Endless Winter

by Riley Miller, Grace Hamilon

A brutal new Ice Age covers the Earth…

When an experiment to reverse climate change goes disastrously wrong, Jarred and his daughter Hope are forced to head south in search of warmth. This man-made eternal winter shows no signs of stopping, and with temperatures continuing to plummet, fears of a new ice age drive survivors into a panic.

Jarred and Hope don’t have the wilderness skills needed to survive this disaster. But when their car spins out of control, they’re forced to fend for themselves in the ruthless and unforgiving forest surrounding them. And as they journey through the snow-swept wilderness, they slowly discover they are not alone…

Survivalist Fiona knows how to deal with a harsh winter on her own, but this new world is deadly. She’s got a cabin stockpiled, and is all alone until she runs across Benjy, a forest ranger who’s ready to help, but has his own reasons for staying with her.

Civilization is crumbling. There’s no electricity. The cold is getting worse, and resources are scarce. To survive, Jarred and Hope will have to find allies they can trust, and push themselves harder than they ever imagined. Because even a moment’s weakness in this harsh icy wasteland can mean only one thing.

Freezing to death in the merciless cold…

Genres: Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Fiction

810 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2021

About the author

Riley Miller lives in Alaska, so you might understand why she dreams of natural disasters whilst living on the edge of the world. In fact, she thinks it is her upbringing in Alaska that has really shaped who she is. Overly aware of our inextricable connection to the environment, she felt she should always be ready for the inevitable shift. This was something instilled in her by her parents, who taught her how to live off the land, and she particularly loved learning about plants and their medicinal qualities. She, in turn, passed on these lessons to her own children, along with some light prepping for any potential disasters like the snow storms that frequent their state.

The Covid crisis really opened her eyes to the true possibility of a massive crisis hitting home, and it sparked her creative imagination. She wanted to explore further how different people react in crises and she found that writing allowed her to do this. Inspired by some of her favourite authors like Grace Hamilton, Stephen King, and Kyla Stone, Riley uses her Alaskan upbringing along with her personal prepper knowledge to dive head first into a disaster story and figure out how to survive.

It’s not all about survival for Riley though! She also loves to cook and do crafts like sewing and quilting. She spends her weekends gardening with her husband and enjoys reading and the occasional binge watching of a great new series. She’s especially excited about her soon-to-be role as Grandmother.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientists mess with the atmosphere to stop global warming and bring on a severe shift in the climate. A small group of survivors battle the elements, bandits and religious crazies who believe god is punishing the world.

There is a lot going on in this book and honestly most of it is a bit over-cooked. The central idea is great and if the author(s) stayed true to that course I might have rated this book 4 or 5 stars. But the bandits and the religious crazies kind of ruined it (at least for me).

[Olivia]

A gripping post-apocalyptic endless winter novel.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this trilogy, good characters, even if they did do a lot of dumb things trying to survive. Very entertaining.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a great fan of Grace Hamilton's Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic novels. Well researched and profoundly thought out, these novels are exciting, dangerous, but inspiring, because readers are primed to consider how they would endure these events, should such occur (EMP, natural disaster, climate change leading to a new Ice Age, etc.). Her characters are relatable, and the situations in which they find themselves are scary but possible. So one finds oneself cheering for them while simultaneously pondering "But what if this were me? How could I cope? How to protect myself and family? How to survive, endure, even thrive?" The point of course is to never give up.


In ENDLESS WINTER, the characters face the prospect of a new Ice Age when the best of intentions to halt negative climate backfires. Civilization's thin veneer quickly proves of n0 avail, and each must now learn to survive...or die trying. ..

