Book Review: “Black Ice” by Becca Fitzpatrick

“Black Ice” by Becca Fitzpatrick (2014)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Page Length: 400 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

Brit Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? (description from Goodreads)

*WARNING: SOME SLIGHT SPOILERS*

Review:

Black Ice tells the story of Britt, who instead of going to a sunny beach on her spring break, decides to go backpacking through a snowy terrain. She is excited about her trip, until she learns her ex-boyfriend will also be attending and now has to evade him the entire trip. After Britt and her friend Korbie, become stranded on the way to the cabin and end up seeking shelter from two unseemingly “nice” guys, who end up having ulterior motives. The two girls find themselves and danger, and find their selves in a race against time.

This novel had great potential in the beginning, but became predictable as the story went on. The first thought that came to my mind was, “have these girls ever seen an episode of Dateline or Criminal Minds?” Upon, reaching the cabin Britt takes it upon herself to flirt with one of the guys, Shaun, in order to get her mind off of her ex. Are you serious?! Flirting with strangers is a no-no and for all you know he could be a murderer. Oh wait, he is!

Despite all of the weird and creepy vibes coming from the tense relationship between Shaun and Mason, Britt picks up on it slightly but decides to throw her suspicious intuition to the wind. And then when she finally does get alone with Mason, after unseen events, Britt starts to let her guard down and ends up falling in love with the guy. At this point, he technically might be killer, but we’re still unsure of what’s going on, and who is behind the string of murders.

I thought Black Ice would be a fun thriller, but it ended up falling a bit flat. While it’s not a totally unreadable book, I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Final Verdict:

A novel that had high hopes, but unfortunately fell flat to predictable story tropes. 3 out of 5 stars.