The heart-stopping second novel from the author of Nightwatching, in which a father-son ski weekend becomes a desperate fight for survival

Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. Schooled in outdoor survival by his mother, Zach is eager to prove himself to the hypercritical Bram. Maybe if Zach shows how useful he is, he can earn his father’s love.

But Zach knows to be on high alert around Bram, and he sees the way the group ignores the increasingly threatening conditions. For the first time in his beloved mountains, he is faced with the unknown, convinced that something watches their cabin from the treeline. Something that leaves behind strange tracks and picks its prey clean.

As the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized. Could the men around him prove more violent than the unforgiving weather, and the strange creature lurking in the dark? Zach will have to rely on his wits if he hopes to make it home safely. But he knows all too well that the wilderness can be unpredictable even at the best of times. And at the worst? Deadly.

I received a gifted audio copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Last year I read and was completely captivated by Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra. I found it tense and unforgettable. It was one of my top reads of 2024. Naturally, I was beyond excited when I learned she had a new book out. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to have it. While I liked the book, I didn’t love it as much as I loved the aforementioned.

The story follows twelve-year-old Zach and his father Bram on a backcountry ski weekend. Bram’s business is struggling financially, and he’s organized this trip to impress some wealthy investors. Zach, who learned outdoor survival skills from his mother, is cautiously optimistic. Maybe if he can prove how capable and useful he is in the mountains, he can finally earn his father’s approval. Maybe even his love.

But Zach also knows better than to fully trust his father. Bram is hypercritical, dismissive, and more concerned with closing deals than keeping anyone safe. As the weekend progresses, the weather gets worse. Avalanche warnings mount. And the group of adults keeps pushing further, ignoring every warning sign. On top of that, Zach becomes convinced something is watching them from the woods. Something that leaves strange tracks in the snow and corpses picked completely clean.

On one hand, the characters are all great. I loved the complicated relationship between Zach and Bram. Watching Zach navigate his desire to please his father while also knowing deep down that his father is reckless and selfish was heartbreaking. And I really loved to hate Bram. He’s your typical greedy white man who cares more about his money and his investors than he does about his own kid’s wellbeing. He was shady, questionable, and had a lot of depth. I also loved watching Zach struggle with his moral compass. Should he do what’s right, or should he do what will make his father happy? That internal conflict was compelling and felt very real for a kid trying to earn love from a parent who withholds it.

The snowy setting and the isolation were done extremely well. The avalanche threats were tense. Sierra knows how to build atmosphere, and the sense of danger from the weather and the terrain was palpable. I also enjoyed the mystery around the creature lurking in the woods. Something is out there eating elk and possibly people. Something that leaves behind hollowed-out corpses. It’s creepy and unsettling, and for a while, it added another layer of danger to an already tense situation.

But it was also where the book lost me. As the story went on, I found myself wishing for more of the creature. By the time I finished, I wondered what the point of including it even was. By the end, the creature felt like window dressing. It never really mattered. It never fully came into play the way I expected it to. And honestly, I felt a little duped.

Was the story good? Yes. Were there tense moments? Absolutely. Are the characters done very well? Without question. But could the creature have been left out entirely and the book be just as compelling? Yes. That plot point never went anywhere and felt more like a cheap shot than a payoff.

The real tension in this book comes from Bram and the other adults making reckless decisions while Zach tries to keep everyone alive. That’s where the story works. The creature feels tacked on, like Sierra wanted to add a horror element but didn’t commit to it. And because it never fully develops, it ends up feeling like a distraction instead of an asset.

I did a full immersion read with this one, listening to the audio narration while reading the physical book, and Michael Crouch did a good job. His voice was perfect for both the kid and adult characters. He brought the right tone to Zach’s internal struggle and nailed Bram’s cold detachment.

So where does that leave me? I liked this book. I didn’t love it. The father-son dynamic is strong, the setting is great, and the tension is real. But, honestly, the creature subplot felt underdeveloped and ultimately unnecessary. If you loved Nightwatching, give this one a shot. Just don’t expect the same payoff.