Cold Snap

by Angela Sylvaine

The highly anticipated sequel to FROST BITE!
WORMS GONE WILD! It’s 1998, and the town of Demise, North Dakota, is recovering from the Meteor Murders, hundreds of deaths caused by alien worms but blamed on a mass poisoning by a doomsday cult. While nineteen-year-old Realene’s heroic actions saved the lives of many, she wants nothing more than to hide from the world and mourn the ones she couldn’t save. When a second half of the meteor is found north of the border where her best friend Nate is on a spring break trip, she’ll have to face her fears and venture into Canada to find him. The only thing standing in her way are rampant alien worms, a covert military op, and the cold snap of the century.

Genres: Horror, Novels

270 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes horror fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, and her debut collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, are available from Dark Matter INK. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in/on over forty anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, including Southwest Review, Apex Magazine, and The NoSleep Podcast. She lives in the shadow if the Rocky Mountains with her sweetheart and three creepy cats. You can find her online angelasylvaine.com.

Reviews

[Christopher O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mounties, rabid beavers, and something called a "ground squirrel": O Angela 🇨🇦

Our second visit into Realene's chaotic life picks up shortly after the events of Frost Bite—we see the residents of Demise getting their chance to grief, but it is short lived before Realene is thrust back into action.

The worms are back, and they've got their sights set on America's polite neighbour to the north.

I won't give away any plot details, but suffice it to say that I was tickled at joining Realene in Winnipeg, the city where I was born and lived for two years before my diapered butt was taken out west to BC. The Canadian references stole my heart—Much Music, Ketchup Chips, a lower drinking age—but much of it felt anachronistic (a couple misplaced eh's, Mounties being a common thing, and a born and bred Canadian saying "I paid a guy a couple toonies" being particular standouts). I was scratching my head about it before recognizing it was anachronistic by design.

Cold Snap is extra. It is in your face with bright neon windbreakers and all the nostalgic joy of the nineties. Where is the fun in representing the great white north to a boring T?

There's a lot of fun in this novel. Silvaine channels T. Kingfisher with her humor and her pacing. Like the residents of Demise, you only get brief moments to mourn each loss, to navigate each plot twist before you're indelicately yanked to the next thrilling point.

It's going to be very interesting to see where Angela Sylvaine takes this series. There's clearly more where Frost Bite and Cold Snap came from...

[Mella aka Maron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Angela Sylvaine for the eARC of this book!

4.5 rounded up. This book was exceptionally well-written and well-paced. It had everything you could want in a follow-up to the first one. This was a solid second book and based on the ending, I definitely think we will see more of Realene and Nate! 💖

I loved the side characters in this one too: each one unique and interesting. I hope we see even more of them in the next book. I can’t say too much about anything specific for fear of spoiling both the first book and this one.

If you like 90’s horror stories with a dash of mystery and intrigue, I highly recommend Frost Bite and Cold Snap!!

[Anna Dupre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equally fun and emotionally moving, Angela Sylvaine has threaded the needle of a very niche corner of horror, a place where we can laugh, cry, reminisce, and reflect in equal measure, with her Frost Bite series. The second installment, Cold Snap, executes some of the same endearing charm instituted in Frost Bite, yet moves in a dark, more mature direction as the fallout from death, the vastness of grief, and the expanse of hidden truths become known.

We catch up with Realene, Nate, and company months after the events of Frost Bite, the dangerous collision of an alien invasion, a doomsday cult enacting its end-time's promise, and more closing things out with a real bang. Given the tumultuous nature of these violent events, Realene and Nate deal with their trauma in different ways: Nate ready to move on, Realene experiencing profound grief. And while it seems like the threat of alien-related interference has been neutralized, rumors of a second meteor crash site begin to surface just as spring break rolls around. Thrown back into the fray of alien attacks, government interference, and more, Realene and Nate find themselves in a somewhat familiar place with the stakes raising every passing day.

