I know I said I was on hiatus, but when my friend Liz contacted me and asked if I could review her debut adventure novel, Avalanche, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share it with y’all!

Avalanche is a Christian young adult novel that is clean enough for middle grade audiences as well. Though it’s set during the summer, I found it to be a great read for winter!

Avalanche by M. Liz Boyle explores the scenario of what happens when a group of teen hikers have the misadventure of suffering an avalanche on a midnight summit in the mountains of Colorado. This book serves as a great wintertime read for teens and adults alike who are interested in everything outdoors.

What I Liked:

Positive Role Models

Avalanche is a Christian YA novel, and the cast of teen characters actively profess and live out their faith. The characters are faced with several dilemmas and overcome them by relying on God and learning how to treat one another with respect during stressful situations. Teens can learn a lot from these characters.

Very Clean Content

More conservative Christians who are wary about negative content in books will enjoy this read, as no foul language or replacement words are used. Those who are looking for clean alternatives to mainstream YA will find this an excellent adventure book.

Informative

Readers who do not know much about hiking and/or mountain climbing will come away from this book learning new terminology and interesting, good-to-know facts about surviving dangerous conditions. At times, the descriptions of gear and lingo seemed textbook-like, but were necessary to provide proper information to the readers. The author is very knowledgeable of the subject matter, and it is apparent in her writing.

Iffy Points:

Very Proper Dialogue for Teens

While the teens’ dialogue wasn’t boring, it felt a bit too proper for the age group, especially for the younger members, Lydie, Marlee, and Marshall. At times, it read like a group of adults talking rather than teens, but it could be because the group all acted mature for their ages.

Overall, Avalanche is a unique, outdoorsy read that lovers of winter and hiking are bound to love.

Rating:

I received an ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not required to receive the book

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

Have you read Avalanche? Be sure to check out the author’s website for more awesome content!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