hristmas isn’t complete without a good horror books and that is exactly what Snowball was!

It’s told in multiple povs from a group of strangers who are stranded on their way home on a isolated highway as it’s snowed so much that even the snow plow is stuck. Strange things start from the very beginning all the way to the end in this story. The strangers all gather in an old couples RV as they seem to have never ending supply of cocoa and a generator for heat.

As the night goes on one of the older ones, I can’t remember which one, decides to ask about their scariest memory of winter. The old guy had one about Krampus, the older lady had one about a serial killer, there was even something about scary snowmen. You kind of wonder what it all has to do with the story but then you find out. It seems like almost everyone in there has had something tragic happen and almost all of them have one person it common.

Two of the guys try to make it to a house and that is when it really gets interesting! It had a hansel and gretel feel to the house and I so wouldn’t have went in, snow storm or no snow storm! 🙂

I really enjoyed this one even if I wasn’t completely fond of any of the characters. There might have been a couple I routed for but all the others it was like who cares. I do know that I will never be able to look at a snowman again without thinking of this book and the evil snowmen in this! It has corrupted my poor mind when it comes to snowmen.

I love a good isolated story and sometimes they are a bit to slow for me but I thought this one had a really good pace to it and was very enjoyable.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves isolated, snowbound stories and horror.

Loved this - really reminded me of the way Richard Laymon wrote & he was one of my favourite authors. And therefore if you like horror/creepy reads this is for you! Read this book in 3 days and am not a particularly quick reader. Read this in December so the season was definitely right for the setting. Will be looking for further reads from this author.

How to know if a Christmas horror book is for me in three easy steps:
1. It’s a Christmas horror book!
2. Include this quote in the first chapter - “The snowman’s head rose, tilted back as its face came into view. Beneath the coal-black eyes and long crooked carrot nose was a black mouth grinning with two rows of sharp teeth.”
3. Actually, I don’t need any additional information. Bah humbug!

“What was your worst winter memory?”

This Christmas Eve, during one of the worst snowstorms in New Hampshire’s history, a group of motorists are faced with the nightmares of winters past. Stranded on the highway with the snow building up around their vehicles, these strangers will learn there’s something that connects them. The past is coming back to bite them, possibly literally.

“Everything got screwed up at Christmastime.”

Featuring (amongst other creepies) snowmen, Krampus, a snowglobe and a toy maker who wants to play a game, our unwitting players have the odds stacked against them. Lining up to freeze to death (if something worse doesn’t get them first) …

This is Toby Hodge’s final Christmas with his son, Evan, and his grandkids before he and his wife, Nell, move to Florida. A snowplow driver who’s plowing his final stretch of highway before retirement, Toby is the first person we meet. The first person introduced in a horror story tends to either be the first victim or the main character. I was veering toward ‘hero’ until I learned he was about to retire.

In his late 40’s, Mason Drake is a parole officer. He and his wife, Joy, have been together for over 20 years. They have teenage children, Duncan and Daria. They have been arguing today. Joy got a tad too friendly with a coworker during an office Christmas party. Their arguing and Joy’s indiscretion may not bode well for them.

A trucker, Tucker Jenks had planned on visiting his sister in Cranford, New Jersey on his way to drop off electronics in Manchester before the storm. Trucker’s friend in northern New Hampshire is letting him stay with him instead, if he can make it there. He smokes a joint but he also loved his Nana, so his chances of survival are fair.

Dean Hagen flew in from Alaska after his mother called to tell him his father was in the ICU after slipping on ice and cracking his hip so he gets brownie points for that. However, he’d “been on a consulting assignment for the past two months there, winnowing out the expendable employees at a manufacturing plant.” The Christmas misery he’s dealt to others may attract some bad karma.

Graham Sawyer picked up his best friend, Clark Brooks, at Boston’s Logan airport. Graham’s wife, Natalie, had wanted Clark to take the bus instead and Graham probably should have listened to her. She’s waiting at home for him with their three daughters. Clark is a divorce attorney from Emeryville, California. They have the potential to be this story’s heroes but not all heroes survive.

Kirk Britton and his girlfriend, Sonya Tackett, are college students with one semester left before graduation. They’re on their way to Sonya’s parents’ home for the holidays. Kirk has a surprise planned for Sonya on Christmas morning but given the horror lore surrounding people who have sex, they’re probably both toast.

