2.5*
I really enjoyed the author's first novel, The Wicked Deep, so I was pretty thrilled when this one was announced. Sad to say, I didn't have quite the same love for Winterwood. It wasn't bad, it just didn't leave me as enamored. So let's break down what I liked versus what left me wanting more!
The Stuff I Liked:
- • The writing was fabulous as always! I definitely think the author just has a way with words, you know? It flowed beautifully, and painted such lovely pictures. Definitely a high point.
- • On-point atmosphere. This is another thing the author seems to excel at, as it was one of my favorite parts of The Wicked Deep, too. I could feel the eerie vibe, the cold and barrenness of the woods, the bleakness of the whole area around them. I felt that the characters were trapped in this desolate landscape. It worked phenomenally!
- • The backstory on the long-dead Walker Witches was so fun! I loved these little snippets, they gave a great insight into the family and the forest.
- • Nora grew a lot as a character. I kind of hated Nora when the book started, but she did seem to develop a lot as a character, and I am always here for that!
What Left Me Cold (crappy pun wholly intended):
- • The story itself kind of meandered. Fine, I was a little bored. It felt like Oliver leaves, Oliver comes back. Nora leaves, Nora comes back. Suzy leaves, Suzy comes back. Lather rinse repeat. I just didn't feel any urgency whatsoever. Which leads me to my next issue.
- • I kind of guessed exactly what was going to happen at about 10% in. That isn't always even a dealbreaker for me, it's just that with feeling like the story wasn't really going anywhere, and feeling pretty (correctly) confident that I knew where the story was headed, I just didn't feel that invested.
- • I really didn't care a ton about Nora or anyone else. Nora just wasn't all that likable to me, and even as she got better I was kind of too over it to care a lot. I was glad she started making friends with Suzy and Oliver, but neither of them had a ton of personality either. They just felt... lacking to me. I think had I liked them all more, I could have overlooked some of the other issues I had, but as it stands... I could not.
- • Parent-In-YA Syndrome was strong with this one. Nora's mom is trying to idk, pretend she's not a witch. Oliver and all the dudes are at this school for troubled boys where no adult supervision is actually required apparently. And I just didn't buy it. Like Child Protective Services probably aren't going to allow any of this, I don't care how deep in the woods you are. But alas.
Bottom Line: Lyrical writing and an incredibly atmospheric setting just can't overcome the apathy I had to the characters and plot.