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl]

2/10: Managed half the book, tempted to read more but just couldn't get there.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things that initially attracted me to the book was the cover, which sets the scene for the book perfectly. I would say the people featured on the cover are Jarred, his daughter Hope and strong, independent main female character Fiona. It could easily be a snapshot of a scene from the book. The cover immediately reminded me of Grace Hamilton’s After The Shift Series covers and the Edge Of Collapse series covers by Kyla Stone’s. I have read quite a few of Grace Hamilton’s books and have enjoyed them so of course I keep an eye out for her releases. I read the blurb of this one and it interested me.

The book begins by introducing some of the characters, Jarred and his daughter Hope being at home watching the weather and snow storm flow in. It’s when Jarred speaks to his old friend Atul that a general chat turns into a revelation and a timely warning. It seems the “early winter” is not just a coincidence; it is in fact a man-made experiment that has gone drastically wrong. Atul suggests that Jarred pack his car up and head as far south as he can get with his teenage daughter Hope.
The next character to be introduced is Benjy Hartman, a ranger, who leaves his ranger station with its limited supplies and comfort and foists himself off on Fiona, a single woman with her own homestead. Fiona is a capable, independent woman who has tried on numerous occasions to dissuade Benjy Hartman’s advances but it seems he still thinks he has a chance of romance with her. In fact, he actually thinks Fiona should be grateful to him for any/all help he offers. When he turns up at her homestead and wangles his way in, offering to help sort a leak out in her cellar, where her animals are now being kept because of the freezing cold and heavily falling snow. However, it soon becomes apparent that he thinks Fiona should be more than grateful, and makes it clear what he wants from her, skulking about at night outside her bedroom door. Fiona decides that the very next morning she will demand he leaves, and she does, but just as he is literally going through the door there’s a knock on it. Hope has trudged to Fionas homestead in search of help for her father, Jarred, who is injured. Jarred is rescued and brought back to Fiona’s smallholding, where once again Benji makes himself comfortable. I don’t want to go into much more detail and reveal too much of the plot but soon Fiona finds her home becoming even more packed with some of her neighbours, from nearby Glencoe. There’s Larry & Lana Bishop and their teenage son Kane, and Myra & Duke Cooper. For a while, things plod along, but then disaster strikes and the group find themselves cast out in the snowy terrain with only a vague plan to head to some local caverns. The rest of the book covers their journey, coming across various dangers from the weather condition, wild animal and worse still other survivors with their own harsh or strange ways of living and beliefs.

This book just became more and more intriguing as it went on. Just when you think the group are reunited, safe and sound from those awful wintery conditions they are faced with being attacked by a woman and her group who will stop at nothing to get revenge! When the hurdle is overcome by quite literally blocking themselves in they search and explore their new “home” when they come across another group already living there. It seems their next hurdle to overcome is a family of religious cult like zealots. I found myself wondering how much more these increasingly physically & mentally exhausting group of people could endure and have to overcome to finally find a safe haven that thy could truly settle in and call home!

The character I loved the most, and did actually identify with was Fiona, she looked strong on the outside to others, putting on a brave face and a confident attitude whilst caring for others and trying to think and work her way through problems. Whilst on the inside being insecure, hating feeling like she is letting people down in any way. Feeling every set back is her fault and that she is somehow personally responsible. Fiona also prefers her own company, she isn’t a great talker, she feels uncomfortable making decisions for others or being “closed in” in anyway. Which at time almost becomes her own downfall when she withdraws into herself and doesn’t talk things out with other. When one of her travelling group dies, she takes it to heart and immediately blames herself for the death. Fiona is not the only tough, independent female in the book, as Jarred’s teenage daughter Hope is too. Hope’s father is an engineer, and Hope is good at planning, designing and building anything the group need. Hope is also brave when she has to leave her father behind in the snow to go in search of help. Hope manages to build a windbreak to give her dad some shelter and manages to guide Benji back to where she left her dad to rescue him. Hope becomes quite attached to Benji as he allows her to help in the chores he is doing and allows her to do things that perhaps her father wouldn’t like moving vehicles and then he heaps praise on her which makes her like him even more.

