I'm Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book Review: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall — Survival, Wolves, and One Very Loyal Dog

👉 Buy I Am Still Alive on Amazon (affiliate link)

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🚨 Trigger Warnings

• Death of a parent

• Animal death (yes, brace yourself 💔🐺)

• Violence (guns, knives, grenades — the works)

• Disability/discrimination

• Survival violence against animals

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📖 Overview

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall (2018) is a young adult survival thriller with a twist. Instead of a typical rugged outdoorsman hero, we get Jess Cooper, a 16-year-old with a disability, trying to survive the brutal Canadian wilderness after her father is murdered.

This book is gritty, fast-paced, and completely immersive. I personally love survival stories, and this one grabbed me from page one. My only gripe? The father’s murder plotline could’ve been fleshed out a little more. But still—a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read.

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⚠️ Spoiler Warning!

From here on out, it’s full spoilers, including the ending. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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🌲 Plot Summary: Freezing, Fighting, and (Barely) Surviving

Jess has already had a rough life: her mom dies in a car accident, and Jess is left permanently injured. She moves in with her estranged dad… except he doesn’t live in cozy Alaska like she thought. Nope. He lives in a remote cabin in northern Canada with only a wolf-dog, Bo, for company. 🐺

Jess and her dad’s reunion is awkward at best. He tries to teach her survival skills—fishing, fire-making, hunting—but she’s half-interested. Cue her new bestie, Bo the wolf-dog, who is both terrifying and adorable.

But the peaceful wilderness life doesn’t last. Her dad has a shady past with some criminals (Raph, Daniel, and a pilot). When they show up demanding a crate, things go south fast. Jess watches in horror as they murder her father and burn their cabin down. She barely escapes with Bo.

From here, the novel shifts into full-blown survival mode. Jess builds a shelter, scavenges supplies, teaches herself to fish and hunt, and slowly toughens up against storms, hunger, and predators. She even unearths her father’s grave (traumatic, obviously) to find ammo. 🪦💀

She and Bo eventually discover her father’s secret second cabin, stocked with food and weapons. Jess decides she’s not just going to survive—she’s going to take revenge. 💥

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🔥 Revenge Time

When the criminals return, Jess puts her plan into action: grenades, rifles, and pure grit. She faces them down one by one, with Bo at her side. There are brutal fights, near-death escapes, and even a wolf attack. Jess proves she’s tougher than anyone gave her credit for.

In the final showdown, she and Raph struggle on the ice. Jess pulls the pin on a grenade (casual, as one does) and takes him down. She tries to escape in their plane, but it sinks in the lake. At least she manages to grab Raph’s satellite phone and call for help.

But the hardest moment? When Bo is badly injured and Jess realizes he won’t survive. She makes the impossible choice to end his suffering. 💔🐺 Honestly, this broke me more than anything else in the book.

Rescue finally arrives, and Jess leaves the wilderness alive—but forever changed.

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💭 Final Thoughts

I couldn’t put this book down. I Am Still Alive is raw, gritty, and suspenseful, with one of the most compelling YA heroines I’ve read in a while. Jess’s disability adds a refreshing and realistic layer to the survival genre, showing resilience without sugarcoating.

What I wish? That the book dug deeper into the whole murder/blackmail subplot. It felt glossed over compared to the survival details. Still, the wilderness survival? Absolutely nailed it.

⭐ My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If you love survival stories like Hatchet or The Revenant, this one belongs on your shelf.

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📚 If You Liked This, Try:

• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen — the OG survival YA classic.

• Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter — survival meets thriller in the Alaskan wilderness.

• Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis — another raw and realistic teen vs. wild story.