characters early on. A group of teenagers, on a school skiing trip to a remote resort, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty it would seem, for this particular ski resort is like no other. A storm is heading in, meaning that there will be no skiing happening for a day or two. Both the students and their teachers, lead by their guides, head back to the lodge. A lot of the workers and regular townsfolk head back down the mountain before the storm hits to avoid being stranded. This place has a dark secret, for there are monsters, vampire like creatures who every so many years, awaken to feed on the unsuspecting tourists. The locals though cover it up, sacrificing them like lambs to the slaughter to keep themselves safe. High on a remote mountain, it’s very easy to say it was an avalanche, or a skiing accident. It’s too easy to lie.
Hanna is desperate to find out what became of her brother. She was told it was a skiing accident, she knows something doesn’t quite fit, it doesn’t feel right. She has heard the stories, the tales told to children to keep them away from the edge of the mountain. To keep them safe.
A terrifying night ensues, leaving a group of lone teenagers in fear for their lives.
Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of Whiteout to read and review. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was pretty fast paced, lots of action with a good mix of character development intertwined. There are quite a few characters in this book, and I feel they were all given adequate time, letting the reader get to know them and subsequently be rooting for them, even if they are not the nicest of people.
For me, what knocked this off from being a 5* book, is the ending. The discovery in the cave somewhat took away from the terror of the creatures, causing it to lose some of its claustrophobic intense atmosphere. By far though this is a great read. As the reader you are pulled deep into the narrative from the beginning, developing a relationship with the characters and feeling the same fear and trepidation as them. This book contains some very gory moments, and some pretty good scares.
I would highly recommend giving it a read.
Find it here on Amazon UK –
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whiteout-Red-Eye-Gabriel-Dylan/dp/1788950720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544189205&sr=8-1&keywords=whiteout+gabriel+dylan
4/5
Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror)

Whiteout is part of the fantastic Red Eye series from Stripes and is one of my favourite titles so far. It ranges from unsettling to downright terrifying and somehow has an old-school feel at the same time as being like nothing I've read before.

I can tell Gabriel Dylan is a massive horror fan. This story has all of the ingredients of a classic horror story, from the remote setting with no way out to the frightening threat waiting to pick off the main characters. It also has a fresh feel that meant I had no idea what was going to happen next, or who was going to make it to the end...

I'm a huge fan of mythology and backstory underpinning a book, and Whiteout handled this really well. Details about the world and characters are seeded through the story without it becoming overpowering.

Whiteout strikes the right balance between shocking scares, building unease and quieter moments to get to know the characters. It also has one of the most intriguing endings that I've read for a very long time!

I also really liked the main character, Charlie. It feels like you get to know him as the book progresses and he isn't one of those horror characters who sits back and lets the beasties get them.

This is the best horror book I've read for ages, YA and otherwise. I can't wait to see what Gabriel Dylan writes next and I'm going to catch up on the few Red Eye titles that I've missed while I wait.

Not particularly creepy (I'm hard to scare) but relatively enjoyable teen horror following a bunch of students on a ski trip. Particularly liked the visceral descriptions of gore - the vampires here aren't the sparkly kind - which did heighten the tension appropriately. I wasn't a huge fan of the multiple POVs - I think it could have been a tighter story if it had focused on only one or two characters. Still, I'm interested to see more from this author.

Firstly, let me say, I'm a huge scaredy-cat.  I hate horror films and am not a fan of horror novels.  Or so I thought.  Earlier this year I was introduced to the Red Eye series and I am a convert.  So I was really excited when I spotted Stripes latest offering to this series on Netgalley.  'Whiteout' had me hooked from the start and, maybe in part because I'm new to the genre, I really had no idea what to expect next.  I whizzed through this book quicker than most of the books I've read recently and it's made me even more determined to read more of the Red Eye books.

Whiteout is the debut novel from author Gabriel Dylan and the latest entry in the Red Eye imprint of horror novels from Stripes Publishing. Reminiscent of the Point Horror imprint from the mid-nineties, the Red Eye series targets a Young Adult audience with the promise of horror and unlike the rather tame and melodramatic Point Horror range, it actually delivers. Set in an isolated ski resort in the Austrian Alps, Whiteout focuses on the gory aftermath of a ski holiday gone wrong. Attacked by mysterious creatures with razor-sharp teeth and talons, Charlie and his fellow classmates have to survive the brutal weather conditions and the bloodthirsty monsters hunting them at night or face a fate worse than death.

The concept of teens stranded in the cold mountains reminded me of the brilliant PlayStation 4 videogame Until Dawn, and I saw a lot of parallels between the two stories. Both focus on the fractious relationships between the characters and how people have to put aside their differences in order to survive. While the actual threat may differ in origin, they were visually very similar and Dylan does a brilliant job at describing the sharp, jagged movements of the beasts as they feed upon their victims. While it may be a YA horror novel, Dylan doesn’t skimp on the gore at all, creating some genuinely unsettling moments in his action sequences and being surprisingly brutal in his death count. I was shocked at how sudden the novel switches from gentle foreshadowing to all-out horror, with a particularly violent night-time scene in the hotel.

