REVIEW: The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn #allthebookreviews @aniaahlborn
The Shuddering
by Ania Ahlborn
I've been reading Ania ever since her first book came out - anytime a new release comes out, I am ON IT! It's a reread that delivered!
Publisher: 47North
Publish Date: June 18, 2013
Paperback
283 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
Ryan Adler and his twin sister, Jane, spent their happiest childhood days at their parents' mountain Colorado cabin - until divorce tore their family apart. Now, with the house about to be sold, the Adler twins gather with their closest friends for one last snowboarding-filled holiday. While commitment-phobic Ryan gazes longingly at Lauren, wondering if his playboy days are over, Jane's hopes of reconciling with her old boyfriend evaporate when he brings along his new fiancée. As drama builds among the friends, something lurks in the forest, watching the cabin, growing ever bolder as the snow falls - and hunger rises. After a blizzard leaves the group stranded, the true test of their love and loyalty begins as the hideous creatures outside close in, one bloody attack at a time. Now Ryan, Jane, and their friends must fight - tooth and nail, bullet and blade - for their lives. Or else surrender to unspeakable deaths in the darkened woods.
My Review:
As a long time Ania fan, I am thrilled to be doing rereads of her work this year. For some reason, I didn't remember a lot about The Shuddering except that somehow, it fell towards the bottom of my love to like ratio - and I've been a fan of every single one of her reads! Sometimes a reread has you see a book in a different light and that's exactly what happened here. I couldn't seem to remember a lot about this novel until I started reading it and yet some pieces still felt new.
The thing with Ania is that she does old school horror in fast paced reads that keep you creeped out and satiated from beginning to end. The Shuddering gave me slight Wayward Pines from Blake Crouch feels. Maybe it's the alien-like creatures in the rough snowy weather. Maybe it's the ease in which they both write and get me absolutely ADDICTED to their work.
Any time you take a group of people to an isolated place, chaos is sure to happen. Throw in some creepy, lanky, scary and hungry creatures and we have a recipe for a fantastic horror novel. Some of the death scenes were cringe-worthy in the best way. At times I felt bad for these creatures - I mean, getting HANGRY is no joke, folks! But to be that ferocious with a fangy smile like you're happy.... uff... I may be swearing off snowboarding for the immediate future!
Basically, readers and lovers of horror, just read Ania. Anything she puts out is worthy of the read. I especially like that each of her books are unique in their tellings but they all have that deliciously creepy old school horror feel that I absolutely adore.
★★★★
Jessica's Review:
I've been picking up more Ania Ahlborn books this year and I remain amazed and thoroughly creeped out with each novel. THE SHUDDERING was the next one on the list. A snowy setting and plenty of hungry monsters to go around.
Ryan and his twin sister Jane have fond memories of their time at the family cabin in Colorado. All the happy memories faded when their parents finalized their divorce, and now with the cabin about to be sold, the twins decide to have one last weekend.
They gather their old friends and spend one more weekend snowboarding, enjoying the cabin, and experiencing enough drama after so much time. While we are occupied with the love triangles there is something terrifying and sinister lurking within the woods. As the blizzard begins to take hold of the cabin, everyone inside is in for a weekend getaway they never expected.
Compared to the other Ania novels I've read, this one took a little time to suck me in completely. The beginning was good, but I didn't feel entirely invested, but then halfway through the book...holy crap! Once the terror begins there was no putting this book down. Being in Minnesota, and living near the woods, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on things when the first blizzard of the winter happens!
I give this 4/5 stars!
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