The creatures peered at her with beady eyes, lips curling to bare tiny teeth in an expression more suited to a rabid dog.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Remember the ’90s? Well…the town of Demise, North Dakota doesn’t, and they’re living in the year 1997. That’s because an alien worm hitched a ride on a comet, crash landed in the town’s trailer park, and is now infecting animals with a memory-loss-inducing bite–and right before Christmas! Now it’s up to nineteen-year-old Realene and her best friend Nate to stop the spread and defeat the worms before the entire town loses its mind. The only things standing in the way are their troubled pasts, a doomsday cult, and an army of infected prairie dogs.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

I’ve always been a fan of Angela’s short stories as she’s appeared in two of my Women in Horror Anthologies (My American Nightmare with The Ballad of Sorrow and Lila and Strange Girls with Night Terrors), so when I had a chance to read her debut novel I was thrilled. Frost Bite is a fun, entertaining read that follows protagonist Realene as an alien parasite invades her small town ala The Faculty.

There were many fun action-packed scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed and I really loved the emotional highs and lows I got from reading this novel. Personally, I thought the crazed prairie dogs to be quite amusing (I’ve never seen them before so I totally had to Google them and they’re the cutest animals ever).

This very much reads like a 90s horror book but with a nostalgic twist. Anyone who has lived during the 90s will get a kick out of all the references, not to mention be reminded of some things we may have forgotten about. It was really bittersweet in that respect. I also loved that this book reminded me of the 80s film The Curse (also dealing with a meteor falling in a small town with devastating consequences for everyone who lived there).

I recommend this book to anyone who likes horror with a sci-fi alien with a dash of cults and loves snowy, cold settings.

*Thank you so much to Nightworms & the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Short Q & A with Author

Was there a specific reason why you chose to set your book in the 90’s?

I grew up in the ’80s and ‘90s, and I was the same age as the main character around the late ‘90s, so it was the most obvious choice since I had specific memories of that time. Maybe I’m lazy? LOL. It was also just really fun to set it then, because it allowed me to reconnect with a lot of the pop culture I experienced and loved. I had a fantastic time researching events, movies, music, and food and figuring out how to thread references throughout the book to give a strong sense of time and place. 

Your book has been really popular. Did you think it would’ve resonated with so many people and how does it feel?

I certainly hoped it would be popular but didn’t necessarily expect it. It felt really incredible to know this story and these characters resonated with people, especially since it’s kind of a silly premise. Ultimately, I wanted people to have fun reading it, but I’m really happy people have connected with the heart behind the story, too (I often get messages about Realene’s relationship with her mom, who had dementia, and how meaningful that was to readers). 

What can we expect from the sequel? 

As those who read book 1 know, there is a bit of a cliff hanger:) Alien worms aren’t so easy to kill, and Realene and Nate will have to step up again, though they are now battling the grief and trauma from the events in book 1. The book takes place during Spring Break, but not in Florida or Cancun. We’ll be venturing up to beautiful Canada!

The meteor in the novel is very reminiscent of the one from the movie The Curse (1987). Have you ever watched that movie?

I do remember that movie, but it has been so long since I have seen it! This is the first time that has been mentioned as a comp, but it is so spot on. I am totally going to rewatch it!

What are you currently working on? 

I just finished my debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, which will be released May 21st. It’s a collection on seventeen stories of girls and women lost to obsession, manipulation, and the darkness in the world around them, and I’m very proud of it. It’s got a much darker tone than Frost Bite but still has a little sweetness. I also just finished expanding my novella Chopping Spree, which will be rereleased in September. It’s a mall slasher with a cult-y twist that is currently out of print, and this new version is an extended cut (LOL) with a new cover that I can’t wait to show off!

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