Hi readers, it’s not long to go now! It’s been a busy few weeks getting the last bits and pieces together, and I can’t wait to see what you all make of The Snowflake Army. If you haven’t read The Snowflake Trap yet, now’s the time to do it. I also went back and re-read the book as part of my editing process, and even though the books are going to be published a year apart, it’s interesting to see how they fit together with just a day in between them in the story’s timeline. However, a lot can change in a day, and a lot has, especially with our leading trio. Let me explain.

Warning: Contains mild spoilers

At the end of The Snowflake Trap, Max, Leah and Shawn were in Wacherton, their local city, having escaped their hometown of Leasford which had been left in an awful state. They’d decided to spend the night up there in a hotel, as Leah and Ben’s (her little brother) parents were already staying there. Luckily, both Max’s mum and Shawn’s parents were also safe, away from Leasford. The three spent the night trying to come to terms with all that had happened, ready for a new day ahead.

However, all three of the characters changed a huge amount over the course of the book and the people they are now are very different to who they were at the beginning of the previous book. Max especially had a massive arc in the first book, and this one is far more focused on Leah and Shawn (as you may notice from the colours!)

Leah started The Snowflake Trap being desperate to travel and still pining over Max. She wanted to get away from Leasford and technically, she’s had her wish granted, although not in the way she expected. She was all ready to set off, but everything changed in the trap, especially when she discovered how severe Shawn’s mental health issues were. She saw a different side to him, and Max, when they started fighting back against the boomers and that was when she began to feel isolated. Now, she’s had her whole world turned upside down since having to kill her older brother Kevin after he tried to kill her and Ben. She struggled to face her parents and is still struggling with her emotions, but is hoping the distraction of stopping the remaining traps will help her push through. By the start of The Snowflake Army, she’s acting a lot colder and has become far more cynical which is completely understandable, and you’ll see how it all affects her throughout the book as many more surprises arise.

Max too has changed a lot, especially since becoming a leader for his generation. He began The Snowflake Trap feeling very unsatisfied with his life, especially considering he wanted to make a difference to the world. He felt quite left out by Leah and Shawn and was jealous of their much closer friendship and that was only exacerbated in the trap when he was separated from them and overheard some of their plans to move in together. However, after they invited him along (despite him not knowing the truth about Shawn), he felt much better and decided to stand up to his mum too. However, she confessed a big secret – his dad who Max thought was an activist had actually cheated and left the family instead when Max was younger. That changed everything Max knew about himself and his life, and he’s still reeling from that conversation. However, he’s got other things on his mind now that he has to lead his generation to victory, and he’s a far more confident character at the start of The Snowflake Army. However, that may not last long, considering what’s about to happen…

Shawn has probably had the biggest transformation between the two books. He started off as a very shy, nervous, anxious character, dealing with his mental health issues and trying to keep them a secret, but in The Snowflake Trap, everything changed. It turned out that he thrived being under pressure and because of his over-active brain, he managed to figure out the solutions to the traps far quicker than his friends most of the time and he managed to get them out of plenty of scrapes. He took to battle very well and became much more ruthless over the course of the book. However, that wasn’t always a good thing, as he ended up killing Leasford’s MTM leader without considering the consequences, meaning they don’t know the locations of the upcoming traps. He therefore decided he would soon tell Max the truth about his issues, and eventually tell his parents too when he saw them again. That plays a big part in who he is in The Snowflake Army and the guilt of letting his generation down is a big driver too. But Shawn’s got a lot more going on for him in this book especially, and he’s about to discover a lot more about himself too…

So there you have it. This is a series of growth, and a lot is going to happen within these books too, meaning you probably won’t recognise all the characters by the end of them either. It’s amazing what a generational war can do to people.

Anyway, you can read all about it yourself very soon.

Until next time!

The Snowflake Army will be released on 18th September 2023! Book 1 of The Snowflake Series, The Snowflake Trap is OUT NOW, and the final instalment will be out next year! My other books The Signs Are Coming and The Luke Bright Series are also available to buy – check out their individual pages on my website for links.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.