The Winter Sea (Slains, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Dec 14, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

It's a lovely treat to have an excellent book span the end of one year and the beginning of the next. I started The Winter Sea upon the recommendation of several friends and it far exceeded my expectations. As I contemplated whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars, I realized The Winter Sea really has everything I want in historical fiction: memorable, likable characters, an interesting time period and setting and a bit of romance. It also didn't hurt anything that I would love to be Carrie, the It's a lovely treat to have an excellent book span the end of one year and the beginning of the next. I started The Winter Sea upon the recommendation of several friends and it far exceeded my expectations. As I contemplated whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars, I realized The Winter Sea really has everything I want in historical fiction: memorable, likable characters, an interesting time period and setting and a bit of romance. It also didn't hurt anything that I would love to be Carrie, the narrator of the story. (She's a bestselling author who has earned enough on book sales to live wherever her next book is going to be set, then move on.)

Several people who have read this book referenced Diana Gabaldon in their reviews, yet had this book not contained Jacobites, I doubt this would be true. It was so different, so much gentler, than the Outlander series. And while I like those books, this one was more enchanting. It built slowly in both the contemporary storyline and the historical one. While that can sometimes be frustrating, I felt the pace was right for this story all along.

The Winter Sea is a book within a book. Carrie, the narrator, travels to Scotland to research her latest book. She feels so drawn to the area that she rents a cottage and shifts the focus of her book from the stirrings of the Jacobite rebellion on France to a generations old ancestor of her own. As Carrie writes the book, she begins to see the memories of her ancestor come alive in the pages of her book. While Kearsley uses genetic memory to describe this process (which I found to stretch the imagination a bit), I don't mind a bit of mystery and magic and I enjoyed the story lines so much that I was willing to suspend disbelief.

Finally, this book offered more than just an engaging story. Both Carrie and Sophia (the Jacobite-era ancestor) grow into themselves over the course of this book and Sophia's hardships were a reminder that winter doesn't last forever for any of us, no matter how bleak the horizon may seem. If you're a fan of historical fiction along the lines of The Birth of Venus or Sacred Hearts, I think you'll find The Winter Sea a worthy companion for these cold months. ...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

I finished this book back in December the day I was sick in bed with the stomach flu (while I was supposed to be at my brother's pre-wedding festivities) and thus subsequently forgot to write a review of it. I absolutely agree with my friend Shannon, this book truly had everything I was looking for in a historical romance and therefore deserves 5 stars. Highly recommend. ...more

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Mar 19, 2015 Catherine Knight rated it really liked it

This book was just what I needed. I've been super stressed out lately, and reading something that was interesting, had a good amount of historical information and fun kinda fluffy storyline to keep me going without feeling bogged down. Enjoyable and I was glad to have a happy ending to read, even if it was a tad predictable. ...more

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