For some reason I don’t tend to pickup horror stories such as Ravenous by Mark D. Freeman, but I had this feeling that I was going to enjoy the experience after seeing the simple yet awesome cover. Ravenous is a terrifying eco-thriller that builds suspense from the outset leading to outright fierce horrors with a fast-paced finished.
The ice is forming late this year. Very late. And the polar bears are growing hungry. 
Very hungry. Ravenous.
Kat Girard is in her second year as manager of the Polar Bear Alert Program in Borea, Manitoba, the polar bear eco-tourism capital of the world. Every fall, over a thousand bears migrate through the town on their way to the frozen Hudson Bay, drawing crowds of tourists hoping to glimpse the north’s deadliest predators up close.
But the bay shows no sign of freezing this year, leaving a horde of hungry polar bears isolated on land. Kat has her hands full managing the impatient wildlife, alongside arrogant and ignorant business owners more interested in tourist money than the growing danger all around them. What none of them know is that one bear has grown tired of waiting for the ice—and others soon follow suit. A sudden storm threatens to trap the entire town with land’s biggest living carnivores as an unprecedented hunger grips them.
Kat and the scientists and wildlife experts she works with respect these deadly apex predators. But those who don’t are about to see nature take its ultimate revenge.
Ravenous is a thrilling horror that is straight forward while also terrifying. Over the years when I have read horror stories involving animals, they tend to be supernatural or of similar feeling at least. Rarely have I read a story there the horror of the animals are just as simple as territorial creatures that are hungry and in a place to protect themselves. Ravenous is frightening, because of the proximity to reality and how things could really go wrong in a situation we find ourselves in around Borea, Manitoba.
The first half of the story is more low-key, taking a bit of time to get to the high-octane thrilling horrors of the latter half of the book. The author uses the first portion to build suspense and develop the characters so when the terrifying attacks hit we care more and it shows. If you showed up to this story for gruesome bear attacks, have patience as they are definitely present.
The suspense and horrors that lie within Ravenous gave off serious Jaws vibes for me. There is a moment where we almost get a homage to the interaction between Martin Brody and the Mayor in Jaws that screamed the comparison and made me love this book even more. I can also see comparing this story to Arachnophobia or similar tales as well, a story where there are antagonists, but the biggest villain to fear is the fierce animal.
Not only are the bears part of the frightful terrors in Ravenous, but the setting is unruly. Borea during a massive snowstorm does not sound like a fun time and Freeman adds to the tension with said storm. The weather mixed with the hungry bears made for an atmospheric and terrifying tale that hits a little close to home with climate change and our current world we live in.
Ravenous is a wildly entertaining and terrifying (see what I did there) eco-thriller filled with suspense and gruesome attacks in a truly unforgiving setting. Mark D. Freeman delivers on a horror tale that shows us you don’t need the supernatural to make nature terrifying. Ravenous is a frightening, blood-soaked thriller that gives off strong Jaws vibes but in a much colder climate.
Ravenous hits bookstores everywhere on December 29, 2026 from Grand Central Publishing. The audiobook, narrated by Julie Lumsden, is available via Libro.fm!
