Member Reviews

Loved loved loved this book! I enjoyed the short chapters that just had me flying through this. The atmosphere and tension was so gripping and the twists and turns had me hooked

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A great and quite different storyline. I struggled with some of the characters. However the twists and turns kept me hooked.

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This was a really cool concept and I enjoyed reading this book. For me, the first half was too slow, and there weren’t enough ‘reveals’ to keep me desperate to read. For example, there was obviously a deeper reason why Tori wanted to carry on filming but it wasn’t revealed till so late in the book I didn’t care by that point. I’d definitely read more by this author, but Freeze didn’t completely hit the mark for me.

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This was such a highly anticipated read and I am so glad I read it! The tv show element of this thriller made it original and exciting! It was fast paced and exciting!

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A brilliant read that was so twisty and dark, with a creepy atmosphere and a chilling undertone. I couldn't put it down

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The plot of this book is want initially drew me in. Unfortunately I felt the game show concept fell a little flat and it was kind of chaotic at times.

Having said that there were some good twists and turns and linked how the character lives were interwoven.

Over all it was worth a read and characters were interesting and the setting was unique!

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My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to the book by the synopsis and the fact that being on a ship in the surroundings that these contestants have found themselves in is one of my worst nightmares. On a small ship off the coast of Greenland being gradually frozen in as the weather takes a turn for the worse.

As one of the eight contestants taking part in a contest in the Arctic, where the contestants are being pushed to the limit in order to try to be the winner of a potential £100,000 prize, is found dead! Who will win and who can survive the challenges ahead of them? More to the point though is who has killed the contestant, why has this person been killed and will they be the only person killed?

With so many questions unanswered, who can people trust and how can they survive when they are in the Arctic and frozen in the sea with nowhere to escape.

This was a great read that had me hooked, it was full of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. At times I felt like I was actually there with them all experiencing what they were all going through. I will definitely look out for more books by this Author and I can thoroughly recommend her as one to keep your eye on.

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An addictive behind-the-scenes chiller thriller with some wicked twists. Eight contestants battle it out in an Arctic reality TV show for £100k prize.

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So creepily atmospheric that I will never watch a live game show again. The atmosphere completely grabbed me and set the pace for the book. A slow start to a fast build up.

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Freeze is a great book for filling in time. The setting was fantastic, isolation, murder, the integration of the characters history and new connections. All well written.

The pacing is a little slow, with a few details that aren't really needed. But it was enjoyable nonetheless.

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⭐⭐⭐

Freeze by Kate Simants is a thrilling locked-room mystery novel that revolves around a reality TV show called Frozen Out. Tori Matsuka, the creator of the show, has put everything on the line to launch her production company with this project, which features eight contestants competing for £100,000. Camerawoman Dee sees it as a new beginning after her journalism career took a hit following a tragedy. However, things take an unexpected turn when one contestant is found dead and Dee realizes that the death was not natural.

As errors and mishaps pile up on the set, tensions rise among the cast and crew. The situation worsens when they find themselves stranded in freezing Arctic conditions with no hope of escape. As secrets come to light and suspicions mount, they realize that it’s not just outside forces that want them dead.

While Freeze had its entertaining moments, there were some issues that lowered its rating. Firstly, the author failed to embrace what could have been an incredibly creepy atmosphere given the setting. Secondly, I found the story’s dual POVs (Tori and Dee) challenging to follow as both sounded similar without clear definitions between them. Despite these flaws, I loved how red herrings and twists kept me guessing throughout.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fast-paced page-turner with plenty of suspenseful moments and plot twists, then Freeze might be perfect for you! However, readers should be aware of its shortcomings before diving in. Hence, 3 stars seem like an appropriate rating for this book.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

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This was certainly an interesting and unique storyline. It almost played like a reality TV show that I was watching. I liked the way it got me involved in the story. It certainly was cheesey in places. That is part of the reality TV charm. I was great fun trying to work out the culprit. I loved how diverse the characters were. A great mixture of personalities, including those annoying ones you just live to hate. It had some great unexpected twists to keep you on your toes. It's a great cross between Big Brother and Bear Grylls. If you live reality TV, then give this book a go. It definitely is a break from the norm. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this unique tale

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/freeze-by-kate-simants-serpents-tail--viper--profile-books-4-stars and my new blog https://ladyreading365.blogspot.com/2023/05/freeze-by-kate-simants-serpents-tail.html under my name ladyreading365

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3.5
Tori and Dee have been friends for years and they are about to embark on a very important job- a reality tv show, where Tori is the producer and has hired Dee to be the director. Failure is not an option, as they both need the money and both have kept a secret from the other.
However the trip has not even started yet and already a contestant drops out, then once they arrived at their boat they have realised Will has made some changes.
After the first night, it is clear there is a murderer amongst them and they are stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Good plot with many twists, but I felt the characters could have been developed more.

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I have a real weakness for "locked room" mysteries - along with many other readers, it seems! Freeze is a fresh take on the genre in more ways than one, considering it is set on a boat off the coast of Greenland!

