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The Shuddering
They only come when it snows, and nobody ever gets away. A group of close friends gathers at a secluded cabin in the wintry mountains of Colorado for a final holiday hurrah. Instead, it may be their last stand. First a massive blizzard leaves them marooned. Then the more chilling realization: something is lurking in the woods, watching them, waiting? Now a weekend of family, friends, and fun has turned into a test of love and loyalty in the face of inhuman horrors. The only hope for those huddled inside is to fight - tooth and nail, bullet and blade - for their lives. Otherwise, they'll end up like the monsters' other victims: bright pools of blood on glittering snow, screams lost in the vast mountains.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2013
2334 people are currently reading
40626 people want to read
About the author
Ania Ahlborn
20 books7,585 followersBorn in Ciechanow Poland, Ania has always been drawn to the darker, mysterious, and sometimes morbid sides of life. Her earliest childhood memory is of crawling through a hole in the chain link fence that separated her family home from the large wooded cemetery next door. She’d spend hours among the headstones, breaking up bouquets of silk flowers so that everyone had their equal share.
Author of nine novels, Ania's books have been lauded by the likes of Publisher's Weekly, The New York Daily News, and The New York Times. Some titles have been optioned for film.
Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ania currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina.
For more from Ania, visit her site, or connect via social media on Facebook and Twitter.
Web: http://www.aniaahlborn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aniaahlborn
Twitter: @aniaahlborn
Author of nine novels, Ania's books have been lauded by the likes of Publisher's Weekly, The New York Daily News, and The New York Times. Some titles have been optioned for film.
Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ania currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina.
For more from Ania, visit her site, or connect via social media on Facebook and Twitter.
Web: http://www.aniaahlborn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aniaahlborn
Twitter: @aniaahlborn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,516 reviews
January 25, 2026
The Shuddering is a classic-feeling gore fest with horrifying monsters straight from the mind of Horror darling, Ania Ahlborn. What's not to like about all that?
This story follows a group of friends on a snowboarding holiday in the unforgiving mountains of Colorado.
The Adler twins, Ryan and Jane, spent a great deal of their childhood at their parent's posh ski cabin. Now that their parents are no longer together, their father has decided to sell the memorable property.
Ryan, who has just accepted a job overseas, decides to plan one final weekend at the home with his twin and his best friend, Sawyer.
Jane, recently divorced, decides to bring along her best friend, Lauren and Sawyer brings his gloomy girlfriend, April. Jane, who dated Sawyer in high school and never got over him, isn't exactly excited about April's presence.
As the weekend gets underway, it's clear tension is going to be high. Unfortunately, for the Adler party, that's soon to be the least of their worries.
There's something lurking in the woods, observing them, coming closer and closer to the cabin and it's hungry.
Oona, Ryan's beloved husky, is the first to notice something is amiss.
Her strange behavior leads Ryan to believe that a wolf pack may be hunting in the area.
When a blizzard hits, they become snowed in and the agitation amongst the group reaches a new peak. Eventually, in a huff, April and Sawyer try to depart the property.
It doesn't end well.
From that moment on, the intensity and action never stop. As you learn the truth of what pursues the group of weekend travelers, the desperation of their circumstances becomes more and more clear.
I love how Ahlborn built this out. It's a classic set-up for a horror story and that was exactly the vibe that I was looking for when I picked it up.
I was stressed about the dog, of course. If you have ever read any of my reviews, you probably could have guessed that was coming, so that did have a slight effect on my overall enjoyment level.
Also, some of the decisions made by the characters were questionable, but at the same time, I think that is half the fun. I mean, is a Horror movie even enjoyable if you aren't yelling at the screen a majority of the time?
The gore and violence were very well done. It was disgusting, it was bloody, it was stomach-churning and it was unrelenting.
I would definitely recommend this to any fan of the Horror genre; particularly, if you, like me, enjoy Horror stories set in Winter. This is the perfect book for that vibe!
I was a fan of Ahlborn's work prior to this, but this definitely seals the deal. I will read anything she writes!
This story follows a group of friends on a snowboarding holiday in the unforgiving mountains of Colorado.
The Adler twins, Ryan and Jane, spent a great deal of their childhood at their parent's posh ski cabin. Now that their parents are no longer together, their father has decided to sell the memorable property.
Ryan, who has just accepted a job overseas, decides to plan one final weekend at the home with his twin and his best friend, Sawyer.
Jane, recently divorced, decides to bring along her best friend, Lauren and Sawyer brings his gloomy girlfriend, April. Jane, who dated Sawyer in high school and never got over him, isn't exactly excited about April's presence.
As the weekend gets underway, it's clear tension is going to be high. Unfortunately, for the Adler party, that's soon to be the least of their worries.
There's something lurking in the woods, observing them, coming closer and closer to the cabin and it's hungry.
Oona, Ryan's beloved husky, is the first to notice something is amiss.
Her strange behavior leads Ryan to believe that a wolf pack may be hunting in the area.
When a blizzard hits, they become snowed in and the agitation amongst the group reaches a new peak. Eventually, in a huff, April and Sawyer try to depart the property.
It doesn't end well.
From that moment on, the intensity and action never stop. As you learn the truth of what pursues the group of weekend travelers, the desperation of their circumstances becomes more and more clear.
I love how Ahlborn built this out. It's a classic set-up for a horror story and that was exactly the vibe that I was looking for when I picked it up.
I was stressed about the dog, of course. If you have ever read any of my reviews, you probably could have guessed that was coming, so that did have a slight effect on my overall enjoyment level.