I also adored the animals within this book, that really added value to the book and played their parts making some light hearted moments within the book and with them “saving the day” on more than one occasion. Ramses, described as an “’ornery ram” sure lives up to his reputation causing havoc, attacking the other goats and chewing on furniture. Then later in the book he really does work hard for his humans, pulling sleds and carrying supplies. The other animal is also Fiona’s and is a gorgeous dog Smoke, that though he has questionable taste when he seems to like Benji Hartman, when it comes down to it, Smoke will do whatever he needs to in order to protect his human. Like his owner Smoke instantly takes to Jarred and Hope, accepting them as family.

A couple of the characters and their traits and personalities made me think of a couple of characters from Kyla Stone’s Edge of Collapse series. Fiona reminded me of Hannah who was also a character that would do whatever she had to do to save those she cares about. Also, Benji Hartman gave me the creeps in the very same way that Gavin Pike did, and the feeling sort of turned out to be right. I have to say I enjoyed disliking the bad guys almost as much as I loved the good guys.

I also loved the way how Kane & Hope could problem solve like adults and were treated fairly equally, being allowed to give their opinions on what should happen etc. yet at the same time they still also had the more normal teenage angst type of problems.

I enjoyed the emotion between the characters who rapidly became like one big family. I saw the subtle signs of attraction between Jarred and Fiona as soon as the characters were in the same room, but loved that it was a slow burn, rather than a “full on” romance between them. There were just hints at romance it wasn’t at the forefront of the book. The idea of sheltering and starting life over in a series of caves was really interesting and I would have loved to learn a bit more about the details and workings of that. To be totally honest all the main characters were great, and I found all their interactions with each other and other outside their immediate group interesting. There was quite a bit of violence/killing in this book but it was “killing to survive” and was not “glorified” and only done when absolutely necessary and when it was a matter of the survival of the group.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were, Wow! This one kept me reading into the early hours of the morning! I really enjoyed this book, It reminded me a little of Grace Hamilton’s After The Shift as well as aspects of Kyla Stone’s Edge Of Collapse. This book was an introduction to Riley Miller, an author I hadn’t read before. I will definitely be on the look out for more books by this author.

Summing up, I admit I did approach reading this book with a little trepidation as the book is co-authored by Riley Miller, an author I have not read anything by as yet.
I always wonder how the co-authoring process works and admit was a little apprehensive about if this book would be as good as the one’s she writes alone. However, I have to say that it was seamless, I could neither pick out any sections I didn’t really like, nor any characters I didn’t find believable. In fact, I would love to know how the writing process actually happened, were the two authors in the same room, via email or zoom? Did they each have their own sections or their own characters that they wrote for. How this book ended suggests it was a standalone but I hope to read more by either both these Authors individually as well perhaps more books written together or with other authors too.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good apocalyptic future novel. You can find yourself immersed in the story and caring about what happens to the characters and what they are enduring. Good action and suspense to keep your interest,

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should have been two books.

Interesting premise and characters. I think that dividing this into two or three books might have tightened things up. By the time I got to five hundred pages I was done. I forced myself to limp through the rest.

[Debbie Tremel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

There were some great things in this story, but the things I didn't like brought the rating down. The best aspect of the book was the characters. Well developed and interesting... and boy, does she write creepy well! It was a good adventure with lots of twists and turns. Some of my peeves with it had to do with some of the inconsistencies and impractical survival scenarios. For example...first there was only food for a few weeks, but then it seemed to last forever. Nor was there even a discussion about scavenging food and supplies from town- all the homes of the people who evacuated. There was endless food for the animals, which apparently they were able to carry. Wild carnivores were supposedly starving, even just a few days into the storm. People didn't know about a topic but later were quoting facts...Don't want to say too much and give things away, but you get the idea. There were also a good number of typos. And 900 pages? Sometimes the pacing suffered because of it. Many people obviously loved this book, I just look for a little more realistic survival aspects and it pulls me from the story when I ponder poor information. It's still a good, enjoyable story.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been so much more

