I tried so hard to get into this book but found that it just wasn't for me, the characters were just not relatable enough for me.

The Snow Storm is author Triona Walsh's debut book which published in February of this year. I had already listened to the audiobook (Arc) in the first week of February itself but like most times my procrastination got the better of me 😌.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The concept wasn't a new one but the book was written well and the setting of the island of Innis Mor in Ireland played its part in creating an atmosphere of mystery, suspense and fear.

Since the book is based in Ireland and almost all the characters belong to the place, there were a lot of Irish names and terms included. The pronunciation of these words and the actual spellings were poles apart! The book was narrated very well by Jacqueline Milne. The climax had its share of twists and surprises in store. With no immediate help on hand as a result of a heavy snowstorm, Cara only had her own wits and skills to rely on to unravel the mystery and she proved she was up to the challenge.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture Audio and the author for the ALC.

The Snowstorm was slow to grab my attention but I was intrigued by the chilling locked room tone of the mystery. Walsh crafts a strong atmosphere with stunning descriptions of the winter island setting. I struggled to clearly differentiate the characters at the beginning because they were all introduced at once. Even once I became familiar with them, I found most of the characters annoying and difficult to root for. Though I really enjoyed the setting and the intricate connections between the characters, the odd pacing made it difficult for me to stay engaged. The beginning of the book is very slow and despite the interesting clues, it dragged in many places. I also found the mystery quite predictable which made it difficult to stay invested.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. On an Irish island six friends get together to mark the ten year anniversary of their friends tragic accident. The island is being battered by a snowstorm so there is no phone signal or internet. One of the group goes missing and turns up dead. Cara starts to investigate but who should she trust. A gripping thriller.

This was my first audio book ever! It was so different and took some time to adjust to it, but it offers such a different and unique experience.
I found the narration interesting - it gives the story a unique, more immersive, take. It felt like I was inside the book and experiencing it first hand. I do however find it a bit harder to concentrate without a physical copy in my hands.
The plot to me feels very generic, a snow storm and a murder and a who did it cop case. There’s no real strong twist and nothing particularly gripping, but I still found myself interested in the audiobook itself. The unique part of this book (to me) comes from the Irish folklore - traditions, lifestyle and other things from their culture. It gives the book a fresh perspective and feel.
Overall there’s nothing wrong with this book, but there really isn’t anything enthralling about it either.
It stands in the middle of the pack at a 3/5.

3.5 stars

A cabin. A group of old friends. A storm. An isolated island. No help on the way. Whodunit.

*Very slow burn 🔥

[[The cover tells you everything to expect]]

Narrator ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐⭐
Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reveal ⭐⭐

I love the cover. The red cabin against the white snow.

A great setting and premise. All the things I love in a good mystery thriller. I read this book in tandem with the text version. This is a very slow burn and I'm not certain how I would have fared if I had only read the text version by itself. I admit it's likely I would have struggled to stay engaged but the audio kept me going.

The characters were okay but I didn't connect with and love them as much as I would have liked. I didn't find myself caring about what happened to them - which is a real shame!

But my main disappointment was the ending and exposing whodunit. The ending was just Cara telling everyone who commited the murder and how they did it. And then the murderer just reiterates that by also telling everyone how and why they did it.

The Snowstorm intrigued me from the start, when friends gather together to celebrate a friend long lost; then a snowstorm hits that prevents anyone from leaving the island and their friend is found, murdered. I love a mystery where no matter where you go, the murderer is at a close proximity.

It's a race against time, before the snowstorm fades and those on the island can leave. But there are so many twists, proving that a lot can change in ten years. Who is keeping a secret? Who murdered their friend?

Absolutely amazing book from Triona Walsh beautifully narrated by Jacqueline Milne.
The star of the show no doubt is the amazing backdrop of this remote island off the west coast of Ireland. It is so well described you will feel the isolation and the deep freeze. You will also be scared to death with the suspense and the atmosphere present throughout the book. The crime mystery will keep you on edge til the end.
What a ride :)

A solid Christmas/New Year read. Great narration, wonderful atmosphere and a nice mystery.
However....the entire "fault" of the main character was completely unbelievable and it annoyed me no end whenever it was mentioned - you're telling me Des Bishop can become fluent in Irish for that tv programme way back when but I'm supposed to believe that someone whose father's first language is Irish, husbands first language is Irish, best friends' first language is Irish, children's first language is Irish, and grandparents first language is Irish, who spent every childhood summer from the age of 7/8 in an Irish speaking community, and the past 5 years living in said community *can't* speak even basic Irish? yeah....no. So once I just let myself get over that I quite enjoyed the rest of the story, the backstabbing, doubts, secrecy of a group of ex-tightknit friends.

