Review: Avalanche (Off the Itinerary #1) by M. Liz Boyle

About the Book
Five friends. One moonlit summit. An unforgettable journey.

Excitement hangs in the air as Marlee and her sisters join their friends on a daring hike up a Colorado mountain - in the middle of the night. When Sawyer first proposes the idea of a moonlit summit during the two families’ annual backpacking trip, Marlee is terrified but also hooked. Having grown up taking trips to the mountains, they’ve learned a thing or two about hiking, and Sawyer is confident they'll be back by sunrise. But when disaster strikes, their knowledge, faith, and stamina will be put to the test. Digging out of the cemented snow is the first of many challenges in the coming days, and now Marlee has to trust Sawyer, who, by the way, was the brain behind the dilemma. Will their faith and friendship survive, or will they cave under pressure?

This engaging journey, told by fifteen-year-old Marlee Stanley, captures a timeless sense of adventure. The five young adults strive to exhibit godly character throughout their escapade, but it will take immense strength to hike out of this mess.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

This story puts you right in the middle of the action from the very beginning. There's a great sense of danger that immediately had me so invested in these characters lives. They faced some truly terrifying situations, but handled it all with such grace and bravery. I'm not sure I would've done as well as they did if I found myself in a similar situation.

I loved seeing the characters rely so heavily on God. In every harrowing moment they faced, they looked to the Lord for help. They placed their wholehearted trust in Him. It was so inspiring.

Informative and entertaining, this story was filled with lots of great tips if you ever find yourself in this kind of situation. The only issue I had was that sometimes the dialogue seemed a bit forced and formal, but other than that, I had a great time reading it and am eager for the next one. I highly recommend it, especially to younger readers.

FOUR STARS