I have not read any books by that author before this one but have heard great things! The Drift by C. J. Tudor is like a train wreck where one can't look away, this story is compelling, engaging, full of twists. It's definitely borderline horror - high body count so if that's not for you you may want to pass. Don't quite know what to make of it, the story is dismal, terrifying, gory but couldn't stop until found out how it ended. Hard to define, either one will like it or not but an interesting well written read. Dexter without a doubt will be the favorite character.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

This thriller was the perfect setting:
Remote.
Blizzard conditions.
No phones to call for help.
Mysterious deaths.
Everyone is a suspect.

The author does something unusual though with this harrowing story - there is not one storyline with the scenario above, there are three.
Are they all in the same timeline?
It wasn't clear.

I'll be honest, at first, it was hard to keep track of everything, given the 3 storylines and multiple characters in each. But the deaths do pile up quickly, which narrows down the cast. Then my question became, how does everything tie together?

One thing that is consistent in the storylines is a horrific virus (with a very low survival rate). While one storyline studies the virus, the other two seem to be trying to escape it. There is also at least one person in each storyline who is lying about who they really are. Put all this together, and this book had my brain spinning and kept me engaged. While I think maybe too much was going on, this was definitely an entertaining read. Given the wintery conditions, it is a great one to read with a warm drink and a fire.

I usually love everything this author writes but this one was too far out there for me. It was too much of a weird apocalyptic story.

The Drift grabbed me from the start, but then it began to feel too much like a wintry take on The Walking Dead. There were too many characters to keep track of, and bouncing around between three storylines made it hard to get to know any character’s motivations well enough to care about what happened to them. This book was entertaining and fast-paced, but ultimately forgettable.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A page turning survival dystopian set during a time when a mysterious virus is having devastating effects on the population. It's a clever story that packs a punch by the end. There are quite a few characters to keep up with, which can prove difficult at times. Overall, the execution of the story was pretty solid.

Received an ARC and very glad I did! From the moment I started The Drift I had a hard time putting it down, and the action kept me pulled in from start to clever finish. Any version of a review that goes over the specifics feels like it will spoil a little too much, so I strongly recommend going in cold, with very little knowledge about the content. You already know there’s apocalyptic energy, you know a couple of groups of people are trying to survive, and you don’t know why. Dive in and enjoy!

Book Review
The Drift by C.J. Tudor
@CJTudorAuthor
Pub date: January 31, 2023

I love Tudor’s writing and this story was everything I expect from her!

A plague like virus has destroyed most of the population and those that haven’t died have turned into something less than human – Whistlers - and they are dangerous and they are angry.

Told by three different characters in separate timelines and situations, I spent a good part of the book trying to figure out what the common denominator is – in a good way – and when it all came together? Chef’s. Freaking. Kiss.!

One group trapped on a crashed bus in the middle of a snowstorm, told by Hannah who has a secret but she’s not the only one.

Another group at a secluded ski resort in the snowy mountains, creating vaccines for the virus, told by Carter, who’s frost damaged face tells a story of a life past, tells the story of danger in troubled times. And again, each enigmatic character will play a role in what’s to come.

The last group is stranded in a cable car suspended high over the mountains and told by ex-police officer, Meg, who’s grieving the loss of her daughter from the virus. Meg has woken up amongst strangers after being drugged on her way to the retreat that would shelter them. One by one, they’ll learn that there’s a rat or two on-board with them.

Each group on its own brought so much to the story but when it all comes together, it’s an a-ha moment and what fun it was puzzling and wondering while being thrilled, chilled, and thoroughly invested in these characters and their dire predicaments.

In true Tudor style, the atmosphere is divine and descriptive and the plot perfectly creating the ideal amount of tense anticipatory page turning with each descriptive phrase and dilemma.

Clearly, this is getting all the snowy stars from me.

My thanks to @RandomHouse for this gifted DRC!

Although any fiction with a dystopian tinge is generally not my thing (and a novel about a few brave souls trying to survive a deadly virus was not exactly subject matter that excited me), I put The Drift high on my TBR list because I have enjoyed Tudor’s other works. This is cleverly plotted and definitely held my interest — I thought it was a real page turner — but in the end, it just did not work for me. I think it is very different from Tudor’s previous books both in tone and substance. At times it was very confusing, and the ending seemed to leave too many resolved issues. All in all, I am glad that I read it, but I would not consider it a great read. I do, though, look forward to Tudor’s next work.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed other books by this author. While I’m not a big fan of apocalyptic themes, I still enjoyed the book.