3.5*

This book was as scary as it was thrilling, and I devoured the audiobook in one day! Highly, highly recommend the audio

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. Totally unbelievable and didn’t catch my attention much. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Six friends meet on an island on New Year's eve to celebrate the life and passing of one of their dearest. A sudden and extreme snowstorm makes it impossible for anyone to leave the island as one of their friends is found dead.
Triona Walsh is an Irish mystery writer and weaves a tale that keeps you on your toes as twists and misdirections come at you at breakneck speed.
I honestly was expecting just another rehash of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" but Wals gave me a very pleasant surprise.
I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend you consider getting that version. The beauty of Cara's accent and the lyrical sound when a character speaks in Irish simply adds to the wonder of this story.

Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Dnf unfortunately

this story had me bored, bored, bored. I completed 25% but it just did not pay off for me. I really wanted to like it because the description sounds great!

I did not enjoy the narrator for this one.

6 friends come together on a small island off the coast of Ireland to remember one of their friends who was also the husband and brother to two of them and who had died 10 years previously while out fishing with his brother on New Year's eve. But after 10 years everyone and everything has changed. When one of the friends dies, Cara, now a Garda Sergeant, sets about investigating the death as the island has been cut off from the mainland during a snow storm. It seems everyone has been keeping secrets. Well narrated.

This was a good story. I enjoyed reading it and finished it in one day. It had some interesting characters that developed well. The storyline was great but jumped around a little and I get a little confused at times. I did connect to the story but my concentration wasn't always fully focused. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator it's always great to listen to Irish narrators. It really made you have a better connection with the story when the narrator is from the country in the book. There were some great unexpected twists. I loved the fact I failed to see them coming. I loved the fact that there were plenty of characters and each was a suspected killer. Many characters didn't have alibis making for an interesting investigation. I liked that the characters were each very different and that there were some of those characters you just love to hate.

Many thanks to the author, narrator and publishers for creating an interesting read.
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/the-snowstorm-by-triona-walsh-bookouture-3-stars under my name ladyreading365

Solid thriller, decent holiday/plane read/listen. Good cover. Enjoyed narrator, good match to story. Characters had mediocre depth would have lik3d a little more from the protagonist

Oooooh! At last... the perfect match between suspense, mystery and eerie intrigue, all on a wild and storm-tossed Irish island. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love the Emerald Isle so this was just my cup of tea. Truly, in a past life I lived on one of the coastlines, the slate blue sea a boon to my soul.

Anyway, I digress... It's rare I give such high praise, but this had it all. Oh my, and that ending! I was secretly hoping for it right from the beginning. It's a 4.5 stars from me, with an extra half a star for the brilliant narration by Jacqueline Milne. She truly did this clever and wonderful tale justice.

Thanks to Bookouture Audio for my review copy.

I love a closed island mystery! Six friends meet up to celebrate New Year’s Eve when one of them turns up dead. What follows is a twist tale that will keep you guessing until the end.
I listened to the story in my car. The narrator was amazing!! I loved her Irish Brough!! I’m not sure how to spell many of the Irish names, and I never heard of them until this book. But you will love Cara, pronounced Car-uh, the guarda, police officer of the small island. I’m looking forward to more stories by this author!!
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I'm in two minds over this. While I did like it and found aspects I really enjoyed, there were others that didn't holding my attention and, because of that, made me not like this as much as I hoped.

The writing in this is really strong and I found the descriptions of the island and the coldness. You can feel the cold creeping out of the story.

But the pacing in the first chunk of the book is really slow and, because of that, I didn't really care for the characters or the story. It's, also, a little predictable with the ending and who the killer was...

Loved the writing, loved the idea and the premise, but the pacing and the characters need to be stronger.

This was a mixed bag for me. On the plus side, the author did a fantastic job creating the atmospheric setting of a small Irish island community. Less of a win was the plot, with its big, illogical holes and predictability, and the many, unnecessary and unlikeable characters with impenetrable Irish names. This was ostensibly supposed to be a closed-door mystery — instead of a locked house, it takes place on a small claustrophobic island that’s cut off due to a storm. So why make the nonsensical choice for your book to have a bunch of ravers descend on the island for a New Years rave via private charter boat?? Cops can’t get in but a whole boat full of ravers can? I wondered if the author maybe just wanted an excuse to go to a rave to drop some X in the name of research. Bizarre.

That said, I think this author is very promising and look forward to seeing what she writes in the future.

Thank you #netgalley and #trionawalsh for this complimentary digital copy of #thesnowstorm on audio, in exchange for my honest review.