Also, some of the decisions made by the characters were questionable, but at the same time, I think that is half the fun. I mean, is a Horror movie even enjoyable if you aren't yelling at the screen a majority of the time?
The gore and violence were very well done. It was disgusting, it was bloody, it was stomach-churning and it was unrelenting.
I would definitely recommend this to any fan of the Horror genre; particularly, if you, like me, enjoy Horror stories set in Winter. This is the perfect book for that vibe!
I was a fan of Ahlborn's work prior to this, but this definitely seals the deal. I will read anything she writes!
January 28, 2023
“The Shuddering” by Ania Ahlborn started out red-hot right out the gate which always makes me happy as a reader. I love horror and at first, I started to enjoy the characters and the suspense that came with what exactly was going on. Ahlborn does a nice job of building up the tension while revealing bits and pieces here and there.
This was my first time reading this author and I enjoyed her writing style which was very good. Now, for the most part, this was a decent read but one thing that started to take me out of the horror aspect of this novel was all the relationships and dynamics between the main characters.
Yes, “The Shuddering” has an interesting main story and even some smaller stories of other characters that well, bring more of that awesome creature feature horror aspect to things. My main issue was at first it was great and had a nice build-up to what I was hoping would be more horror but then it starts to fizzle out. Big time. Mostly due to these boring and unrealistic relationships between characters that took me out of the reading experience.
It just didn’t feel all that authentic to me and just distracted from all the events with these creatures. Let me tell you, the gore, carnage, and descriptions of these creatures were all fantastic. I totally wish there was more of that rather than reading what I felt were way too many pages of annoying dialogue between the main cast of characters. It literally got to the point where things got so boring, I was hoping the creatures would just go on a rampage against them all and end their conversations already.
As a metalhead, I appreciated the Megadeth and Metallica references as they’re some of my all-time favorite bands so that was pretty cool. When it comes to the ending of this novel, again, it just didn’t feel right or realistic to me. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you, but the ending wasn’t spectacular or something that blew me away. It was okay but not anything great.
I give “The Shuddering” by Ania Ahlborn a 3/5 as all the scenes and events with these creatures were fun and pretty horrific to read. I felt if Ahlborn kept her foot on the gas pedal from the start and didn’t interrupt the horror with what felt was too much unnecessary romantic dialogue between the main cast of characters, this could have easily been a 4/5. If the ending was better and perhaps got into more detail about these creatures, this would have been a perfect 5/5. At any rate, it’s a decent book, just not anything that’s memorable enough that I’ll remember years from now.
This was my first time reading this author and I enjoyed her writing style which was very good. Now, for the most part, this was a decent read but one thing that started to take me out of the horror aspect of this novel was all the relationships and dynamics between the main characters.
Yes, “The Shuddering” has an interesting main story and even some smaller stories of other characters that well, bring more of that awesome creature feature horror aspect to things. My main issue was at first it was great and had a nice build-up to what I was hoping would be more horror but then it starts to fizzle out. Big time. Mostly due to these boring and unrealistic relationships between characters that took me out of the reading experience.
It just didn’t feel all that authentic to me and just distracted from all the events with these creatures. Let me tell you, the gore, carnage, and descriptions of these creatures were all fantastic. I totally wish there was more of that rather than reading what I felt were way too many pages of annoying dialogue between the main cast of characters. It literally got to the point where things got so boring, I was hoping the creatures would just go on a rampage against them all and end their conversations already.
As a metalhead, I appreciated the Megadeth and Metallica references as they’re some of my all-time favorite bands so that was pretty cool. When it comes to the ending of this novel, again, it just didn’t feel right or realistic to me. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you, but the ending wasn’t spectacular or something that blew me away. It was okay but not anything great.
I give “The Shuddering” by Ania Ahlborn a 3/5 as all the scenes and events with these creatures were fun and pretty horrific to read. I felt if Ahlborn kept her foot on the gas pedal from the start and didn’t interrupt the horror with what felt was too much unnecessary romantic dialogue between the main cast of characters, this could have easily been a 4/5. If the ending was better and perhaps got into more detail about these creatures, this would have been a perfect 5/5. At any rate, it’s a decent book, just not anything that’s memorable enough that I’ll remember years from now.
August 10, 2024
An Unlikable Hero.
Five friends travel to a cabin in the mountains to get some friend time together on the trip.
But while they are trying to spend some time together, a monstrosity is in the woods attacking and eating everything with two legs.
Hard to feel sorry for characters who are pretty stupid or do stupid things.
So I settled on three stars. 💫💫💫
Five friends travel to a cabin in the mountains to get some friend time together on the trip.
But while they are trying to spend some time together, a monstrosity is in the woods attacking and eating everything with two legs.
Hard to feel sorry for characters who are pretty stupid or do stupid things.
So I settled on three stars. 💫💫💫
January 6, 2022
Ahhhh, this was such an unexpected 5 star read! I usually love monster horror novels like this to be a little more ambiguous, but this is a pretty straight forward monster slasher horror novel that reads like a horror movie and it's just so intense and so fast paced and I LOVED IT. At first, I wasn't even sure if I liked it, the characters felt kind of cliché and cringe-y, but after a few chapters I got hooked. I was rooting for certain romances and loving the characters so much and my heart was RACING FOR THEM. This has major 'something is out there in the woods stalking them and they don't know what is is' vibes and I LOVED that. I love the way some of the opening scenes would start with a character we don't know, and then we'd watch them get violently ripped to pieces by these creepy ass monsters (it felt very much like a horror movie because of these scenes). This was a lot more gory and graphic than I was anticipating, but like in a good way? In a way that you kind of want horror to be over the top and violent?