Told from multiple perspectives, Dylan introduces us to a diverse cast of characters – not all of whom are guaranteed to make it out alive – and this uncertainty fuels that sense of horror. We spent most of the book with our two main protagonists, Charlie and Hanna, and Dylan does a great job at showcasing these tragic characters – both of whom have suffered trauma in their past which is brought to the forefront during this vicious attack. I became surprisingly invested in their “will they/won’t they” relationship over the course of the book, and they made for a strong pair of heroes.

I know very little about modern YA Fiction, often equating it to the likes of Twilight and The Hunger Games, but this novel doesn’t feel watered down or specifically targeted to a younger demographic at all. Aside from its millennial (or is it Generation Z now?) cast and the occasional pointed reference to an iPhone or Xbox, I would have assumed it was written for adults. Dylan doesn’t shy away from the violence or complicated moral decisions, with a cast of characters that are continually whittled down to a small group. One scene involving a trio of survivors attempting to make their way down the mountain is particularly harrowing with its bleak, nihilistic tone and is something I didn’t expect to read in a YA horror book.

Outnumbered and overpowered, the odds are stacked firmly against the surviving students and Dylan piles on the tension with each subsequent page. The sense of isolation is palpable, and equally as terrifying as the supernatural threat that stalks. The novel definitely feels influenced by Survival Horror videogames, creating that same feeling of unease when walking the streets of Silent Hill. There are plenty of exciting action set-pieces throughout the novel that evoke a cinematic quality, riffing off the best supernatural horror movies to create a vivid reading experience. The final sequence felt hugely reminiscent of the end of Aliens, resulting in climactic confrontation that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

Whiteout is a very impressive debut novel, demonstrating Gabriel Dylan’s knack for creating strong, three-dimensional characters and maintaining a tense atmosphere throughout. More than a brainless gorefest, Whiteout focuses on that determination to survive against the odds, pitting characters against extreme weather conditions and cannibalistic creatures of the night. Perfectly paced, and filled with well-timed twists and shocks, Whiteout is a distinctive voice in YA Fiction. It’ll definitely make you think twice about taking a skiing holiday!

Thanks to Netgalley, Stripes publishing ltd and the author for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is a good YA read. It's chilling, has strong characters and is basically exactly what it promises to be, a story of a group of young people on a school skiing holiday who are attacked by strange beings.

Charlie is the lead character, a misfit with few if any friends and I enjoyed the way the author built the characters relationships and suspense, although, parts were a tad gruesome for me. I also really enjoyed the ending!

Overall, an easy read.

3*

Brrr! Whiteout is a quick chilling read - in all senses - and has a exciting, if familiar, plot. The scene-setting was very good and completely brought me back to my holiday up in the Swiss alps...im glad i was there in summer and not during a terrible winter storm, like this school party. Its not long before the teachers and most of the locals vanish one night...but there's definitely something out there in the storm.
The characters were fine. The two main characters, Charlie and Hanna, got a bit of backstory to flesh them out, and a few of the other kids had personalities. They were perhaps a little cliched and basic, but then it's a fairly short book and...well, not everyone sticks around long enough to get attached to.
The plot was pretty good! It wasn't a difficult book to read or to follow and the action was exciting. I rolled my eyes a few times, but mostly at the kids not believing the supposedly nerdy one (he reads books and watches horror films...I'm not sure that's all that unusual).
What I enjoyed the most was how...cold I felt! That probably sounds odd, but I read this as autumn is Just getting chillies and I'm starting to think about Christmas. It never snows at Christmas here (south east UK!) But this really made me visualise the snow, from all the descriptions of it falling, the kids crunching through it, the wind flurrying it around and stopping visibility, it backing up in drifts against doors and walls - and I really loved it. The snowstorm itself was an important part of the plot and was really always in my mind. I bet this book would make a good film, set on a snowy mountain top...like I said, brrr!
I am grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

An entertaining read that delivers everything you would expect.
Whiteout is a claustrophobic, survival tale centered around a group of teenagers on a skiing trip. I don't think the story could be described as terribly original, you have probably seen similar books or movies before. But despite this, it gives you everything you want.
Its fun and cheesy and doesn't take itself too seriously. Which makes it easier to forgive little flaws.

I would recommend it as a quick pickup on your way to a skiing holiday for some light entertainment.

Well let me begin by saying I really don’t like vampire books.
Unfortunately for me I picked one without knowing,

This book is a vampire-esque story which isn’t revealed in the write-up, and not in the novel until about 20% of the way through (and even then I second-guessed the story). But I do have a deep love of the mountains, which kept me reading past my initial disappointment at the discovery - when I almost added it to my abandoned pile.

But despite my aversion, this book was compelling to read and I’m glad I continued to the end. It was pace-y and well written, so that although no characters were likeable it was still a good read. And that’s from someone who really doesn’t like vampire books (did I tell you that?!) The ending for me was more than a little predictable, but then the genre is YA.