I have always enjoyed Grace Hamilton's books and have read many of them. However, this was not her normal writing. The premise is there but the writing lacks depth and sophistication required for a good story. This lacked a plausible timeline of events and a realistic explanation. This story was more like the rough first draft. It was so overly wordy that a good 2-300 pages could have been eliminated and made the storyline more interesting. This whole event occurs in maybe a month. Yet the characters are acting like it is the end of life and appear to be overreacting. They have no information about what is going on with the weather, yet assume it is the end. The back story should have been set up more. It appears rushed. It was "oh no! Its a snow storm lets run south". Kinda like chicken little. They are living in Thomas home and it is snowing so bad, yet nobody thinks to clear the snow off the roof daily? These are Northern folk, not Floridian's who got caught in the snow. It was just poorly written and could have been spectacular.

[Nathan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given some of the real-world technological ideas for fighting climate change, the premise for this novel shouldn't be surprising, even if it's one I haven't seen before--except, of course, for the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." I appreciated where the authors went with it. The characters were distinct enough, and I found their version of the quintessential religious cult to be rather inventive. And thankfully, I don't know enough about Ohio to have much of a sense for whether or how much the authors fudged with geography and geology, nor do I know enough about farming or goats to know how much fudging was done by the authors. Even if some of their complications felt a little awkward from a story angle. A couple of the character names presented some confusion for reasons that I think will be apparent to the reader. And there was one loose end right in the final couple of chapters that I really hope is tied up in the next novel. I still enjoyed it, even though the heft of it will certainly be intimidating to slow readers like me.

[JoAnn Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but the main character Fiona was a mess. Everything was about her, she was in constant flux about being a leader for the group she didn’t want or not, when things went wrong it was all her fault and someone else should do it, when someone else stepped up she was hurt and upset- omg, pick a lane. I learned more about her insecurities than I did the never ending storm! Then we have the widower josh who couldn’t make a decision to save his life without Fiona telling him to and his snotty daughter hope. To be honest the characters just weren’t like able. The story line of an ongoing winter was interesting and something I wanted to read about and see how they survived it. The choice of where to go was pretty good and I wanted to know how that worked out for them but of course that turned Fiona into a bigger mental mess to deal with. Good idea but poorly executed character wise.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book. From opening the first page I was engrossed. I followed Fiona on her journey and the people she met, some of which she passed by and others she allowed to join up with her. There were plenty of ups and downs along the way and at times fraught. Not everyone in her party would survive. I couldn't have guessed the road that the third part of the story took, in the end, it worked. This is the first book I have read by Grace Hamilton and I loved it. The story was excellent and quite simple to follow and the characters were so realistic. I highly recommend Endless Winter.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing Never-Ending Snow

This is one mega-book! I don't believe it is a compilation of an actual series, as I didn't hear those divisions stated in the audiobook. This weighs in at over 27 hours! Because the author has so much word real estate, she's really able to explore what happens between all the people in the book and how they deal with external circumstances. It can be broadly divided into three sections (called Parts in the book), with the last section seeming to take up more than its third. The premise is that scientists have accidentally and catastrophically sent us into a new ice age as they attempted to do something good by tinkering with the weather. So suddenly, in the middle of September, the world is plunged into what the title states, an endless (or nearly so) winter with snow continuing to fall day after day as it piles up all around and on top of things, killing crops that hadn't yet been harvested and destroying buildings—wreaking havoc and portending a very bleak future, indeed.

The book's first part takes place at the female protagonist's homestead in rural Ohio. Let's just say she's not a people person; she lives on her own and is mostly self-sufficient. Once the storm hits, she gets some unexpected, and at least one unwelcome, visitors! There are many interpersonal goings-on in both this section in the book—at times, I wanted to throttle the male protagonist’s teenage daughter—and the other two. I could understand the female protagonist's frustration with these people. She wanted a very different life, but she is a natural leader who actually helps those in her sphere adjust and change as they get accustomed to their new normal.