I'm just really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Here's the vlog where I read it: https://youtu.be/pnVkEQdhg1I
Also, I need to talk about some spoilers because...
I'm just really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Here's the vlog where I read it: https://youtu.be/pnVkEQdhg1I
Also, I need to talk about some spoilers because...
January 21, 2022
Ryan, his twin sister Jane, and three friends are off to a cabin in the mountains of Colorado for a three-day vacation. Snowboarding, skiing, good times before they part ways for a few years. Meanwhile, people are turning up missing in the surrounding area. No bodies, just blood soaked snow. A freak blizzard storm hits, rendering them stuck, unable to leave. Something is in the treeline, stalking their every movement. It is biding its time, waiting....
This is the fourth "snow" book I have read in the last two months. I am now officially terrified of it. Lucky I live in Florida. I will stick to my alligators, thanks!
This is the fourth "snow" book I have read in the last two months. I am now officially terrified of it. Lucky I live in Florida. I will stick to my alligators, thanks!
May 25, 2023
The story started strong with a remote cabin and its inhabitants hunted down by eerie monsters. But when a group of unsympathetic young people enter the scene everything turns down. The promising story turns sour and primarily focuses on the relationship between them. From then on it dragged and didn't really interest me anymore to be honest. Somehow I couldn't connect either with the female or the male cast here and didn't feel any tension coming up. Sad to see, because the last two books I read of this author were superb. This one is rather for die hard fans I guess. I'm glad I'm through here.
May 19, 2025
The Shuddering reads, to me, exactly what it feels like to watch a horror movie where the main cast of characters are a group of friends being stalked by a monster - or monsters in this case. Not a slasher, like Nightmare On Elm Street, a creature feature, like The Descent. But set in a snowy landscape, not within the depths of an underground cave.
I feel like some of the characters are written here not to be the most likeable to give it that previously mentioned “‘00s, group of friends, inevitably torn apart by monsters, horror movie” feeling as you read it? I may be mistaken, but that’s what I think the author’s intentions were here.
The Shuddering does not take long to get into the action. It has a great opening chapter which is gore-filled from the get-go, so you know these creatures mean business. They will be tricky to defeat.
Twins, Ryan and Jane Adler, go on one last snowboarding holiday with their closest friends; Lauren, Sawyer and Sawyer’s fiancé April. They stay the Adlers’ parents’ mountain cabin home that is about to go up for sale.
Ryan and Lauren clearly have some feelings towards one another. Jane is hoping to reconcile with Sawyer, as they used to date one another, but all hopes are dashed when he brings along April.
As this drama unfolds between the friendship group, what is lurking in the snow-covered mountains, behind the trees?
A freak blizzard leaves the group stranded and the creatures in the darkness begin to close in… Who will make it out alive? They must fight for their survival or they could end up ravaged to death in the snow…
This was the first Ania Ahlborn book I’ve read, and I must say I’m impressed, she seems like a fresh voice in horror fiction who writes engaging and fast-paced stories. I can see why she is talked about so often in horror groups and on booktok.
This was a solid 4 star read, and I’m curious to check out her other highly praised titles; Brother and Dark Across The Bay very soon.
I feel like some of the characters are written here not to be the most likeable to give it that previously mentioned “‘00s, group of friends, inevitably torn apart by monsters, horror movie” feeling as you read it? I may be mistaken, but that’s what I think the author’s intentions were here.
The Shuddering does not take long to get into the action. It has a great opening chapter which is gore-filled from the get-go, so you know these creatures mean business. They will be tricky to defeat.
Twins, Ryan and Jane Adler, go on one last snowboarding holiday with their closest friends; Lauren, Sawyer and Sawyer’s fiancé April. They stay the Adlers’ parents’ mountain cabin home that is about to go up for sale.
Ryan and Lauren clearly have some feelings towards one another. Jane is hoping to reconcile with Sawyer, as they used to date one another, but all hopes are dashed when he brings along April.
As this drama unfolds between the friendship group, what is lurking in the snow-covered mountains, behind the trees?
A freak blizzard leaves the group stranded and the creatures in the darkness begin to close in… Who will make it out alive? They must fight for their survival or they could end up ravaged to death in the snow…
This was the first Ania Ahlborn book I’ve read, and I must say I’m impressed, she seems like a fresh voice in horror fiction who writes engaging and fast-paced stories. I can see why she is talked about so often in horror groups and on booktok.
This was a solid 4 star read, and I’m curious to check out her other highly praised titles; Brother and Dark Across The Bay very soon.
January 30, 2022
Sorry to say 'The Shuddering' wasn't for me. - Sadly lacking in action, horror and an interesting plot. It probably would have been less cringe worthy when I was a teenager because the (often daft) actions by the (twenty-something) characters would have been be more relatable and easy to accept.
The narration by Luke Daniels was a highlight.
The narration by Luke Daniels was a highlight.
