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Cold Snap
Not yet published
Expected 17 Mar 26The 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.
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.
Paperback
Expected publication March 17, 2026
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About the author
Angela Sylvaine
48 books100 followersAngela 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.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
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)!
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)!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
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...
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...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews