Hi all!
Welcome back! In August, we read Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! If you wish to access all of the latest updates/information, click here. Spoilers ahead!
Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘Mosaic’ by Catherine McCarthy!
Today I’m going to discuss the book in the same way I normally do online. You can find the recorded talk on my book club Instagram page. I’ll give a quick plot summary plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post, so if you wish to guess without being spoiled, do not scroll to the end until you’re ready. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
DEAD OF WINTER BY DARCY COATES – AUGUST 2023
PLOT SUMMARY
When Christa joins a tour group, heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she’s hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they’ll be safe as they wait out the storm.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing, only to be discovered the following morning, with his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport…and they’re far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb.
OVERALL STAR RATING
I gave this book 5/5 stars. It’s one of Darcy’s best and I’m so proud of her for writing something very different to the rest of her works (more on that below). She took me on a journey with this one!
OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING
I also gave it a scare-factor rating of 5/5 stars. The gore was next level and the final scene at the lodge had me terrified. I was sweating from the tension and suspense!
DISCUSSION TOPICS
1.) What were your theories on who the butcher was?
I’m not going to lie; I guessed the killer very early on. It fell under a trope I’ve seen time and time again in horror movies. However, that didn’t lessen my enjoyment in any way. Furthermore, when Christa was being chased by Denny, I started to wonder if maybe I was wrong about my theory but nope! Darcy had me going up until the very end.
2.) How did this book differ from Darcy’s other works?
It differed greatly because it was her first violent story. I attended an online event of Darcy’s a couple of years ago, where she stated that she didn’t like to write gore in her novels. She preferred suggestive scares and an unsettling atmosphere. When I picked up Dead of Winter, I was floored. It was so intense, bloody and gory. It proved that she could write horror outside of her comfort zone and do it well. I’m truly proud of her.
3.) Did any of the characters deserve their fate or were they just good people that made big mistakes?
In my opinion, none of them deserved their fate. They definitely paid a pivotal role in a tragic event, but their deaths weren’t warranted. I loved Darcy’s commentary on how good people can make bad choices. Life isn’t as black and white as we think.
TRIVIA QUESTIONS
Easy: What was the name of the tour guide?
Medium: Which symbol was Kiernan’s in the journal?
Hard: What was the surname of the cabin owners?
I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion in this post and on Instagram. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the book club, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo
TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: Brian. Medium: Four-Leaf Clover. Hard: Kennedy.