March 20, 2015
After reading all of Ania's novels I was certain that she has that something. A certain spark that promises good reads in the fold of the velvet curtain covering the opening of each mysterious plot she plans, each idea is so distinct and worth the reader's time that I can't wait to see what else she can come up with. The Shuddering did something different for a change, it made the monster second in place of the characters that were so unbelievable that I stopped, gasped and cringed as I read. Even the food in the book was good, when the clan in the cabin was treated to a Boeuf Bourguignon ( Burgundy Beef, a French wine stew) I had to go to the store on Saturday half way through reading, buy my ingredients and make it the next day as I finished, and the sauce is one of the best ever, matches the writing and I can taste the story on the back of my mind. This is a tale of love and loss, and with a no hold barrel monster that promises to take prisoners until your bones ache. This story could take off as being another fantastic tale but the roots are so well grounded in who is in it; Jane, Ryan, Sawyer, Lauren, April and Oona (the dog) are spending their last get together at a snowed in luxury cabin, only this time their vacation has planned a detour, one that might take them right out of this world. There are unresolved love triangles, pain and betrayal and conflicts that run colder than the icy snow raining on the cabin as something dark and hungry surrounds it.
This book reads like a Game of Thrones story, I didn't see many things coming, it made for one of the best book in bed weekend's I've had in a while, a nice cold glass of beer didn't hurt, I was seriously worried and sweating bullets for the characters as things went from bad to worse. I really liked the pacing for once, so many books get that wrong, and the interaction between the characters was priceless, I was more interested in who was in love with whom than being busy worrying that this was a horror book so watch out as lives are pulled away faster than one can turn the page. I sincerely hope that the author is working on a new story or I will be sadder than a kid who got coal in his stockings, or whatever rocks your misery boat.
- Kasia S.
This book reads like a Game of Thrones story, I didn't see many things coming, it made for one of the best book in bed weekend's I've had in a while, a nice cold glass of beer didn't hurt, I was seriously worried and sweating bullets for the characters as things went from bad to worse. I really liked the pacing for once, so many books get that wrong, and the interaction between the characters was priceless, I was more interested in who was in love with whom than being busy worrying that this was a horror book so watch out as lives are pulled away faster than one can turn the page. I sincerely hope that the author is working on a new story or I will be sadder than a kid who got coal in his stockings, or whatever rocks your misery boat.
- Kasia S.
January 1, 2022
I absolutely loved this book! I “shuddered” through the whole thing. I was terrified and I loved it! When I finished it I had to take my dog out and it is dark and foggy outside. I was looking all around incredibly creeped out.
A group of friends head to a isolated cabin in the Colorado mountains to go snowboarding. They were not at all prepared for what unfolded.
They only come out when it snows. These creatures are watching them, waiting. They are smarter than you think.
The groups fight for survival was truly terrifying. I listened to the audiobook book and the narrator was amazing. I highly recommend if you are brave enough to give this one a try, listen to the audiobook.
A group of friends head to a isolated cabin in the Colorado mountains to go snowboarding. They were not at all prepared for what unfolded.
They only come out when it snows. These creatures are watching them, waiting. They are smarter than you think.
The groups fight for survival was truly terrifying. I listened to the audiobook book and the narrator was amazing. I highly recommend if you are brave enough to give this one a try, listen to the audiobook.
January 7, 2019
Intense!
Ryan and Jane are brother and sister and they want to have one last hurrah up in their father's cabin in the mountains of Colorado. Together with three friends they kick off their party very well. But little do they know that something is lurking deep in the dark woods. Creatures beyond imagining. Creatures with a thirst for blood and a taste for human flesh!
This book was not scary per-say but it was very intense and thrilling. It was very well written and easy to follow the storyline in most parts. I had a little bit of trouble in the beginning but not much.
The monsters are scary in such a way that the author leaves a lot to the imagination when she is describing these creatures. She definitely describes them and does it well, however I still don't have an exact print out in my head of what these monsters look like. Which to me is great because I love that the author left it up to us to decide what they truly look like. It makes for a scarier story.
the characters are truly believable and the love triangle was perfectly written in such a way that you are wanting so badly for the book to end a specific way and I will not tell you whether it does or does not 😉
Ania Ahlborn is obviously a very gifted writer. I must confess this was my first book read by this author and she did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of her other books some of which I have sitting on my shelves. 😍
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror/thriller read.
You can also watch my review on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/zGCgCcagt7I
Ryan and Jane are brother and sister and they want to have one last hurrah up in their father's cabin in the mountains of Colorado. Together with three friends they kick off their party very well. But little do they know that something is lurking deep in the dark woods. Creatures beyond imagining. Creatures with a thirst for blood and a taste for human flesh!
This book was not scary per-say but it was very intense and thrilling. It was very well written and easy to follow the storyline in most parts. I had a little bit of trouble in the beginning but not much.
The monsters are scary in such a way that the author leaves a lot to the imagination when she is describing these creatures. She definitely describes them and does it well, however I still don't have an exact print out in my head of what these monsters look like. Which to me is great because I love that the author left it up to us to decide what they truly look like. It makes for a scarier story.
the characters are truly believable and the love triangle was perfectly written in such a way that you are wanting so badly for the book to end a specific way and I will not tell you whether it does or does not 😉
Ania Ahlborn is obviously a very gifted writer. I must confess this was my first book read by this author and she did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of her other books some of which I have sitting on my shelves. 😍
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror/thriller read.
You can also watch my review on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/zGCgCcagt7I
April 16, 2023
You might want to rethink your skiing holiday up in the mountains!!
'The twitching savage looked just like his father had described: all awkward angles, nothing but skin and teeth. He didn’t think to pull the ax free from its skull when he stumbled away, desperate to put distance between himself and his childhood nightmare, the snow beneath the beast soaking up red so dark it nearly looked like oil.'
This was an engrossing, good-quality horror novel. I believe this was the third or fourth novel I have read by Ania Ahlborn and as with the previous reads this did not disappoint but unfortunately had a few issues which led me to only give this three stars.