With three groups of people trying to survive a massive snow storm, the author provided just enough tension and suspense to keep me from putting the book down.

I enjoyed the different perspectives that the book was told in. The first few chapters I had to remind myself which group the narrator was part of.

It may not be a book I would go back and re-read but I would recommend it to anyone who likes apocalyptic theme.

Book Title: The Drift
Author: C.J Tudor
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
Genre: Sci-Fi - Dystopian
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
My Rating: 2 Stars

This is my sixth C.J. Tudor novel. "The Chalk Man" was my first and is still my favorite. I wanted to read this without knowing anything about it except that I like the author!

After I got it, I checked a few reviewed - when it was described by one reader: Imagine a winter claustrophobic nightmare in a creepy, Sci-Fi, Dystopian setting.
Hmmm I wasn’t sure if this was going to work for me! ~
D.R.I.F.T ~Department of Research into Infection and Future
Story is told from the POV of Meg, Hannah and Carter -
Meg: A medical student who survived a bus crash on route to The Retreat.
Hannah: A former police officer who lost her daughter…then her will to live. Hannah wakes up on a gondola, hovering midway in the heart of a storm.
Carter: Employee at the Retreat. And right now has his hands full as everything on top of this mountain is rapidly falling apart. He and his fellow workers share the same fear that they also may not survive this snowstorm.

Living in Southern California where we have to drive to get to snow; I usually enjoy snow stories but. . . .
this was not what I was expecting ~ have to admit I was warned!
I am actually okay with dark and creepy but not much into gruesome and violent.

I have no doubts that this story will find the right audience.

When I read "A Sliver of Darkness", Ms. Tudor told us that she had problems with her 2022 novel ~ she actually hated it and worked it out with her editors to scrap it for 2022 but had a passion project for her 2023 novel “The Drift”.

She tells us that sometimes one needs to take a couple steps back to go forward.
(I love to dance so sounds like a cha cha to me! LOL)

Although this didn’t work for me, I believe in this author and look forward to her next dance - oops novel!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2023

The opening of this book absolutely hooked me.

There is a raging snowstorm and a bus has crashed with very few survivors trying to make it through the night. At another location, a cable lift has stopped with people trapped inside. We also meet the employees at The Retreat where the power has gone out and their back up generator is failing. There is a virus taking over and being in close proximity with others is extremely dangerous.

Everyone is connected in this story, but the connection isn’t revealed until the end of the story.

I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters in this one, but I did think the way the storylines converged was very clever. I do think there will be readers that love this book, but for me it was good just too dark and depressing.

Thrilling, but chaotic. A long cast of characters; some tertiary at best, serve more the purpose of abundant cannon fodder than relationship-building. Has the feeling of a season of The Walking Dead or some other apocalyptic world, so fans of these shows may really enjoy it. Overall, felt like this would make a better screenplay than a stand-alone novel.

ARC send through NetGalley and while grateful for the opportunity to review, the views and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

4.5 stars. This one was mind- blowing to me. I’ve Been trying to write a review that summarizes the plot of the book, but I have deleted it at least ten times now because I don’t know how to put into words what I just read. It’s not even one of those books that I have to think about after I’m done reading before I put my thoughts into words. I feel like this book broke all the “rules” for books , threw them out the door and just did whatever the hell it wanted to do. And it did it so damn well. If I can make my words make sense about this book for this review, I will update it. But for now, all I can say is this; read this book. Go in with an open mind and let the story devour yours thoughts.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy a book in exchange for my honest opinion.

An adrenaline-filled post-apocalyptic fiction, The Drift is an extremely strong pivot for C.J. Tudor, switching up from telling a slowburn mystery thriller (such as The Burning Girls), to something more akin to an aggressive action survival story. Clearly inspired by the manic time of early pandemic during 2020-21, the subject matter might be hitting too close to reality for some, but I find it to be a cathartic reading experience (as I'm sure it was for writing it), living out all the extreme emotions of frustration, trauma, loss, and injustice vicariously through these morally grey characters and extreme circumstances.

I strongly suggest going into The Drift knowing as little as possible; if I were to pull 'vibes' from other novels, it has the claustrophobic atmosphere of No Exit by Taylor Adams, action and violence (and overarching theme) of Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, and it's the more deranged sibling to Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

Even though The Drift is so different from her past work, there are still familiar stylistic elements, such as non-linear storytelling, dipping into horror territory, as well as a large ensemble cast. However, I do find the large quantity of character easier to navigate this time around (I was desperate for a character map during The Burning Girls), since the novel starts out with 3 separate plot lines, this subdivision results in smaller groupings that are consistent and much easier to grasp.