Shelby Wallace wasn’t supposed to be driving her two children home from their father’s but he’s drunk. Again. So Shelby is driving Luke (8) and Macey (10) home to spend Christmas with her. Shelby is comfortable in her damsel in distress routine and Macey is kinda whingey so I wasn’t overly attached to their survival. However, I liked Luke; he’s determined and willing to do what he can to be brave in really scary situations.

Werner and Francine Volkmann have been around the country in their RV visiting relatives. They planned to see grandchildren in New Hampshire for Christmas but were behind schedule, so they’re joining the other potential popsicles on the highway.

Finally, Lewis Felker spent Christmas Eve freezing outside a department store ringing his Salvation Army bell, collecting donations. Sure, he stole some of the money to finance his alcoholism but in theory all of that alcohol in his bloodstream should keep him slightly warmer than everyone else. He’s also the one who seems to figure out how dire everyone’s situation is first so maybe he has a chance after all.

I had fun reading this book. I expected more bloodshed and less background information about all of the characters although, to be fair, the relevance of the details of their worst winter memories became apparent as the story unfolded. The reasoning behind why this was happening to this specific group of people seemed a bit flimsy to me but the images of those snowmen helped distract me from most of my lingering questions.

“Things aren’t always what they seem to be.”

The two main questions that are still nagging me:
1. Why is a Christmas horror story being released in January?
2. What was inside the box in Tucker’s truck?

“Will Santa still come if we’re not home in time?”

Content warnings include mention of death by suicide and alcoholism.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Snowball by Gregory Bastianelli is one of the better horror novels I’ve read recently. It reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone, if it were suffering a steroidal rage. It’s bloody, it’s gruesome, it’s scary, and it’s altogether fun. It takes many beloved Christmas/winter figures and traditions and turns them on their ear in a wonderfully horrible way as it follows a group of strangers (or are the?) who are stuck on the road during an abnormally intense snowstorm on Christmas Eve. The premise is original and the writing is fantastic. Loved this offering from Flame Tree Press!

I began reading my ARC on Christmas Eve, perfect timing for a book that literally begins with 'Twas the night before Christmas'!

Bastianelli slams us right into the action on a blizzard struck highway, quickly introducing us to the characters stranded in each vehicle and enough back story for each to explain how and why they are there without an unnecessary info dump.

I worried that for the length of the novel it would be difficult to keep a pace in this one setting. Instead the characters each take a turn to describe their worst winter memory, this gave the opportunity to flesh them out as well as provide alternate time periods with various different spooks, scares and all out gorefests. By writing it this way Bastianelli takes the reader on an ever changing journey of horror which later weaves it's way into the present timeline.

As you know from the synopsis there is a reason behind each characters presence in this particular blizzard, one that reaches a bizarre but fun conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed Snowball and highly recommend it for a cold winters read.

I do have a couple drawbacks to mention however; I was disappointed that the few female characters included were all distressed and mostly useless damsels. Additionally the one and only POC was continuously referred to as just 'the black man' where others had fuller descriptions. I think if you need to remind us at every turn this man is black, even with fellow characters noting him as 'the black man' you are pushing a token narrative rather than a natural inclusion.
Whilst I did love Tucker's character he felt like a stereotype and could have been more seamlessly written.

Otherwise, if your looking for an original, creative take on festive frights definitely pick this one up. Yet another smashing release from Flame Tree Press!