My main issue had nothing to do with the writing as such but more of a dislike to a couple of the main characters, to me they seemed superficial, self-centered, bitchy, irrational, childish and entitled which led to me not caring or even developing a dislike of these characters. Also I need to mention the stupidity and irrationality of some of the character's actions.
'Her fingers drifted across Stoker’s Dracula, one of the few she’d read. All those books made her feel small, uneducated, but they also made her inwardly grimace at how ostentatious they were. Not a trace of King and Koontz, of books people actually read and enjoyed.'
Now for a few positives. The writer did a great job of creating many suspenseful if not terrifying scenes which drew me into the action and made me feel like I was experiencing some of these moments. This was a great effort in creating a captivating and bloody creature feature, which was a pleasant departure from what I have previously read by this author.
'The monsters of his youth were chasing him. They were hungry. They were real.'
An enjoyable and engrossing read regardless of my rating!
'The twitching savage looked just like his father had described: all awkward angles, nothing but skin and teeth. He didn’t think to pull the ax free from its skull when he stumbled away, desperate to put distance between himself and his childhood nightmare, the snow beneath the beast soaking up red so dark it nearly looked like oil.'
This was an engrossing, good-quality horror novel. I believe this was the third or fourth novel I have read by Ania Ahlborn and as with the previous reads this did not disappoint but unfortunately had a few issues which led me to only give this three stars.
My main issue had nothing to do with the writing as such but more of a dislike to a couple of the main characters, to me they seemed superficial, self-centered, bitchy, irrational, childish and entitled which led to me not caring or even developing a dislike of these characters. Also I need to mention the stupidity and irrationality of some of the character's actions.
'Her fingers drifted across Stoker’s Dracula, one of the few she’d read. All those books made her feel small, uneducated, but they also made her inwardly grimace at how ostentatious they were. Not a trace of King and Koontz, of books people actually read and enjoyed.'
Now for a few positives. The writer did a great job of creating many suspenseful if not terrifying scenes which drew me into the action and made me feel like I was experiencing some of these moments. This was a great effort in creating a captivating and bloody creature feature, which was a pleasant departure from what I have previously read by this author.
'The monsters of his youth were chasing him. They were hungry. They were real.'
An enjoyable and engrossing read regardless of my rating!
July 29, 2021
Unpopular opinion alert...I'm in the minority again!
I liked the setting and the creatures to an extent...but I loathed the characters. So whiney and privileged and self-absorbed...I'm afraid I couldn't get past it.
There is a lot about their relationships in here and I was more horrified by that than the monsters!
Suffice to say, this was not for me. But lots of people like it so I would say it's probably just me.
I liked the setting and the creatures to an extent...but I loathed the characters. So whiney and privileged and self-absorbed...I'm afraid I couldn't get past it.
There is a lot about their relationships in here and I was more horrified by that than the monsters!
Suffice to say, this was not for me. But lots of people like it so I would say it's probably just me.
November 9, 2016
Five young adults in a cabin surrounded by a dense forest, in the midst of a snowstorm that is burying everything in sight. Food is scant, cell phone reception is nil, and the power is flickering . . . and now out.
The trees appear to be shuddering, raked and disturbed by the frigid winds, and teeming with something else. They are out there - all teeth and skin and claws, joints grotesquely askew, limbs contorted at impossible angles. They are hungry, and they are hunting.
Although I did not like this nearly as much as Brother or The Bird Eater, it was a decent read.
The trees appear to be shuddering, raked and disturbed by the frigid winds, and teeming with something else. They are out there - all teeth and skin and claws, joints grotesquely askew, limbs contorted at impossible angles. They are hungry, and they are hunting.
Although I did not like this nearly as much as Brother or The Bird Eater, it was a decent read.
January 22, 2024
I think it's about time that I accept that Ania Ahlborn's books just aren't very exciting for me. This is the third book of hers that I've read, and I think I've given each one 3-3.5 stars because, while she's great at writing characters, all three of the books have just bored me. 😩 I still plan on trying the other books of hers that I own, but I don't have high hopes at this point.
The Shuddering had potential to be a great read for me: it follows a group of characters essentially stranded in a snowstorm, surrounded by man-eating monsters, and honestly, I'm a big sucker for that sort of thing. Combining the supernatural element of inhuman creatures with the danger of real-life survival? Sign me up!
But this story just dragged because the vast majority of it was about the relationships and drama between these characters, and even when there were action scenes, I was left wanting more. I couldn't bring myself to root for any of the characters because I simply did not care about any of them. Had The Shuddering been a movie, it would've been that film I started playing on my phone 30 minutes into because I wanted to see how it all played out, but I didn't want to invest any real attention to it.
I should also say that the audiobook made this a less enjoyable experience for me; I'm being generous by bumping it up a star because it isn't the author's fault that the narrator did a terrible job, but his voices for the women characters all made them sound like horrible whiny children. Then again, the writing itself also kind of made all of the women out to be horrible whiny children, so...
If you're looking for a good snowy horror read, there are a ton out there that are way more exciting than this. I don't recommend it and kind of wish I could get my time back.
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The Shuddering had potential to be a great read for me: it follows a group of characters essentially stranded in a snowstorm, surrounded by man-eating monsters, and honestly, I'm a big sucker for that sort of thing. Combining the supernatural element of inhuman creatures with the danger of real-life survival? Sign me up!
