Audiobook Review of “Frostbite”

Narrated by: Tai Sammons

Published by: Blackstone Audio

My Review:

Story: Frostbite packs a punch. Right from the first chapter it takes you on a suspenseful trip into the Arctic wilderness. Into wolf country. Where Cheyenne (Chey) is chased by wolves and eventually trapped in a tree. Shortly after the wolves and Chey come to a draw the night is pierced by howling. The wolves that had chased Chey quickly disperse leaving Chey alone to wonder what is coming for her through the night.

After the monstrous wolf appears and manages to bite her ankle, life as she knew it is over. She is cursed.

Frostbite is a refreshing rejuvenation of the werewolf legend. Wellington’s werewolves are completely merciless. They hate everything about mankind and will stop at nothing to destroy any human that comes into their path. They are terrifying… like they’re supposed to be! Who could be afraid of a werewolf who wants to take you to the prom? I admit that several times the atmosphere of the novel reminded me of one of the Twilight books but that feeling was quickly wiped away as soon as the moon would rise.

The only thing I didn’t care for in this book was the way in which the werewolves would transform. I much prefer the bone snapping, snout elongating, hair sprouting, painful and terrifying transformations that I’m used to as opposed to Wellington’s interpretation.

I’m a life long fan of science fiction and horror novels. It’s hard to surprise me. It’s not often that I get one of those moments where I’m shocked by an audiobook.  Where I have to stop what I’m doing and rewind and listen to a passage again. Frostbite had me rewinding 3 or 4 times.

Audio Production: This was the first book that I have listened to that was narrated by Tai Sammons. I was very impressed. She was perfect. As far as I’m concerned one of the key elements to having a successful audiobook series is casting the right voice. You could have a book on the bestseller list but if it’s read by someone.. well, someone like me without the narration chops then even my mother wouldn’t listen to it. Tai Sammons has what it takes. I’m looking forward to her performance in the sequel “Overwinter”

Overall: This was my first exposure to David Wellington’s work. So I didn’t really know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that actually scared me a couple times. Other reviews that I have seen have complained that there wasn’t enough of the book dedicated to “wolf time”. While I would have loved to have been scared a few more times during the novel I think that increasing the “wolf time” just to increase the body count would have sacrificed the story. Personally I felt that the book had great balance. Frostbite is intense, suspenseful and at times very graphic. So if you are a horror fan or if you liked the Twilight series and you want to know what an untamed werewolf would be like then you should try Frostbite

Get your copy:

Blackstone Audio: Frostbite by David Wellington

Audible.com: Frostbite by David Wellington