Where Cold Snap really wins out is its hard lean into conspiracy and darkness à la a "trust no one" approach to the ensuing events. The horrors that are faced in this novel do harken back to some of the campy, humorous nods that were present in Frost Bite, but Sylvaine takes a turn for even deeper darkness. Realene is faced with questions of trust, personal implication, and harrowing situations that take things from bad to worse in pages, instilling the idea that the behind-the-scenes happenings of this invasion are much grander than we ever realized. And that is damn compelling.

This series feels like an ode to the coming-of-age stories we all know and love, laced with horror franchise nods and compelling mystery to fuel it all forward. Cold Snap is filled with higher level thinking as Sylvaine interrogates nostalgia, the realness behind looking back, and how the past may serve us at all. To be able to blend such fun, such horror, such retrospection is a feat of the highest order that should absolutely be celebrated.

And, please, dear god, let there be a third installment.

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

She beat those wormy little bastards once; she would do it again.

When my social media "book club" recommended Angela Sylvaine's "Frost Bite" not quite two years ago, I'll admit to a little bit of skepticsm after reading some of the first reactions from the team. I mean, a book with young adult leanings that takes place in the lovely country-side that is North Dakota in winter? In an extremely small town named Demise (no, I don't think it is pronounced with a French accent)? What could possibly be thrilling about that, right? Silly me… this story only wound up being one of the most original books I read that year and, quite frankly, I for sure wanted more! And that time has finally come, true believers! Speakin' of believin' (don't stop!!), I'm glad to report this next one is just as exciting if not more so than its predecessor!

If he gets himself killed, I’m going to be really pissed.

Apropos all these shenanigans, I was very excited to receive an ARC (uncorrected) for the second book in what I hope is AT LEAST a trilogy, namely, the upcoming "Cold Snap" aka "Frost Bite #2"! And despite its title, unlike the first book - which featured what in common parlance is being called now the "Meteor Murders" (with blame having been placed on a mass poisoning by the local doomsday cult-like group because they're all boogerheads!) - this second chapter really doesn't lean on the weather as such a critical part of the plot. I mean, who could forget Nate and Realene slipping and sliding around and freezing various body parts off as they did what they could to save the local populace from the scourge of alien-infected viscious, um, prairie dogs last time? Yeah, you read that right… and if you haven't read that first book yet, get on it, eh?

We’re alive, and we’re not zombies. Probably the best we could’ve hoped for.

Speaking of "eh!", in fact this time we leave the cozy confines of North Dakota for a large part of the book and head north of the border to Winnipeg, Canada (man, we "Americans" are just doing everything we can to tick the Canadians off these days, huh?)! And yes, I'll confess, there is still a little bit of "this and this happened because of the wintry weather" going on although I wouldn't call it absolutely critical to the plot like last time. However, this second book gets a lot more brutal in many ways as the really bad things happening are almost exclusively caused by humans up to no good … and we're not even sure how long that's been going on and by whom it's been perpetrated! And, yes, on the other hand, we get to meet and greet a lot of really cool folks, too, in this edition (love live the Alien Alliance) so balance in The Force is maintained!

You should be proud of your actions in service to your country, even when there’s brutality involved.

Plus, if you are really set on seeing them and still looking for your biannual fill of prairie dogs, they're here again as well. Plus we get infected rabbits, deer, at least one beaver with a serious attitude problem and bison. I would have never suspected bison having so much aggression when it comes to buses but you don't want to miss that bit for sure. Personally, the fauna of Canada just strikes me as being about as dangerous as that found in Australia, except obviously the Canuck variety of same is better adapted for the cold. Which when I see pictures of wet koalas, makes me kind of glad. And do not ever offer me a book titled "Ice Spiders" no matter what, deal?

She threw herself forward, diving across the ice on her belly like a demented penguin.

ANYWAY… what really makes this book work so well and definitely differentiates it - in a good way! - from the first chapter is that Sylvaine does a terrific job with just about all the characters, good and bad. At first, yes, a lot of what we see are the locals dealing with their own grief from the previous events, but eventually this turns into highly charged emotion and tons of action. We find out as well that there is so much more happening than just a worm-filled meteorite causing problems. All of it really comes to a head as our multi-generational squad pulls together and finds a way to really give it to "the man". No more spoilers besides that, sorry!