But this story just dragged because the vast majority of it was about the relationships and drama between these characters, and even when there were action scenes, I was left wanting more. I couldn't bring myself to root for any of the characters because I simply did not care about any of them. Had The Shuddering been a movie, it would've been that film I started playing on my phone 30 minutes into because I wanted to see how it all played out, but I didn't want to invest any real attention to it.
I should also say that the audiobook made this a less enjoyable experience for me; I'm being generous by bumping it up a star because it isn't the author's fault that the narrator did a terrible job, but his voices for the women characters all made them sound like horrible whiny children. Then again, the writing itself also kind of made all of the women out to be horrible whiny children, so...
If you're looking for a good snowy horror read, there are a ton out there that are way more exciting than this. I don't recommend it and kind of wish I could get my time back.
✨ Content warnings for:
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October 14, 2019
This is my first full book by this author. I say that because I started to read The Devil Crept In once and it was a sample of the book, and the club ended up not reading it. Something like that.
So; The Shuddering isn’t like what I pictured from what I knew of it, which was just the title. I am not sure if it is better kept that way or if you know a little something about it beforehand. Looking back, in some ways, I wish I would have known.
I listened to audio and read the book at the same time— up to a certain point. The men’s voices were good but the women’s— to be frank— one of them sounded like Michael Jackson. She was supposed to be white and full of humor but all I kept hearing was a very serious MJ. The Wayans brothers in the movie White Chicks kept popping up in my head and I kept laughing bc they crack me up every time! I kept imagining the character Lauren looking like a disguised Wayans brother .., ahem.The other female’s voice wasn’t far off. Cough. Trust me it was hilarious.
So, then I just went with the reading part.
There was a lot of drama. So much drama. So many whispered conversations and half conversations that started but never went anywhere; the kind where one of the characters would blurt out something and then stop awkwardly with their thought unfinished only for the other to huskily go, “I know.”
There is supposed to be a terrifying force at work here but what are we focused on? Old drama. Mmhmm. 20 year old drama. Come on. Just say it or move on already. If you can’t say it, that’s what email is for! Yeah?! Maybe! Or a blog !
I kept wanting some of them to die bc they were so annoying. Some of them, okay one of them, was genuinely funny, and actually smart.
Honestly if a lot of this human drama had been taken out and we’d seen more of the scary stuff instead of the scary, icky, old relationship mess then this would have been so much better.
The end was a doozy but I’m good with it.
I think it was good writing except for all of that pointless dialogue. When you finally get to humanity vs other is where it got good.
3.5
So; The Shuddering isn’t like what I pictured from what I knew of it, which was just the title. I am not sure if it is better kept that way or if you know a little something about it beforehand. Looking back, in some ways, I wish I would have known.
I listened to audio and read the book at the same time— up to a certain point. The men’s voices were good but the women’s— to be frank— one of them sounded like Michael Jackson. She was supposed to be white and full of humor but all I kept hearing was a very serious MJ. The Wayans brothers in the movie White Chicks kept popping up in my head and I kept laughing bc they crack me up every time! I kept imagining the character Lauren looking like a disguised Wayans brother .., ahem.The other female’s voice wasn’t far off. Cough. Trust me it was hilarious.
So, then I just went with the reading part.
There was a lot of drama. So much drama. So many whispered conversations and half conversations that started but never went anywhere; the kind where one of the characters would blurt out something and then stop awkwardly with their thought unfinished only for the other to huskily go, “I know.”
There is supposed to be a terrifying force at work here but what are we focused on? Old drama. Mmhmm. 20 year old drama. Come on. Just say it or move on already. If you can’t say it, that’s what email is for! Yeah?! Maybe! Or a blog !
I kept wanting some of them to die bc they were so annoying. Some of them, okay one of them, was genuinely funny, and actually smart.
Honestly if a lot of this human drama had been taken out and we’d seen more of the scary stuff instead of the scary, icky, old relationship mess then this would have been so much better.
The end was a doozy but I’m good with it.
I think it was good writing except for all of that pointless dialogue. When you finally get to humanity vs other is where it got good.
3.5
November 21, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Ebook format 📖
The Shuddering does exactly what I was hoping for in this book. In a creature-feature book, it gives me isolation, fear and gore that I tend to love with this horror genre.
The setting is excellent with an isolated mountain cabin and gives you all the claustrophobic vibes of a snowstorm and being hunted.
The creatures are scary and brutal. This is the best part of the book!
The one thing that I was lukewarm on was the characters.
I liked a few (only one 😂) but boy oh boy, some were annoying. It’s like a character from a B-Horror movie and you’re okay if they die.
They talked too much, and the backstory of emotional issues sometime would take me out of the horror.
“Hey character C, how about you quit with the emotional bullshit. Let’s prioritize big evil creatures and potentially dying in the middle of nowhere. Yeah?!” *face palm*
The Shuddering is a satisfying creature-feature book and I’m glad I finally got to this one. I definitely need to read more books by Ania Ahlborn!
Ebook format 📖
The Shuddering does exactly what I was hoping for in this book. In a creature-feature book, it gives me isolation, fear and gore that I tend to love with this horror genre.
The setting is excellent with an isolated mountain cabin and gives you all the claustrophobic vibes of a snowstorm and being hunted.
The creatures are scary and brutal. This is the best part of the book!
The one thing that I was lukewarm on was the characters.
I liked a few (only one 😂) but boy oh boy, some were annoying. It’s like a character from a B-Horror movie and you’re okay if they die.
They talked too much, and the backstory of emotional issues sometime would take me out of the horror.
