by Shea Ernshaw
November 5, 2019
336 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Be careful of the dark, dark wood…
Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.
Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.
But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.
For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.
From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.
Be careful of the dark, dark wood…
Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.
Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.
But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.
For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.
From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.
Review
Winterwood kind of has me at a loss for words. I liked the atmospheric writing but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would because of the slow pacing.
The book started off slow. The story didn't really pick up until after the halfway point which had me wondering if it would go anywhere. Eventually it did but I wish it happened quicker. What I did enjoy was the sombre atmosphere that was ever present. The ominous tone could be felt through the writing.
Normally I can sympathize with a lonely girl ostracized by her peers but Nora wasn't very likable. Her thoughts bordered on depressing. She was super mopey about not having any magic (aka nightshade in the Walker women) and constantly reiterating how useless she felt without it. I didn't like being in her head. Though she is a good person and kind for helping Oliver and Suzy.
The romance in Winterwood was not my type. I couldn't feel the emotional connection because the insta-love was strong. However, Nora and Oliver were well-suited- both a little tormented in their existence but strong-willed in doing the right thing. Their relationship felt doomed from the beginning but I applaud Ms. Ernshaw for the twist. Such a difference it made on the overall mood of the story.
The big twist wasn't hard to guess. I had my suspicion since the POV change so I wouldn't say I was disappointed when the truth was revealed; it was actually satisfying having my guess confirmed (Oliver's the dead boy). The ending twist though caught me by surprise and made me glad I didn't DNF Winterwood. Oh the irony (for all the complaining Nora did about not having a nightshade, she ended up having the strongest magic: being able to move time).
Ms. Shea Ernshaw knows how to write a twisty story. Even though I was a little bored with the first half of Winterwood, the ending more than made up for it. I do think I'll be giving her next tales a try.
Ms. Shea Ernshaw knows how to write a twisty story. Even though I was a little bored with the first half of Winterwood, the ending more than made up for it. I do think I'll be giving her next tales a try.
*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.
Thanks for sharing your review. I hadn't seen this book before. 📚
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