He sounded like a super villain from some ridiculous movie.

There's not a lot I can say in terms of the nuts and bolts of the book (uncorrected as it 'twas)! But if you're familiar with Sylvaine's work, you definitely need this in your collection! And if you're not, well then, ask yourself if smooth-reading, quick-paced action, intrique, mystery, scyfy and even a good dose of horror are any of the qualities you look for in your books! Because this was a fun one and I'm glad to check off all of these! And if I can leave you with one last thought: those last few pages!!! Whoa nelly, things are coming up "soon"! Let's just hope we can put a "very" in front of that "soon" and see Book 3 in the very near future!

My thanks again to the author and Dark Matter INK for an advanced copy!
(NOTE: launch date of "Cold Snap" is scheduled for 17.March, 2026)!

[Ed Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2004’s wildly fun Frost Bite, horror author Angela Sylvaine took us back to the nineties, also known in my own head as my childhood, and gave us a small town nostalgic action horror comedy very much in the Tremors/Gremlins mold (but make it more sci-fi). The action was fun and deftly choreographed, the meteor worms taking over rodents (and increasingly larger creatures) was creepy and gross in equal measure and Sylvaine’s gift of writing character was reflected in the nicely drawn dynamic of Realene, the nineteen year old with dreams of leaving her small North Dakotan town, and her best friend Nate, who’d rather she didn’t. Now she’s back with the sequel, Cold Snap, out from Dark Matter Ink March 17, and I’m pleased to report that it continues the fun of the original but throws in more twists and, reflecting the darker matter of Sylvaine’s short stories, goes quite dark on its reflections on grief and loss. It’s a hell of sequel, and you’d have to be an amnesiac meteor worm victim to miss out on this series.

Plot wise, we’re no longer in the small town of Demise, North Dakota but a bit of the ways up north in Winnipeg, Canada. Realene’s best bud Nate now has a girlfriend, and they’ve gone up there for spring break (which also happens near Canadian lakes as well as on coastal American beaches, this book taught me) But it seems the meteor worms might be back, and Realene in rescue mode decides to go after them, and find out what exactly the military’s involvement in this new outbreak is—and why her town’s religious cult is back in the mix.

Sylvaine’s gift for engrossing you in her young characters’ travails is immediately on show in this enormously addictive sequel which I ate up in a couple of sittings; the dynamic of the best friends having to navigate one of them being in a relationship (Nate’s cheerleader-type gf over-eagerly trying to make friends with a sceptical Realene provides a lot of the early comedy) is deftly done, and all the new characters we meet in this sequel leave a mark even with small page time. Sylvaine also cleverly avoids the trap of these kinds of alien action horror sequels of simply rehashing the original; without spoiling anything, the threat in this one is of a very different nature, and features more conspiratorial twists then monster mayhem (though there are still worms aplenty, fear not). This feels like a sequel that expands the lore, not merely tries to rebake it. But it still features the kind of kinetic action set-pieces that made the original extremely readable.

However, it’s the darker focus on grief and loss that gives this sequel an extra edge. Both Realene and Nate, who at this point are down to one parent between them, are forced to contend with more loss while trying to get over their previous loss, and it’s these underlying themes of how to use the found family of the present to recover from the pain of the past that makes this more thoughtful than your average space critter action fest. Sylvaine (who is no stranger to going dark as witnessed in her outstanding collection The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls) is good at lulling you into an entertained state then hitting you with a dark twist or devastating death or feeling of loss, and it makes this a spiky as well as a moreish read.

Overall, Cold Snap is not just the sequel that fans of the nostalgic, 90s-set action comedy horror original were hoping for, but a darker, twistier ride, proving that Sylvaine is willing to feed you emotional damage with your meteor worms. An enormously fun and heartfelt horror series.

[Trevor Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure Statement: I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author. My thoughts and opinions have not been influenced in any way by either the author or the publisher.