“Hey character C, how about you quit with the emotional bullshit. Let’s prioritize big evil creatures and potentially dying in the middle of nowhere. Yeah?!” *face palm*
The Shuddering is a satisfying creature-feature book and I’m glad I finally got to this one. I definitely need to read more books by Ania Ahlborn!
February 7, 2019
A Solid 3.5 Stars for the prowling, creepy man-eating skeletal creatures, and my favorite kind of wicked ending, hehehe....
"They only come in the snow."........so Beware, they're hiding out there and it is NOT safe!
Wonderfully frightening start and great remote setting out in the middle of nowhere land in a frozen south western Colorado cabin mc-mansion.
One last fun-filled trip is under way with five adults, one an outsider and OONA the Husky when there is dissension among the troops and a massive snow storm hits making it impossible to stay....or leave with the monster pack of demons threatening attack and awaiting their kill.
THE SHUDDERING is my third Ania Ahlborn read and while not quite as imaginative as SEED or BROTHER still enjoyed it as a fan of horror!
May 6, 2021
My first Ahlborn read, but it will definitely not be my last! This was as good as I expected it to be, and satisfied my horror craving for the time being. Atmospheric snowed in cabin, with creepy 'The Descent' type humanoid and starving creatures in the surrounding forest inching closer and closer, what was not to like here??! My only critique might be that I wasn't especially able to connect with any one character in particular, and the female characters came across quite annoying at most times. The ending was somewhat open-ended, which I actually think added to my overall enjoyment of this bloody read. I wonder how Ahlborn followed this one up? I'm interested in reading the rest of this author's books and wondering where I should start? I hear 'Brother' is good, but the description doesn't do much for me, any other Ahlborn recommendations anyone?!
August 23, 2022
An incredibly fun and fast paced creature feature!! So gory and vivid.
February 1, 2023
Another great horror read from the awesome folks over at Horror Aficionados. I enjoyed "The Shuddering," although I had a quite different understanding of what I wanted the title to mean and what it turned out to be in the book.
A group of old friends have a last camping trip over a frozen weekend in a luxe cabin. There's a pair of twins, a couple of dysfunctional relationships or two, and a cool huskie named Oona. I think she stole the show, really. In midst of the storm of the century, a group of hungry monsters emerge from the snowy darkness to feed on living flesh. Deer. Elk. Human.
There are the requisite graphic, gory scenes. The stranded female. The misunderstood guy. People get eaten.
I enjoyed the book, but ultimately it didn't get to the 'awesome' stage for me.
A group of old friends have a last camping trip over a frozen weekend in a luxe cabin. There's a pair of twins, a couple of dysfunctional relationships or two, and a cool huskie named Oona. I think she stole the show, really. In midst of the storm of the century, a group of hungry monsters emerge from the snowy darkness to feed on living flesh. Deer. Elk. Human.
There are the requisite graphic, gory scenes. The stranded female. The misunderstood guy. People get eaten.
I enjoyed the book, but ultimately it didn't get to the 'awesome' stage for me.
December 22, 2022
The name of this book says it all. Nice and creepy. The first part was a little boring apart from the prologue, but the second half was great. I'm starting to like this author's work and will continue her books.
December 21, 2017
THE SHUDDERING, by Ania Ahlborn was a novel that I had a great deal of trouble in deciding upon a rating for. On one hand, the writing is strong and fluid--a style that I would easily describe as fast-paced. The problem, for myself, was that I didn't feel any "connection" with any of the characters. They were "stereotypical", in that the author attempted to portray them as the "opposite" of what we'd expect emotionally. Example: The great-looking rich boy that actually "cares too much" about hurting those around him. Honestly, this just wasn't believable to me--especially as she did a version of this with almost ALL of the characters, making them out to be mentally the opposite of what their personalities/stations would indicate.
The beginning (aside from the characterizations) started out strong, and with a healthy dose of comical sarcasm thrown in.
". . . Is watching movies about monsters stalking through an icy tundra while in an icy tundra kind of masochistic, or is it just me?"
The novel did flow quickly--unfortunately about 2/3 of it seemed to be expressly about their romanic obsessions, and flirting amongst the other characters. This felt too "forced" to me, especially when Ahlborn went out of her way to reiterate how some of the characters just "wouldn't fall in love", and then all too conveniently start thinking about it constantly.
Eventually, the real action picked up, and I was thoroughly enjoying the book. Then, the end..... If the first 3/4 of the book had been as riveting as the last 1/4, this could have been amazing. As it is, I really enjoyed the concept of the creatures and the writing style, but the characters were very "forgettable" in my mind.
". . . we think we're safe until we're dead."
A decent read, but one that I wouldn't consider for a re-read.
The beginning (aside from the characterizations) started out strong, and with a healthy dose of comical sarcasm thrown in.
". . . Is watching movies about monsters stalking through an icy tundra while in an icy tundra kind of masochistic, or is it just me?"
The novel did flow quickly--unfortunately about 2/3 of it seemed to be expressly about their romanic obsessions, and flirting amongst the other characters. This felt too "forced" to me, especially when Ahlborn went out of her way to reiterate how some of the characters just "wouldn't fall in love", and then all too conveniently start thinking about it constantly.
Eventually, the real action picked up, and I was thoroughly enjoying the book. Then, the end..... If the first 3/4 of the book had been as riveting as the last 1/4, this could have been amazing. As it is, I really enjoyed the concept of the creatures and the writing style, but the characters were very "forgettable" in my mind.
". . . we think we're safe until we're dead."
A decent read, but one that I wouldn't consider for a re-read.