The second part of the book focuses on a journey when the ragtag group decides to move to a different location so they can be better protected from the never-ending snow. As always happens in these dystopian books, our group of people always seems to run into bad groups of people, including some low-life bandits masquerading as former police officers in this section and a very cultish, cruel group in the third part of the story.

The third part of the story is the longest, and certainly, my least favorite. The cultish group of people mentioned above is an extended family who have these bizarre beliefs that essentially allow them to be very cruel to people as they see things as the will of the gods. They are harsh and terrible to our little ragtag group. In this section, the female protagonist certainly has a crisis of faith in herself and her ability as a leader of their little band, and she is treated the most harshly by the evil cult members. What happens to her and the group in this sheltering cavern is pretty awful and exceedingly violent—especially the final stand-off. In fact, if you have a low threshold for bloody violence, skip this book altogether. I'm not particularly wild about excessive violence myself, but by that point in the book, I was already invested in the characters and wanted to see how they would get out of their circumstances.

It's hard to say if I would actually recommend this book, even after all the time I spent listening to it. Perhaps if that extensive third section were different, I could more wholeheartedly suggest it to other listeners. But that last section just left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, despite a too short but well-earned victory lap at the end, and well, that's where the book ended.

I received a promo code for this audiobook, but that did not affect my review.

[Daniele Kasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Hamilton's other survival books, the Chaos series, and was happy to snag this one to read. The Chaos series was about surviving after a coronal mass ejection knocks out power across the globe. The first in another post-apocalyptic series, Endless Winter focuses on climate change and a new Ice Age ravaging the planet.

In an effort to reverse climate change, scientists are conducting experiments but one goes very wrong, ending in total disaster for the planet. Main character Jarred and his daughter Hope are caught in the brutal man-made winter. Temperatures drop drastically, the world freezes over and Jarred is forced to take his daughter and head south hoping to find warmer weather. Jarred isn't prepared to survive on the journey so he does his best to keep he and his daughter safe and alive. They are the total opposite of Fiona, who is more than prepared with the skills and supplies to survive the cold. Fiona is more introverted, preferring to be alone, which I completely connected with and really liked her character. Forest ranger Benjy shows up at her cabin, seeking help. But he has his own secret motives for being there. After Jarred is injured, Hope goes searching for help and stumbles across Fiona's cabin. Fiona finds her cabin becoming a safe haven in the snow and as more people show up needing help, tensions mount.

Another great story of survival and how humans react when they are pushed to their breaking points. Both Fiona and Hope are great characters, smart in their own way, clever and ready to take on a challenge. There were some more humorous moments with the animals that allowed for some light-hearted spots to be scattered through the tense action. Benjy was a classic narcissistic creep and I absolutely loved to hate his character. As with any good survival story, it is never a guarantee and the group faces numerous hurdles and set backs and it never seems like they are totally safe. Right when you think they are, then they end up facing down some new danger. I liked how there was a little slow burn romance but it was kept as a secondary plot and it wasn't the focal storyline.

This was a great book and I actually feel like I enjoyed this book even more that Hamilton's other series. The book was wrapped up in a way where it could be a standalone but I hope that there are more books coming and it will be a new series.

[Sammie Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparks Strong Emotions


Fiona Scarborough is a woman on a mission. She has purchased a rundown homestead and intends to use every talent, skill and hardworking bone in her body to bring it all up to her standards, completely alone. She's well on her way, with her sheepdog Curt, pack goats (loved them), chickens and furniture building when suddenly it starts snowing in September, waaaaay out of season. Some scientists have tried to fix the effects of global warming but instead created an endless winter.