Frost Bite was one of my favorite retro YA horror novels when it first came out in 2023, and its sequel Cold Snap continues that tradition. In her return to Demise, North Dakota, Angela Sylvaine revisits the characters of the first book only a few months distant from the events of the first novel, where alien worms took over the town and turned people and animals alike into bloodthirsty, zombie-like monsters. This time, the alien worms are back, but north of the border in Canada.

It's easy to expect a sequel novel to do a lot of the same thing, and for the most part, that's Cold Snap; if you like what was set down in Frost Bite, you'll like what this sequel is doing, too. But it isn't just the same book rehashed. Sylvaine introduces a few new characters, pursues the relationships established in the first book, and deepens its focus on the way the events of the first novel have impacted the characters in the sequel. It's a story that is full of humor and '90s action sci-fi and horror, but it is also traumatized and focused on the lingering feelings of loss and grief.

There's a great beating heart at the center of this series as it attempts to anthologize loss, in the way it reflects on the somber reality of growing up and losing people important to you, from the neighbor lady to your best friend or romantic partner. How each character deals with loss, as well as the gradual revelation of family and personal secrets, gives shape to the characters as they continue coming of age.

At the end of the day, Cold Snap is a novel with a great deal of fun and a greater deal of heart. It is equal parts comedic and tragic, tugging at heartstrings while delivering '90s-inspired action drama. It's a hell of a lot of fun, and I eagerly anticipate a third book.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Sylvain’s writing style is like the ocean. It’s nice and calm, and then there are a few waves that we get to rock over, and then it calms down again. And then you get these massive moments of waves that blow your mind.


When you get into an Angela Sylvaine story, you can expect a few things. One, her writing is consistent; there is not going off topic, no filler of any kind. Two, grab some tissues; even though this is a light-horror novel, Sylvaine manages to throw in some heart-wrenching moments. Three, you will walk away wanting more.


Cold Snap, which is book two in the Frost Bite series, is just as fantastic as the first book. We meet up with Realene and Nate, who have been besties for many years. They are so close that they are in sync with each other. They can pretty much anticipate what the other will say or do. In the first book, we really got to see who these two are. We learned about their past, only to see that their present and future are completely off the rails. In Cold Snap, the two are learning about Realene’s upbringing. They are finding out the true colors of those they love.


Sylvain loves a good slow burn. The first section of the book is all about character and world building. Even if you don’t like the slow burns, you should definitely give Sylvaine a try.

If you think there are plot holes in the story, you need to keep reading. She does a great job preparing us for an epic, action packed story that’ll blow your mind. Everything comes together to an ending that will leave you needing to read more asap.

Thank you, Angela, for another fantastic story. I’m rooting for Nate and Realene. My heart aches for them. But if I know those two well enough, they will be back and oh boy…the world needs to watch out for some epic revenge.

[LibraryMelancholia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved all of Angela's books since I was first introduced to her writing with Frost Bite. You better believe when an ARC of book 2 came around, I'd be reading it. Cold Snap was such an emotional yet fun return to the world of Demise, North Dakota.

After surviving an alien invasion in the form of worms on a meteor that caused people to lose their memories and then become extremely violent, Realene and her best friend Nate are still dealing with the aftershocks. The town of Demise has seen so much loss and now to add insult to injury, it's all being covered up and blamed on the local doomsday cult as a mass poisoning. The cult isn't blameless, but there's way more to the story.

Now, a second half of the meteor has been found north of the border and Realene has to go to Canada to rescue her friends before she loses them too.

There's infected beavers, wolves and bison this time around, and we even get some reminders of the prairie dogs from Frost Bite.

Although there's a lot of loss in this book, I love the friendships and found family that Realene and Nate grow and develop.

As a millennial, I loved all the 90s nostalgia and references that Angela included like the old glass Snapple bottles with the pop top trivia, AOL CD-ROMs to connect to the Internet, Blockbuster, and loads of 90s music references.

I could not stop reading once I started. This one left off on a cliff hanger and I can't wait to see where the story takes us next.