May 9, 2015
I really loved the monsters in this book. They were so creepy and I would like to know more about them. I think this would make a great B movie or graphic novel just so I can see the creatures :)
The people got on my last nerve and I didn't much care for the ending. I wanted to see Oona walk off into the sunset all happy and going home!
I loved this was set in a cabin, or should I say an estate sized cabin, in the woods in the middle of no where with all the snow! And then you add in the creepy creatures!
The people, meh, not so much. I think Lauren is the only one I really liked a lot. Ryan wasn't so bad and I loved Oona the best. But this thing with Jane, Sawyer and April, that got right on my nerves. I was actually glad the person who got killed first was the one to go :)
There are people that say this reads like a B movie and I have to totally agree with them. I thought I was watching one of my crazy movies!
I think horror buffs would love this if not only for the creatures, they are amazing, and Oona of course.
Fin
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
The people got on my last nerve and I didn't much care for the ending. I wanted to see Oona walk off into the sunset all happy and going home!
I loved this was set in a cabin, or should I say an estate sized cabin, in the woods in the middle of no where with all the snow! And then you add in the creepy creatures!
The people, meh, not so much. I think Lauren is the only one I really liked a lot. Ryan wasn't so bad and I loved Oona the best. But this thing with Jane, Sawyer and April, that got right on my nerves. I was actually glad the person who got killed first was the one to go :)
There are people that say this reads like a B movie and I have to totally agree with them. I thought I was watching one of my crazy movies!
I think horror buffs would love this if not only for the creatures, they are amazing, and Oona of course.
Fin
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
January 6, 2023
Creature Action!
A small backstory:
A brother and sister (Ryan and Jane) along with a couple or so friends get together to go stay in a cabin out in the woods that use to belong to Ryan and Jane's father to have some fun, but what they do not except is that "something" watches them from the woods and it is hungry for some fresh blood!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more about this story then you will need to read the book!
Thoughts:
There was a little bit of action in the beginning of the book and then there is a slow buildup of suspense that took me awhile to find out what was going on and to find out what kind of creature was waiting within the story.
After the 50% mark though there is more of a revelation of the creature and then the story starts to slowly escalate driving the suspense up to full throttle which eventually leads to a blood and gore fest.
The only thing I wasn't too happy with were the characters - they were constantly doing stupid things and it was like watching those horror movies where instead of the characters running away from danger they run straight into it. That is how the characters were in this book and this is the reason for the story not being a five star read. I would have liked for at least some of the characters to have had a lick of sense but alas there was none with them. This is my third book by this author and I have a few more I want to read by her in the future. Giving this book four "Screaming Suspense" stars!
A small backstory:
A brother and sister (Ryan and Jane) along with a couple or so friends get together to go stay in a cabin out in the woods that use to belong to Ryan and Jane's father to have some fun, but what they do not except is that "something" watches them from the woods and it is hungry for some fresh blood!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more about this story then you will need to read the book!
Thoughts:
There was a little bit of action in the beginning of the book and then there is a slow buildup of suspense that took me awhile to find out what was going on and to find out what kind of creature was waiting within the story.
After the 50% mark though there is more of a revelation of the creature and then the story starts to slowly escalate driving the suspense up to full throttle which eventually leads to a blood and gore fest.
The only thing I wasn't too happy with were the characters - they were constantly doing stupid things and it was like watching those horror movies where instead of the characters running away from danger they run straight into it. That is how the characters were in this book and this is the reason for the story not being a five star read. I would have liked for at least some of the characters to have had a lick of sense but alas there was none with them. This is my third book by this author and I have a few more I want to read by her in the future. Giving this book four "Screaming Suspense" stars!
August 6, 2021
Though the characters were unlikable at times, the creatures (Wendigos?) were frightfully well imagined and the end was simply perfect.
November 12, 2022
Boredom defined.
March 8, 2021
4.5 stars. THE UTTER TENSION. The setting. The creatures. Big fan of this one! Full review to come.
September 14, 2015
I downloaded The Shuddering for free as part of Amazon/Samsung monthly deal, and was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into a gory, riveting horror. It started off very strong, intriguing. Sending shivers down my spine by the gore and unexpected savageness.
A local resident out for his morning walk in the snowy Colorado Mountains in search for firewood, is surrounded and brutally attacked by unidentified, ghastly creatures. We are then introduced to four long time friends, vacationing in a cabin for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding, later find themselves trapped in the cabin, watched and then hunted down.
Unfortunately my level of interest quickly diminished. I found that I was reading for the sake of completion. There were no twists to the plot, no surprises; it was the same predicable scenario of attacks over and over again. I wanted to know what these creatures were, and where did they come but received no clear answers. Sadly this book lacked substance for me. But credit to the author for her rich, atmospheric setting and vivid description of the creatures – it was well detailed.
A local resident out for his morning walk in the snowy Colorado Mountains in search for firewood, is surrounded and brutally attacked by unidentified, ghastly creatures. We are then introduced to four long time friends, vacationing in a cabin for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding, later find themselves trapped in the cabin, watched and then hunted down.
Unfortunately my level of interest quickly diminished. I found that I was reading for the sake of completion. There were no twists to the plot, no surprises; it was the same predicable scenario of attacks over and over again. I wanted to know what these creatures were, and where did they come but received no clear answers. Sadly this book lacked substance for me. But credit to the author for her rich, atmospheric setting and vivid description of the creatures – it was well detailed.
January 13, 2019
So good ! Entertaining ! Update: i have changed it from 4 stars to 5 stars since i find myself still thinking about this book 5 months later.
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