This was one from my Christmas stash, thematically hoarded up throughout the year for the special occasion. I didn’t manage a Christmas themed scary movie this year, so I’ve made up for it in literary form. This would make a great Christmas scary movie, actually. It has all the beloved elements of the season (snow, snowmen, snowball fights and other non snow related things too), but each one turned into something sinister courtesy of the deliciously demented mind of the author. So a bunch of motorists get stranded in a huge blizzard on Christmas eve…they decide to last out the night gathered together in an RV belonging to an elderly couple passing the time by telling each other stories of their worst Christmases ever. No, that sounds almost cozy. And this definitely isn’t a cozy story. Because soon these stories begin to manifest as reality and as you know, in a thick blanket of snow no one can hear you scream…for your life. And then, if that wasn’t messed up enough, it turns out there’s an evil undead toymaker with a diabolical revenge plan operating the strings of this pantomime. Now it’s just a straight up battle for survival (gameplaying can be deadly (as Ready or Not the movie can show you and you haven’t watched it, you really ought to) and getting snowed in has never been more dangerous. So yeah, oodles of fun. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the way the author made all the beloved Christmas elements so decidedly creeptastic, I liked the writing and I liked how Christmasy it all was. I mean, yes, there’s gore and guts and blood for all the seasoned genre fans, but also things like the creepiest snowmen ever for the seasonal genre fans. Something for everyone. Plus an all around fun survival tale with players having something like a snowball’s chance in a certain hot, hot place of making it alive. Very entertaining indeed. It takes place from Christmas eve and into Christmas day, so I read it slightly prematurely, ideally it would have been timed just so, but there was celebrating and eating one’s weight in pie to be done. But even still it worked very well, although did its best work in the dark. Now with my new paperwhite kindle the ability to enjoy the scariest of stories without turning the lights on just never gets old. Love it. So yeah, a grand feast of Christmas frights. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Christmas and Horror! Two of my favorite things, so when you decide to mash them together, I’m all in. I had high hopes for this as soon as I read the synopsis, in the end, I was a bit let down.

The story starts with a Christmas Eve blizzard, leaving a group of travelers stranded on the highway with no hopes of escape any time soon. Most of the characters decide to wait out the storm with the comforts of each other.

Much of my problem here lies with the characters. I didn’t find a single character in this story to be likable. To make matters worse, the story didn’t really manage to make me hate any of them either. Personally, I don’t have to like a character to enjoy the story, making me hate your character works for me as well. The worst thing for me in a book is if I fail to feel anything, unfortunately, that’s how I felt about every single character in the book.

The story elects to have some odd coincidences in here that just felt off to me, and there was a part when everyone tells a small bit of history of themselves that had me ready to stop reading.

Things pick up though, and when the action starts rolling, it became a more enjoyable, if somewhat goofy tale.

As I closed the pages on Snowball, I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed, it wasn’t a bad book, the plot kept me reading and it does pick up in the later half of the book, I just had higher hopes for this particular title. At the very least, if the synopsis sounds interesting to you, It’s worth a try, just know that mileage will vary depending on the reader.

I requested for this book because I found the premise to be totally up my alley and the kind of horror I like. Overall, it was a 3 star read for me. There were things I really liked and few things were kind of disappointing.

Eight vehicles get stuck on their way to a highway on Christmas Eve. So, the perfect time for me to read it! And we spend the first half of the book following these people and get to know them a little. Which I think was great as it helped in forming the attachment to get invested in them. I really liked the way author created tension and the chills I got from descriptions. Those were my favourite parts! There was a little romance which was so cliche, we could have done better without it. And that was the only thing I was not a fan of in the first half.

The problem started with the second half. All this buildup and anticipation made me hoping for something more. So, when the second half came and all the action started, it kind of went ‘meh’ for me. What really did not work for me was the direction in which it all went. And all the bloody and gory part was underwhelming, I expected this to be a little more gruesome, which it was not. And the explanation for everything? We spent so little time processing that and it was so ineffective because of that. I felt nothing for the antagonist, nothing! Wished author spent more time on the second half as he did for the first half. 

Overall, it was an okay book. Will surely pick his other books and hope to like them more!

MY RATING - 3/5

So much potential, such a good start, but the ending felt rather disappointing. The first half of the book was slow, but pretty good, a group of people being stranded on the motorway due to a snowstorm. Soon, they gather in a mobile home and start telling their worst winter memory. Then terror starts creeping in, as they realize they heard and saw things from these stories just outside... What an exciting idea I thought, already fantasizing about the past haunting the present, the travelers meeting a grisly fate one by one. But then, another explanation for the weird coincidences turned up, and I did not like it at all. Suddenly, there were too many lines of action mixed up for my liking, making for a rough ride rather than a smooth flow of the story, despite some rather fascinating details. I'm sure this is a very personal opinion and other readers may see things differently and enjoy the book more than I did, so don't let my review prevent you from giving it a try. But for me the plot just did not work out as expected.

When a group of people are stranded with their vehicles during a snow storm on Christmas Eve naturally they begin to panic and worry that they wont be able to get home in time for the big day. If only the snow was all they had to worry about. Excellent gory nonsense that is the perfect antidote to the sugary excess of Christmas. Happy Horrordays!

