#roadofbones

TL;DR: After a few days away from this I think this is a hard pass for me. Source: Netgalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Silla has to run to a far off town for safety after her father is killed and of course she makes all the mistakes you’d expect. And shocker – two hot dudes appear! Characters: Unfortunately… none of these characters worked for me, especially the main character.…

3/5 Stars

Pub Date: Jan 25, 2022

Desperate for a hit show, Felix Teigland has packed a van full of supplies, and his only remaining friend, Prentiss, to explore the ghosts hidden deep in the permafrost of the Kolyma Highway. Known as the Road of Bones for the prisoners bodies buried deep in the ice.

With the help of a local Yakut guide, Teig hopes to capture the ghosts that haunt this road by visiting the coldest settlement on Earth, Oymyakon. When they arrive at the settlement though things are off. Doors are left open, food left untouched. Everybody is gone except a lone 9 year old girl in a catatonic state.

As they try to discover what happened to the settlers a new horror settles in. Hungry vicious wolves. Attacked and maimed by these relentless wolves, and a horned deity that won’t let them escape, a race against the unknown starts. Can they outrun these terrors to safety, or will they become new tenants of this ghastly terrain?

Unfortunately this story felt hollow, like the marrow was sucked out of its cracked bones. Without spoiling anything, there is a specific detail that’s very important to the plot that isn’t ever revealed, which is super frustrating as the reader.

Overall it is action packed, but I was left wanting more character development, more of the description of this icy climate, and more of the reason this supernatural entity they’re battling is active NOW.

If you want a book that’s all action this may be for you.