Violence is not often used as a creative expression in fiction (definitely so when comparing to the more visually-stimulating mediums such as cinema or TV), so it's very refreshing when a novel really utilizing it as a character's emotional manifestation (which was why I really enjoyed Razorblade Tears). Even though I can nitpick on instance of plot convenience, and some lapse in clarity in its world building—I'm totally onboard with The Drift throughout its entirety, all the way till the melancholic resolution.

IThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. The characters make this story. Even though it is an apocalyptic type thriller all set in the tundra like weather, it is character driven. Everyone has secrets and you cannot trust anyone. It took me a few chapters to get into it because there are a lot of people to get straight, but very quickly that becomes much easier. I don't want to give anything away because the twists are fantastic. You won't be sorry after reading this book! I love the unique point of the story being set in a snowstorm, the weather is almost another whole character in itself. I could almost feel the cold while reading this! This would be a great book to read during a snowstorm while enjoying a hot beverage!

Tudor has crossed totally into horror with this one!! I enjoyed The Chalkman but friends, this is nothing like that.

If you like high body counts, hopelessness, despair and the Walking Dead, this one may be for you. I'm sorry I wasted my time!

FINISHED REVIEW:
There were so many things I did not like about this book but I'll just touch on some of them. You all have read the blurb and know that there are three groups of people, one hanging from a cable car on a mountainside, another in a bus that has crashed on the same mountain and a group at The Retreat itself that is running the whole operation and having problems with the generator and power outages.

*The characters are underdeveloped. Most of the ancillary characters were so similar they could have been switched from one group to another.
*The atmosphere, while gripping for the first 50%, became unimpressive for the rest of the book. *There are only so many ways you can tell someone how cold and snowy it is.
*The plot had so many holes and loose threads that were never resolved
*The ending was inconclusive and left so many questions unanswered

POV:
1."Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. During a hasty escape from a secluded boarding school, her coach careened over a hillside road during one of the year's heaviest snowstorms, trapping her inside with a handful of survivors, a brewing virus, and no way to call for help"
2. "A former detective, Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She is in a cable car suspended far above a snowstorm and surrounded by strangers in the same uniform as her, with no memory of how they got there."
3. "Carter is gazing out the window of the abandoned ski chalet that he and his ragtag compatriots call home. Together, they manage a precarious survival, manufacturing vaccines against a deadly virus in exchange for life's essentials. But as their generator begins to waver, the threat of something lurking in the chalet's depths looms larger, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails--for good."

Questions:
What exactly is The Academy, what was taught there, why were certain students selected to go to The Retreat? Why did they choose to participate?

The professor, a supposed brilliant virologist, who set up The Retreat" , was nowhere to be found in the story until the end. We don't know what his plans are for the future?? Or he has a God-like complex and really only cares about himself?

What is the author trying to tell us? Is this an anti-vax book? When you read it you will know why this is a question. Is this book trying to tell us that scientists should never play "God" and there is a limit as to what they can accomplish? Or is anything fair game when fighting a deadly virus?

I'll stop because I could go on and on.

I think if you read this for pure entertainment, it might be an o.k. read. Tudor's intricate plotting and well described characters in her earlier books are not to be found here.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Eh. I was somewhere between not being able to get into this book and being pulled along to find out what happens next. I did finish but the end along with the rest of the book was simply unsatisfying.

Three storylines all about different groups of people on their way to or at "The Retreat", a facility for survivors of a deadly/zombiesque turning virus who are guinea pigs for potential cures. Though in all three storylines things have gone horribly wrong. Eventually all the storylines come together, but it didn't result an a better storyline going forward. I found all the characters were all unlikable so it was hard to care for their fate. The book read like an YA novel and I like YA novels but not particularly this one.

I've heard great things about this author so I'm willing to give her another try. This one just didn't do it for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Okay I'm a huge CJ Tudor fan and at this point I pretty much automatically pick up her newest book, without checking reviews or the blurb simply because I really enjoy her writing style. She tells creepy eerie tales with unusual quirks and twists and I haven't met one I haven't enjoyed. Until now.