So let's speak if the great to good happenings. Neighbors come together. Each shares their skills, are hardworking. Gardening and animal husbandry, cooking, and sharing across age groups are fantastic. *Spoiler* this is seriously pointed out in book 2. The villians are unexpectedly well drawn...sparking strong emotions.
Jarred White and his daughter Hope meet up with Fiona after Jarred gets hurt. Fortunately this turns out over the course of the 3 book series to be exactly what each of them needed. Again we have a strong, smart female lead, but this time Jarred compliments her strengths. However, Hope is the direct result I've often seen when single parents decide they owe their children coddling instead of discipline. This inevitably produces people with absolutely "no respect for the property of others." These children can easily justify being rebellious against their primary caregivers, putting others in danger and being whiners when the situations they create end in violence. Hope is smart as a whip, often has a good heart, however where parents do not discipline, problems result. Example: anything can be said, but we'll thought, "outside the box", politely spoken comments show critical and logical thinking. Without that expectation, these kids become destructive. Those seeking to protect them, instead of letting them face consequences, often end up stuck in unnecessarily ugly confrontations. This theme follows through in every encounter whether with Benjy in book 1 or the Dwellers in book 3. It keep me engaged and was very timely because I was wondering exactly what would happen if the world turned cold and dark minus zombies. Very well written. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Wendy K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, this is one of those books that went in and out of my KU library a few times before I finally started it. The whole concept of this post-apocalyptic book is fascinating because the world has been plunged into basically a man made ice age. You find out pretty quick in the book that this was created by scientists to help the melting polar ice but the technology got away from them and they couldn’t stop the winter from happening. But after that, you are left in the dark about the severity of it just as much as the characters are.

The story follows Jarred and his daughter Hope as they try to flee south from the storm. They didn’t make it too far before they crashed off the road and had to find shelter. They eventually make it to a homestead run by Fiona and she takes them in. I should mention that this book is multiple POV, so that’s great because they each end up doing different things to survive and you get an insight to more than just one character. Fiona ends up taking in multiple people during this event and that puts a stain on the situation.

I’m not gonna lie. I wanted to like this more but I really began to get irritated with a lot of the secondary characters and the decisions everyone was making to survive. And I had a really hard time liking Fiona. The situation sucked for sure but reading a lot of the characters constant complain was just irritating. I’m not an expert, so I can’t say what I would do but ultimately I didn’t really feel connected to anyone or the situation. Then the story just went and got crazy with other survivors and situations and it was hard to stay interested because it looked like there was just no easy or good outcome for these guys.

I’m glad I have it a go finally but I just don’t know if at this time I will continue this story. However, I do plan to check out more books from these authors. I might find a story I like more than this one.

[Cathy Demming · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was all about survival and keeping family together, wether that family is by blood or association.

I live in the caribbean and have never experienced snowfall. After reading this book, I think I have a pretty good idea how it feels. The details of the settings in each chapter made me feel like I was right alongside the characters, shivering in the blistering cold with them. The diverse personalities of the characters kept the book interesting.

My favourite scene was in part three, with the twist in the cave with Fiona. I literally screamed for joy when it happened. It was very satisfying. I don't have a least favourite part per say, only a problem with the character Jarred at times. I felt like, even though he had an injury the entire length of the novel, he could've done more to protect his group. He was a little bit "soft", but came around in the end.

Fiona on the other hand, I could've definitely relate to her in so many ways. Living alone and creating a self-sufficient life for herself and her dog? Well in my case it's my son. Even though she was reluctant to be the leader of a group of people she didn't know, she had the ability to handle challenges as they came. And believe me, there waa alot of unexpected turns in this book.

I sincerely recommend Endless Winter by these two wonderful authors Riley and Grace. This was my first time reading a post-apocalyptic prepper saga and I must say... WELL DONE! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Latisha’s Low-key Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Endless Winter
Grace Hamilton & Riley Miller
Dystopian Fiction
921 Pages

Endless Winter throws this apocalypse on its head.

