Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore (review)

Dittemore, Shannon Winter, White and Wicked. Amulet/Abrams, 2020 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781419740237 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-68335-740-7 $15.54 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-10

The island of Layce is encased in ice and snow, and seventeen-year-old Sylvi is protected by the spirit of Winter, a force that saved her from a childhood assault and watches over her as she drives rigs across the island's brutal terrain. Now Sylvi's friend Leni has stupidly gone off to join the rebel forces against the Majority, and the best way to find her is through Mars Dresden, who is Winter's bitter enemy. Sylvi agrees to haul Mars' contraband if he will lead her to Leni; even in the best circumstances the trip would be dangerous, but now that Sylvi's working for Mars, Winter is mad as hell and is letting them both know it. Dittemore puts a solid block of ice on the gas pedal and does not let up as Sylvi contends with avalanches, melting ice bridges, deadly winds, and monsters made from the limbs of drowned sailors. Between all the action is the slow but steady telling of Sylvi's past, her trauma, and that of the island and her connection to it. The rebel and Majority storyline never really catches fire, but the mythology of Layce and Winter is uniquely crafted, and the vivid descriptions could bring frost to the pages. Readers will want hitch onto this propulsive, adrenaline-fueled ride through a dangerously thrilling and chilling landscape.