This one just did not do it for me... The three parallel story lines were weirdly similar and yet somehow that fact didn't intrigue me so much as irritate me. I didn't find the characters to offer any opportunities for emotional connection at all, and ultimately I wasn't able to hang in with this one long enough to see how the three story lines threaded together.

Normally I pick up one of her books and can't stop reading until I finish it. But post-apocalyptic is generally not my jam, and even in the hands of an author I normally adore, I was unable to find myself connecting to the story in a way that made me want to slog through what felt like a series of tropes in a genre I nearly always have a tough time with. This one just wasn't a good fit for me.

A survival thriller set during a snowstorm? Yes, please! Never mind that it’s a dystopian future during a pandemic, because the virus is not the focus of the story. We are talking about survival.

Three POV/ storylines that will eventually merge:
1. Hannah, a med student and daughter of the world’s leading virologist, is trapped with her fellow passengers when their bus crashes during a heavy snow storm.
2. Meg, a former policewoman, and her group are stranded in a cable car when the power fails, which leaves them dangling 1000 ft in the air during a raging snowstorm.
3. Carter and his group are living the good life in a ski chalet with all the amenities. But the snowstorm rages outside, supplies are dwindling, and the generator dies.

All 3 groups are fighting for their lives from the elements and the virus, but perhaps the greatest threat to their lives comes from within. How long did it take for society to break down? TEN YEARS. Who is a good guy and who is a bad guy? Is everyone who they say they are? I was kept on my toes, never knowing who to trust. There are evil forces at play, of the human variety. After all, The devil was an angel once

CJ Tudor excels at creating stories that ooze atmosphere. Thrillers set during snowstorms is one of my favorite tropes, and this one delivered. I felt the cold and the terror of being trapped and in danger on all sides (especially in that cable car *shudder*).

There are a lot of characters to keep straight, which is perhaps the book's greatest weakness. But I just kept reading, trusting that it would all come together. And it did.

Everyone here has secrets that are eventually revealed, and there are surprises in store that I didn’t see coming. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I flew through the majority of the book in one day. I enjoyed all three storylines and appreciated how they came together in the well-executed ending, which offered a glimmer of hope for the future.

I prefer strong female characters, and I especially appreciated that the author made her two female heroines whip-smart, determined, and accomplished. The author’s sly humor is also on display, bringing much needed relief from the tension.

This is another winner from CJ Tudor! She has a talent for writing distinct and unique books. No two are remotely similar to one another and all are memorable. When many books I read are forgotten the moment the last page is turned, her plots are ones I never forget.

· Name of the publication/blog/outlet where your review will be published/posted: Angry Angel Books
· Run date for when the review will be posted/published: December 8, 2023
· A link to your review, if available, so the publisher can share your review:

Source: DRC via NetGalley (Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine Books) in exchange for an honest review
Pub. Date: January 31, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Why did I choose to read this book?

The tl:dr answer to this question is that I have become fascinated with authors who are incorporating pandemic themes in their novels. At first it caused irritation (I had enough pandemic shit in my own life thanks!) but then it morphed into curiosity - how could this all go down if something way more lethal than COVID made the rounds? I'm numb to the fear at this point so just let me at all the stories, I'll read 'em.

What is this book about?

This book is how different people with different levels of privilege or access deal with a deadly pandemic that turns people into zombies and eventually kills them. Some people are just changed by the virus and live in the wild, making wheezing sounds that earned them the name "Whistler." It just means zombie.

Deeper at its core, I think this book is about futility. When death is at the door it doesn't matter how good a person you are, how connected, how rich or poor, whether you are a murderer or a saint - you're going to get got regardless. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, etc.

What is notable about the story?

I loved the structure of the story. It's told from three points of view and they only merge riiiiiiiiight at the end. It made everyone easier to keep track of and my character investment was much higher than it might have been if the stories were woven into each other. All three points of view were high stakes, high tension from start to finish. I didn't ever want to put this one down, but I had to so it didn't affect my dreams. I read too close to bedtime when I started the book and learned a hard lesson!

Was anything not so great?

The ending made me mad as fuck. Like, livid. I almost threw my Kindle down. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but the book was a solid 4 stars until the ending and it was so maddening I dropped my rating to 3 stars on Goodreads. If you read this one let me know in the comments what you thought of the ending. I'm dying to know.

What's the verdict?

3 stars on Goodreads (but without the ending it would have been 4). A fast-paced thriller with pandemic themes, you won't let out that breath you didn't realize you were holding until you're done. Good luck!

***