So would I recommend it? Yes I would. But I’m not rushing to read another vampire novel anytime soon still!
*Warning for parent of teen readers - there are some gory parts!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy.

I'm a big fan of all of the Red Eye books I have read so far, and Whiteout is no exception.
The setting is a remote German mountain top that only sees a few visitors at a time. It is made even more remote as an awful snowstorm ensures all the local business people seek shelter from the storm down the mountain, leaving the school trip that is visiting all alone at their hotel at the top of the mountain.

I've never actually been skiing before so I thought the scene was really well described and I definitely felt cold as I was reading the book. It also made for a perfect setting for something awful to happen, completely cut off from society and trying to survive the nights as well as avoid the 'things' it really adds to the sense of panic and suspense.

Charlie is a great character and Hannah are both great characters and I really enjoyed the way things turned out for them, although the romance was quite predictable and I don't feel it added that much to the story. Tara was totally unlikable which I'm assuming was the intention, I think she was very well written but at times a little bit unbelievable in the way she acted.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and actually sped through it. It's fast paced and I did not want to put it down. The setting and plot are fantastic and I really loved the way it ended. Definitely recommend.

Whiteout is the story of a school ski trip. Whilst there, a major snow storm ensues which has all the locals running out of the ski resort and down to lower levels, off the mountain. Once the storm starts, mayhem ensues. People are killed off and a fight for survival begins amongst the students.

This was an okay read. I am not a huge fan of vampire books and didn't realise when I requested this book that it was in fact about vampires. Having said that, it was a very easy read and I flew through it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Mr Dylan for the opportunity to read Whiteout in exchange for an honest review.

"Whiteout" was an okay horror novel. I liked the premise more than the execution and the ending felt rather exaggerated.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I'd never heard of the Red Eye series before but it is definitely one I'll be looking at in the future. For those of the Point Horror generation it's a must read, but a little bit gorier!

The action is non-stop, but I'd guessed what the creatures were right from the start. Apart from that I'm still giving it 4 stars (I would have given 5 if I was a YA / Teen reading it, but as a proper grown up I think I've become immune to some horror now) :-)

Would definitely read more by this author though and it's a good book for scary winter reading..............

I really enjoyed "Whiteout" and hope the author writes more as his storyline and characters are ideal for young teens. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and loved the snowbound setting. It is gruesome in places but young people nowadays would probably not worry about that, growing up as they do with monster filled tv and video games! It is an exciting page turner with a good twist at the end. I particularly liked the character development of the two main characters and felt totally in sympathy with them both. There was good character deveopment too of the other teens involved which the author achieved effectively at critical moments of the story. The story certainly tackles the ideas of empathy, courage and friendship and also the weaker sides of human nature such as avarice and selfishness so it would be a good book for young teens for many reasons as well as just for being an exciting story.

I love the Red Eye horror series of books, I think they are fantastic, so when I saw this on NetGalley for review, that was me sold.

The story follows Charlie, who is at a ski resort with his school, from what we can gather Charlie has not got the greatest home life and really does not want to go home. On arriving back at the lodge, the next morning blood is found by one of the students and on the night they are all attacked.

I found this to be a well-evolved story and found myself liking the twists within the story. This is Gabriel Dylan's first novel, and he has done himself proud, you are kept on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out what these creatures are, and wondering who is going to survive.

I loved that you were kept on the edge of your seat and that you really didn't know who was going to make it out of the situation alive. I did love Charlie, as a character, you found out his backstory, and that he was trying to make his father proud of him. I also liked Hanna, I thought she was such a strong character, and she was going to go down fighting.

I will admit the twist with Poppy, I did see that coming, and you don't get a full explanation near the end (these were why it lost a star), but it was a great story, and that epilogue, I really didn't expect that but then in hindsight thinking about it now it should have been obvious.

Overall a really great story, especially for Halloween or even the winter months. The book is released in EBook format on the 25th Dec 2018, and Paperback on the 10th Jan 2019, I will be picking up a paperback copy.

3.5 stars

I love YA horror and I wish I had found RedEye books when I was a young adult myself! When I saw a ski trip based horror on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it. While I really enjoyed the premise of the story and the atmosphere of a small mountain town I did find it to be a little sub-par unfortunately.

If you've seen the film 30 Days of Night, you will find a very similar plot here but with a group of teenagers instead of adults. There's nothing wrong with this but I was just expecting something a bit more thoughtful and clever. It's actually pretty much what it says on the tin. A group of students trying to survive creatures hunting them at night up in the mountains.

The writing itself is fine, a little underdeveloped at times but it's certainly an easy read.

The main characters did have a little depth and personality but mostly I didn't really feel much of a connection with them. It seems like most of the characters are from troubled backgrounds which does make it rather strange that they are on a ski trip! Certainly in my school, ski trips were for the very rich kids, a treat of privilege. In the story, none of the characters we are introduced to are safe - this is one of my favourite aspects of the horror genre. Any one of them could come to a grisly end at any moment. It's just a shame I didn't feel much of a connection to any of them.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read and a fun little horror story - especially during the winter months!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review