Short Synopsis

Endless Winter is made up of three parts. Each part is a book in itself, which is why there are 921 pages.

Scientists shrewd up while trying to fix climate change. Snow starts coming down like there is no tomorrow, and it isn’t stopping anytime soon.

My Thoughts

I am a big fan of apocalyptic stories. Endless Winter dealt with this differently using snow as the issue.

There weren’t a lot of other people around as they had either evacuated to the south or the weather took them out. Fewer people mean fewer run-ins with horrible, jerk-face entitled groups who kill and take what they want.

Of course, there was a bit of fighting those rotten people. These parts are so intense for me, as I am invested in the good guys, and tend to put myself in their place.

Endless snow is a scary thought.
Environment issues caused by humans, yikes.
Strong female characters, love it.
Teamwork to save themselves, inspiring. Overcoming personal hindrances, inspiring.

Endless Winter is a good read, taking you along on a fight to stay alive. If you like dystopian books, give this one a go!

Thank you to Grace Hamilton & Bookfunnel for providing an ARC to read & review.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a BIG Book!

This is a VERY BIG book. That’s not a bad thing but just be aware.

Another great post-apocalyptic story. This time the rich and powerful have messed up trying to “fix” things and created a bigger problem—a raging, endless winter. No invasion, war or other event—just the weather which is merciless and unpredictable.

The book starts a bit slowly as we meet our characters early on and they are just normal average people that find themselves out of their depth. If they are going to survive, they’ll have to adapt, learn and evolve quickly. I’m reminded of that commercial “it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”.

We’ll developed story that flows smoothly with nothing far fetched. It all sounds possible.

Totally enjoyed the book which is excellently crafted and well developed. Our characters are shaped by events, a storyline that tests them in many ways and a harsh environment that made we want to crawl into bed and hide. I’m pretty sure if snow started to fall while I was reading this I would have panicked. I fell into the story and didn’t want to leave. Excellent read but note the length. I did get involved in the storyline and didn’t want to leave it which kind of messed with my schedule—totally worth it!

[Glenn Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endless Winter was initially slow to get into for me due to several references early on that this was a sequel. Whilst some of the back story of the characters would have been handy to know, eventually I got to know the characters and settle into the story. And it sure was an action packed story. Rather than a single protagonist, we followed a group of six protagonists. Living in a dystopian world of ice and snow, they were simply travelling to try and find a warmer place to settle. But as they travelled, all they found was one life threatening situation after another. Against all odds they managed to somehow come through these dire circumstances and continue their journey. It was definitely a rollicking story and a fast read. Four of the group were teenagers with little life experience so I did feel it was a little far-fetched how they seemed to cope with, and get through their various ordeals. I also felt the story lacked emotion and just careened from one scene to the next. I enjoy dystopian stories which is what attracted me to this book. A fun read from an author who clearly knows how to tell a story. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[DarcyJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand the high rating of this book. It's mediocre at best. I read 28% of this book before I couldn't take it any more. My biggest problem? Almost EVERYONE! Fiona has a homestead for 15 years, but can't fix things around her house? She can build furniture, but not fix a building? I think not! Some of the reviews talk about her being a strong female, but I just don't see it AT ALL. Benjy is at least consistently weird. Jarred keeps making bad decisions and Hope has to be the most annoying teenager of all time. They do mention her having impulse control issues, but holy hell! Read the room kid!! When she ran off I was almost glad, but by that time I had had enough with this book. To me it was REALLY going nowhere! I will say that I did like the premise, because that is TOTALLY something government would do and I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened. I would try others from this author, maybe this story just wasn't cutting it for me.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Hamilton is one of my favorite "end of life as we know it" authors. She is joined in ENDLESS WINTER by Riley Miller, a native Alaskan who has experience in the damage cold can bring to the unprepared.
The battle against climate change has been waged in many small steps. When science attempts a large scale battle, their efforts will force the Earth into an overnight ice age. As resources disappear in the extreme cold, the population begins to migrate south, looking for more moderate temperatures and better living conditions. As in any apocalypse story, there will be confrontations along the way that will force individuals to band together for safety. Many of the challenges they will face will come as a suprise to readers that have never considered a "prepper" lifestyle. I'm always happy to see another Grace Hamilton book. She has written many, but never repeats stories. Definitely a 5 star read.

