I have just finished reading The Drift by Author C.J. Tudor.

Thank You to NetGalley, Author C.J. Tudor, and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced copy to read and review.

The Drift is a fast paced, nonstop action thriller, that rolls along with three main characters.

It starts off with Hanna who is stuck on a bus after a wintery crash.

There are many characters, a deadly virus, and “Whistlers” who want to infect the deadly virus.

I have read most of the author’s book so far, and find this one a little out there, with a tad bit of an young adult feel of a storyline in my opinion.

I did however enjoy it, and for anyone who has read C.J. Tudor books in the past, this one is quite different from her previous books.


#Netgalley

Three ordinary people - Hannah, a medical student, Meg, a former detective, and Carter, an employee of the Retreat - need to risk everything against what threatens to consume all of humanity.
OK. Hear me out. I DNF'd this, but it's all on me. I usually do my homework before requesting a book on NetGalley. But when I requested this one, I saw it was from C.J. Tudor and remembered hearing a lot of good things about The Chalkman, saw that it was categorized as General Fiction, did not do my homework and went in completely blind (which is what I like to do usually). When I started reading, I was like... ok... is this going where I think this is going? And quickly realized my mistake. First of all, this is not General Fiction. I even saw it categorized as a thriller on here? Maybe. But a thriller that is heavy on apocalypse, survival and horror. Not really my jam. Especially not when it's about a subject that touches way too close to base with everything that has been happening in the past few years (and it's not over yet). I pushed through and made it to about 20% before realizing, ok, we are really going there, so I hopped on here to read other readers comments that confirmed what I was thinking. Anyway. If you are into horror, apocalypse, survival and viruses, this one is for you!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In The Drift by C.J. Tudor the world has been devastated by a deadly virus. The story is told through three different viewpoints:

1-Hannah, one of a group of students who are trying to escape to a place called The Retreat, when their bus crashes during a snowstorm. Every possible exit from the bus has been blocked either by snow or possibly sabotage. Unless they can find a way to escape, they face a lack of food and water, dropping temperatures, dangerous wildlife, and the possibility that one or more of them already has the disease

2-Meg who, with several other people, has been drugged and placed on a cable car stranded hundreds of feet above ground. When they awake, a snowstorm is raging outside and, as they take stock of their surroundings, they discover one of them has been murdered. Was he killed before being put in the cabin or is the murderer on board with them?

3-Carter, who was found facedown in the snow and taken to The Retreat, once a luxurious ski resort, now a lab in search of a cure for the virus. But, as a storm rages outside, the power is beginning to fail and the consequences, should that happen, could be deadly

I am a huge fan of Tudor’s novels and The Drift is a good example of why. Her use of dialogue and short paragraphs moves the story along at a brisk pace while the use of enclosed spaces like a bus, a cable car, and even the chalet in the middle of a raging snowstorm give a real sense of claustrophobia and chills to the tale.

The story alternates between the three different povs but it was easy to keep them apart despite the many similarities in the difficulties they face. It should be noted that there is a great deal of extreme violence and it's best not to get too invested in the characters because, as is pointed out in the narrative, there are only two types of people in an apocalypse, good guys and survivors. And just a heads up, this is definitely not the kind of book you want to read at night in the dark if you plan on getting any sleep.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review<i/>P

Brilliant!!! 3 separate groups dealing with three own craziness going on within and around them.
Creepy, but the great kinda creepy that makes you turning the page so fast to see who will survive.

Thanks to the author,the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book

Ironically, I was reading this book in a snowstorm - definitely added to the atmosphere of the book.

I felt as though I could not breathe at all the horror that happens to separate groups of people. I have a high tolerance for gore and I admit, this one pushed me to the limit.

Having said that, I could not put it down. It was so well constructed and I kept wondering how the heck the author got me to where we were - seam;essly.

Such an ending, never saw it coming. Great pracing.

I would describe this novel as a dystopian-suspense hybrid.

There are 3 separate storylines (told in alternating chapters) in this book. They are all set in a dystopian future where a highly contagious virus has ravanged the human population causing death, societal collapse and few survivors.

Each storyline follows a group of people fighting for survival, who are trapped and isolated in a frozen blizzard.

The first group is a bunch of caretakers at a isolated place called “The Retreat”. The official purpose of the Retreat is a research facility for vaccine development.

The second group is a group of students heading to the retreat on a motorcoach. The coach had an accident, flipped over and now they are trapped on the coach in an isolated area, with no cell phones.

The third group, is a group of people on a cable car, also on the way to the retreat to volunteer are test subjects for vaccine development. There was an electrical failure, and they are stuck suspended in the cable car with no cell phones, and no one seeming to come to their rescue.

All three groups are in crisis mode and fighting for survival. What will kill them (the elements, dehydration, the virus, wild animals, zombie like survivors, a bomb or other people?). None of the characters are more than acquaintances, and everyone seems to be lying and hiding the truth about their history and motives. Each situation is like a pressure cooker that’s about to explode.

What I liked about this book…1) Intriguing characters with complex histories 2) major suspense and danger at every turn 3) definitely a quick read and a page turner.

What I didn’t like…So many things going on, that the plot felt quite cluttered. For example I felt that the number of obstacles and dangers was excessive. For example, on the motor coach they are trying to survive a viral outbreak, a bomb threat, potential murders on board, and limited resources and freezing to death.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

Magnificent! Thriller of the year without a doubt, or should I keep it for 2023, since it will be release in 2023... Anyway, read it!

4.5 Stars raised to 5. Wow! What a gripping, intense, claustrophobic thriller. Be prepared for a grim, propulsive, high-octane, action-packed storyline with some grim and stomach-churning passages. I was riveted by the fast-paced, chilling story and loved it. We enter a dystopian world. After ten years, a virus has wiped out civilization as we know it, and desperate people who remain will do almost anything to survive. It is best to go into this book knowing little about what happens.

It is cleverly written in a three-tiered storyline. During a raging snowstorm, people are isolated into three different groups, and power is failing. There may be a murderer and people carrying the infectious virus in each location. Be prepared for three separate closed-room mysteries with many twists and turns under hazardous circumstances. Each group is composed of strangers who don't know who can be trusted.

Warning: A high body count. A very high body count!!
Warning: Don't get too invested in any of the main characters, as some may be doomed.

If you are missing the Walking Dead TV series, you have the Whisperers lurking in the wilderness to replace them, along with deadly bears and wolves.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada for this dark and entertaining thriller!