What a great read. I was hooked from the beginning and it lasted until the last page. I would love to read other books by this author.

A snowy Christmas eve strands several strangers in the highway., they soon find out that the snow is the least of their problems and they're all in for the fight of their lives. There were some interesting parts, but overall it was boring. way too many characters were in this story and the ending was not satisfying to me

I haven't read anything this terrifying and original in decades.

I was chilled to my core throughout, physically needing blankets to continue reading.

The supernatural twist this novel took was expertly executed and succeeded in maintaining the fear without becoming farfetched.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I first requested this novel but I am absolutely blown away by how good it truly was.

I really hope this author writes another terrifying masterpiece like this in the future, I'll be the first in line to buy it.

In closing, my worst winter memory, was the fear I felt reading this novel.

Read it. You won't regret it.

A Christmas Eve blizzard, stranded on a lonely highway in a storm, as they search for help with a twisted toymaker who wants to play deadly games will they survive??? What an intense read!!! This is my first book by Gregory Bastianelli and I look forward to the next book!!! Stay out of the snow!!!

SUPER Scary! I've now developed some new phobias! SNOWBALL is a "locked-room mystery," in which said inescapable room is other-dimensional or otherworldly, emphasis on inescapable. Think open-air "Hotel California" but on a Christmas Eve, snowbound New Hampshire turnpike, stranded travelers, vehicles stuck...Then, think Snowglobe.


Lots of gore, tremendous Scares, Character Evolution: twists and turns everywhere. Implacable Horror. I absolutely adored being terrified (whistling through the graveyard here--smile).

Disturbingly creepy success!
Very clever, supremely enjoyable wintry thriller. It gripped me from the get-go. Particularly enjoyed how the author wove together a group of seemingly disparate individuals stranded on a snowy highway. The choices and decisions we make do have repercussions.
Do not read this if you suffer from the cold!

This is a spooky, scary tale that is rather claustrophobic in its delivery. For reasons I can't divulge here, a snowplough has failed to clear a forest highway, meaning that several people travelling at Christmas can't pass and get stuck. Certain of these travellers band together in one RV and start to tell tales from their pasts. It soon becomes evident that there is something that links the strangers. As things get weirder and weirder, they see a light in the forest and decide to try and get help. What they find there is not what they expected in their wildest imaginations and they soon realise the enormity of what is happening to them...
There's so much I loved about this book but can't mention here as the plot is so interconnected that anything I try and explain would make no sense as I can't go too far for fear of spoilers. What I can say is that the connection between the rather eclectic cast of characters is both interesting and intriguing and the reasons for their assembly in the snowstorm turns out to be one heck of a motive!
The setting and the weather lends itself perfectly to the story being told. Integral in fact. They allow the author to create some really rather spooky and often frightening scenes, some of which are a bit brutal. As the camaraderie degenerates into competition to survive we see both the best of people and the worst of them and, what starts as small innocuous incidents all add up to... well, I can't say, you'll have to discover that for yourself! A snowball thrown as a child starts off a chain reaction...
All in all, a good solid read that held my attention nicely throughout and with a ending that both fitted and satisfied. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A perfect, winter, ghostly read. For fans of Stephen King and similar. Gosh, but, it's a good one.

If you're reading this in the cold of winter, or, even better, Christmas - perfect. However, this is a riveting read for any time of the year.

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a snowstorm and each person has their own backstory that weaves throughout, making it flow as if it were a series of short stories, although, it's not, it's a cracking one long one that will have you feeling the chill, whatever the weather.

Solid 4* recommendation

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press and Gregory Bastianelli for the opportunity to preview this fabulous read.

Creepy, spooky, disturbing, eerie! Four words to describe this book. A horror filled Christmas Eve as motorists are stranded on a highway with a lunatic. The question you ask is how these motorists are connected. You soon find out in this Christmas Eve horror show!!

Really hard to put this one down. If you like the movie Jack Frost and Stephen King you are going to love it. Lots of fun gore and board game influences.

I had been saving this review copy until December (I've had it since summer) and I'm beating myself up for waiting so long.

I, being a HUGE fan of Jack Frost and board games loved the crap out of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me have this crazy killer snowman book.