[Kristine L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an awesome story. It has three parts but as you are reading you just tend to go with the flow. This is no EMT story but still an end of the world story but with this you'll freeze to death if you stand still. The story flowed and the characters were convincing. Leave climate control to scientists and instead of the fix they have snow coming down in buckets. Most of the population had already moved south and the few left were fighting the groups of people who killed other to take what they had. There small groups of people that banded together to save themselves, overcome adversary, and inspire. Fight along with the group of people who fight to stay alive. Long book, but great book. Another great story by Grace Hamilton and Riley Miller. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Beatrix Starling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, it was just silly. Dnf past halfway.
So, technically, somewhere up North, it starts snowing. Somehow everyone panics, and starts migrating South. Within the day, there are no authorities present, no government, no information flow. We went from a normal day to full blown apocalypse within 24hrs. Because it started snowing.
The book continues in the same vein. Despite an empty town, there's a food scarcity. Wild animals starve within a day or two. The remaining people act like it's their first time seeing snow, surprised that it needs shovelled away.
The personal dynamics were just as silly, with a reluctant mc and a bunch of people who look at her for every minor decision.
It just really wasn't worth it. The writing is fine which is why i even got that far, but this book needed eyes on before publishing.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endless Winter is a captivating "it could really happen" end of the world scenario all rolled up into over 900 pages of nail biting true to life craziness. When an experiment to fix climate change goes bad an endless winter is created throwing the planet into a chaotic frenzy as everyone fights to survive. Once again Grace Hamilton has given us an original storyline with mystery, danger, intrigue, suspense, descriptive writing, and characters that had me cheering for them to find a way to survive. I definitely recommend this book and this author to everyone who loves post-apocalyptic, survival stories that have you wondering if it really happened would I survive. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona lives on a farm, happy to just live by herself and take care of the crops and animals. When an attempt to correct climate change goes awry and an endless winter arrives, so does a community of people who need her help. A reluctant leader, Fiona does her best to help this motley group navigate this bitterly cold and terrifying world.

This was a well-researched, thoughtful book with a fairly believably scenario and fully-realized characters. The writing was clear and the editing and proofreading were fine, with few obvious mistakes. The pace moves quickly and keeps the reader engaged, and it kept me rooting for the characters the entire time.

I didn't feel it was particularly "heads above the crowd" in the apoc genre, but it kept me reading, and I am an impatient reader!

[Laure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scientists from all over the world have collaborated to find a solution to the Global Warming crisis, unfortunately the experiment they devised and executed quickly gets out of control and plunges the world into a new Ice Age.
Absolutely wonderful characters. Fiona and her small group are just trying to survive long enough to arrive at the caves they hope will become their sanctuary in a frozen world filled with hungry animals and deadly humans. Action packed and suspenseful read that I thought was terrifyingly realistic. A must read post-apocalyptic adventure of survival and found family.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Kay Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome story! A group of people come together in the hope of surviving an unending snowstorm. From the start it’s a battle against the weather and other people, bad people. It’s easy to become invested in the characters and the story. There’s more than a couple of places that will take your breath away! Humanity certainly shows the capacity to transform when conditions are right. Grace Hamilton writes of this both with elegance and a Neanderthal viewpoint whenever either is required

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books written by Grace Hamilton; she is one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

She has written another fantastic book. The story is about families surviving an ice age. Hope & Jarred trying to survive in the wilderness during an ice storm after their car spins out of control. Fiona’s stockpiled for winter and finds Benjy.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.