Mount Snow

by A.C. Hessenauer

It’s 2005, and Teddy Ellsworth is 18; about to graduate, and working on getting his driver’s license, he has always been a bit different—awkward, introspective, and quietly neurodivergent. Teddy joins his father for a hunting trip in Vermont’s sprawling Green Mountain National Forest, accompanied by his father’s med school buddies and their kids. The group embarks on what’s meant to be a bonding experience.

But the trip spirals into a nightmare when the hunters become the hunted, and Teddy finds his strengths and weaknesses put to the ultimate test. As the group’s fragile unity fractures under the weight of fear and primal survival instincts, Teddy must navigate a labyrinth of danger, self-discovery, and budding romance.

This fast-paced, slow-burn folk horror thriller weaves tension and dread into a haunting exploration of human fragility, resilience, and the lengths we will go to in order to survive.

Genres: Horror

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

A.C. Hessenauer describes herself as a writer of horror, chaos, and madness. Her forthcoming novel, Going to the Six, will be published by Cemetery Dance Publications in June 2026 and was selected for the Cemetery Dance Trade Paperback Book Club alongside works by Jack Ketchum, Bentley Little, and Brian Hodge. The novel will also be released as an audiobook by Simon & Schuster Audio's Simon Maverick imprint in fall 2026.

When she’s not participating in macabre ceremonies dedicated to the eldritch horrors out in the woods, A.C. enjoys spending time with her family. She loves a good horror movie, and of course, getting swallowed whole by a good book.

Reviews

[Matty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read with creepy creatures in the woods and a high body count.

[Eve L. Fell · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🍒

Teddy and his father go on a hunting trip with some of his dads old medical school classmates and their kids. When they arrive him and the kids deal with their parents getting drunk and doing what adults do on vacation, sad his mom didn’t come he tries to make the best of it by catching up with Evelyn, Dr. M’s daughter.

Ryan and Katie are Dr. Carvers kids. Teddy likes Katie but she talks a lot as a 14 year old does. Teddy is not a fan of Ryan, he’s a bully who just isn’t the nicest person to be around. After a night of shooting targets, playing games and encountering an odd old couple that something just seems off about, they all go hunting the next morning. Minus the two wives who did come.

As the morning progresses shit hits the fan. Dr. Carver goes missing, but then they find him. As Dr. Carver leads them up the mountain to find a deer he supposedly shot Teddy recalls his light reading about skinwalkers the night before and calls him out in front of everyone. What ensues is an onslaught of craziness, violence and fear. Will they all make it out of the woods alive? Or will they succumb to old ancients of the mountains?

This was my first book by this author but I’m hooked. I loved her writing and just the way the book flowed quickly while still being descriptive. I’m big into folky books right now with creature features and this hit the spot. My advice is to not read this when you’re laying in bed in the dark though 🙃

[Caleb Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mount Snow is a great, character driven take on the skinwalker story. And while the characters are front and center, Hessenauer still puts the petal down, leaving the reader with no shortage of edge-of-the-seat action and chills. The plot is a basic but all too compelling one for those of us that love the thrill of shifting shadows and creaking floorboards. Teddy, his father, and a group of their friends take to the woods for a hunting trip. When a strange, local couple shows up and warns them to avoid the woods at night, they shake the warning off, believing it's just eccentric yokels trying to spook the visitors. They should have heeded that warning, and will spend the next couple of days fighting off a terrifying enemy for not doing so.

The lead character, Teddy, is someone we can understand to a great degree - coming to the end of his awkward high school years, dealing with a crush, hopeful for a future. In other ways, he's unique, going through life with both a hearing deficiency and neurodivergence. One of the best, and most refreshing parts of this book was being introduced to a character with these issues that do not define him. He is a person that is made of much more than his poor hearing and his atypical cognitive and sensory perception. Instead, Teddy rises above his hearing and his neurodivergences, not to mention the horrendous monsters trying to destroy his friends and family, to try to become the hero he just might truly be.

This book has everything you might be looking for. Dynamic characters, a propulsive plot, even a little romance. Pick it up and disappear in the forest of this story. Hopefully you make it back out.

[Joe Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but MOUNT SNOW delivered! Dark and brooding, with explosions of action at all the right places. Plus, there was just enough romance to balance out the rougher parts. A well-balanced work that kept the story flowing. MOUNT SNOW is easily a five-star read for me!

[Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flew through this book way faster than my usual reading pace! I was literally on the edge of my seat. Just scary enough that I was afraid to walk outside to my car at night after reading.