• Emojis that represent this book:
🦫🦬🐺🦠🪱🩸🥶❄️🍫🔫💽📟🧪🛸☄️👽🧟

• Themes and elements:
Aliens and secret experiments
90s setting with lots of throwback references
A doomsday cult
Canada/North Dakota setting
LGBTQ+ rep
Memory/memory loss
Friendship
Found family

• If you liked this, read this:
Chopping Spree, also by Angela Sylvaine

[Nikki Kossaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Snap blends creature feature chaos with emotional fallout, all wrapped in late 1990s paranoia and grief. It understands that surviving something horrific does not make you whole. It just leaves you living with what comes after.

Realene is a reluctant hero who saved lives during the Meteor Murders but lost too much in the process. She is not looking to be brave again. She wants to hide, to mourn, and to stop being the girl who lived. That emotional weight grounds the alien worm horror and makes the stakes feel deeply personal.

Yes, there are ravenous alien worms, a covert military presence, and mounting danger, but the heart of the story is grief, guilt, and the exhaustion of being forced back into survival mode. The cold snap mirrors Realene’s emotional numbness, tightening the tension with every page.

The pacing is sharp and propulsive, balancing pulp fun with real ache. This is sci fi horror that remembers the human cost of catastrophe.

If you like your horror weird, emotional, and a little feral, Cold Snap delivers. It is bleak, fast, and surprisingly tender.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well geez, poor Realene just can't catch a break.
Just months after what was dubbed the Meteor Murders, Realene is in mourning. When Nate and his new girlfriend Trish (please read this with the biggets side eye glare you can) invite Realene to cut loose on Spring Break in Tropical Canada...just go with it...sadly we find out that Demise was not the only location of one of the meteorites. One landed in the Great White North, and while there is less focus on infection, there is 50% more government conspiracy and 100% more emotional damage.
Thank you so much to Angela Sylvaine for giving me an ARC of this book! I had a great time with this series and inhaled this book in two days!

[Rebecca White · Rating 5 out of 5]

They’re baaaaaaack!

Frost Bite is one of my all time favorite reads. The nostalgia, the comedy, the heart. It just had it all so when the author was looking for ARC readers for the sequel - I SPRINTED!

And I’m so glad I did! The same laughs and ridiculousness as the first read but this one had some pretty crazy twists and gut punches.

Somehow Sylvaine made me fall in love with the biffs all over again, and added even more to the roster.

[Silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC Follow up to Frost Bite! Realene and Nate unintentionally spend their spring break vacation with "killer prairie dogs" round two. While this sequel dials down the infestation it ramps up the government involvement. Realene ends up with new faces and old faces alike which can make trusting people a little hard but she knows at the end of the day she can always rely on Nate. I can't express how much I enjoyed this sequel!

[Joey Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spirit of ‘80s Amblin films and X-Files paranoia spread through these pages like a cold front. In this sequel, Sylvaine builds on the genre-bending thrills of Frost Bite with a wider scope, higher stakes, and new layered characters while maintaining the heart of the series. Readers will want to follow Realene and Nate to the ends of the earth.

[Christi Nogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Snap opens in the aftermath of Sylvaine's previous novel Frost Bite, with characters feeling grief and uncertainty. Soon the adventures begin, and there is a very propulsive quality to the novel. Couldn't put it down!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are back into the chaotic life of realene, except this time we are in the great white north. As a Canadian i absolutely loved this book being setting in my country. The story was just as amazing, if not more than the first book. Just goes to show, don't trust worms and the government

[Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got the e-arc from NetGalley and I give it an overall 4.5/5 rating. It was such a fun read that felt nostalgic all at the same time and a good follow up to the first book. This book focused more on government conspiracy and not on infection like in the first book.

[Mindy'sBookJourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for a copy for review.

In 1998 the fight against alien worms moves from North Dakota to Canada when the other half of the infested meteor is found. Add in a blizzard, a doomsday cult, a covert military op, and college spring break shenanigans and you got a wildly fun sequel full of mayhem.

This series is full of 90s nostalgia that feels naturally introduced, action, and horror. It explores wonderful themes of grief, death, betrayal, friendship, found family, and young love without taking itself too seriously. It is definitely full of fun. I recommend this book highly to horror fans.