Those one board are involved in the filming of a new reality TV show, with a lot of prize money at stake. However, the project is beset by bad luck from the outset, with technical problems and a change of personnel only the beginning of the trouble.

I loved the claustrophobia created by the small boat, and the increasingly hostile weather was like an extra character in the story.

I could have done with the book being a wee bit longer so that we could get to know some of the characters a bit better because there was a lot to fit into the book!

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to the author, Viper, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

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As a lover of reality TV and a locked-in thriller, I jumped at the chance to be included in the blog tour. Freeze was just what I needed!

I really enjoyed the premise of Freeze and was instantly on edge. As the contestants and crew made their way to the Arctic I felt an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia - I personally could not think of anything worse! Especially when things quickly take a dark and sinister turn. With the use of short chapters and multiple POVs I was hungry to know who the killer was. I also felt the essence of a reality show shone through as the likability of these characters was very slim. The secrets and egos!

Overall Freeze was a fantastic thriller and one I highly recommend!

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I was intrigued by the concept of Freeze - a reality TV show on board a ship in an uninhabitable location and someone gets murdered by one of those present. Who did it and why? It started as a slow read, but the pace picked up. I liked the two different points of view with both main characters having secrets. I would have liked to have had a totally different point of view (crew member or contestant) to give variety. I will definitely read more books by this author.

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This novel is about a reality show, "Frozen Out" being filmed off the coast of Greenland. Contestants are to be guided through grueling Arctic challenges and the ultimate winner gets a huge cash prize. The story is told from the POV of Tori and Dee, rather than the contestants. Tori is the show's presenter. She is engaged to the show's producer and is desperate for the show to be a success. Her friend Dee is the camerawoman and has suffered a recent career setback. There are significant problems right from the start with contestants dropping out and unvetted new ones int he cast, the boat is smaller than it's supposed to be an is incapable of breaking ice, meaning there is a chance they can be stranded onboard. The danger of this setting has been worsened by cutting corners to save on costs. Things get even worse when one the contestants ends up dead and they are locked on a small, claustrophobic ship with the killer. Tense and suspenseful, I loved the atmosphere and the sense of dread the author built up with the setting.

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I absolutely loved Kate Simants's latest book Freeze, where a reality TV show set in the frozen Arctic ends in multiple murders.

Told from a dual point of view, Dee, who is the main camera crew - she's depressed following a failed relationship but wont tell anyone what happened. Her best friend Tori is the brains behind the show and is also going to be the presenter; she has staked everything on this being a success and is also trying to avoid the niggles that her fiancé Will might not be who he says he is.

Throw together a cast of charismatic TV personalities, all of who have been handpicked to show their leadership skills and how they perform under pressure- and we're set for a captivating and engrossing read. We've all seen characters like Wolf before, TV gold but a

Its clear from the moment that they all arrive in the Arctic that costs have been kept to a minimum and the luxury boat that they were expecting has been downgraded to a rusty working boat without that wow factor. And that's not the only cost-saving that affects the trip

The character list is the perfect size so that you can keep up to date with who is who and what's happening (you can tell that the author has TV production experience, she knows how to set the scene!) and the chapters are the perfect length to let you read one more....

I enjoyed the eco-tourism aspects of the storyline too, it brought another element to the story that I havent often seen brought out. And the setting itself, the glaciers, the ice forming around the boat, the breathtaking cold air- stunning and deadly

I was absolutely hooked to the page, and couldnt wait to see what would happen next and who was going to get caught up in the misadventures. Highly recommended - a definite 5 star read

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I almost gave up because the first 25% of the book is fairly slow but things did improve later. It was a cold snowy day I read it on so the setting was great and the concept of a reality to show in such conditions was clever. However the plot was just over complicated so lost tension and as a follow on much of the thriller element.

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Freeze takes locked in thrillers to a whole new level. It is easily one of the most entertaining thrillers I have read so far this year.

I was sold on the concept of a reality TV show that turns into a murder mystery and stayed for the layered, intriguing and incredibly tense story that came after. This takes claustrophobia and paranoia to incredible new heights. They are literally stranded with only each other around and now the bodies are starting to drop. The use of multiple narratives adds to this constant sense of suspicion. No one is being entirely honest, with plenty of secrets and mini twists to uncover.

Simants has an excellent grasp of pacing. The book flowed really well, keeping me consistently engaged and enthralled. While time passed around me, I was completely sucked into Tori and Dee’s stories. The writing was so immersive that I could almost feel the chill of the Arctic on my skin. It is a well-plotted story, with some surprises in store. For me, it helped that the characterization was so strong. Though you recognise some of these reality TV archetypes, they are always evolving into something unexpected. I think it is fair to say reality TV dominates much of modern popular culture. Simants offers a peek behind the curtain at the facade and the way it is all set up. The contrast between on-screen and off-screen personalities is chilling and feeds into the growing paranoia of the overarching story.

Freeze is a book that will ice your veins. It is a sinister thriller with plenty of twists, turns and tricks up its sleeve.

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