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Winterwood

Shea Ernshaw

Start date: December 1, 2019

Finish date: December 31, 2019

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Nov 28, 2019 TheYALibrarian rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-cover-porn, witchy, arcs-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Rating 3.5 Stars

After being blown away by Ernshaw’s debut The Wicked Deep I was beyond excited to read another book by her. Especially since it seemed to promise another tale full of witches and if you know me I can’t get enough of them. However, as much as I did enjoy listening to this on commutes to work and while doing tedious cleaning around my house, it did not meet my expectations.

Nora Walker has lived in the cabin near the woods and Jack Jaw Lake since she was born. Being from a long line Rating 3.5 Stars

After being blown away by Ernshaw’s debut The Wicked Deep I was beyond excited to read another book by her. Especially since it seemed to promise another tale full of witches and if you know me I can’t get enough of them. However, as much as I did enjoy listening to this on commutes to work and while doing tedious cleaning around my house, it did not meet my expectations.

Nora Walker has lived in the cabin near the woods and Jack Jaw Lake since she was born. Being from a long line of Walker witches, the town folk are quick to judge her and ostracize her. The boys at the Camp for Wayward Boys across the lake also spin tales of Nora. But Nora herself believes she does not have the power her late grandmother and her ancestors before her possessed. Her mother, having her own power to lull bees to sleep, has preferred to keep magic out of her and Nora's life. But she has left for a few weeks to sell honey out of town. And now the road out of Fir Haven is blocked with snow and the power has gone out, making it impossible to leave or enter the town.
On the night of a full moon, Nora enters the Wicker Woods. That is only time she can enter these woods, for they are asleep but any other time they are awake and angry. On these nights lost things can be found within the woods and Nora likes to collect what is found. What she did not expect was to find a boy half buried in snow. Nora had heard that a boy met missing at the Camp for Wayward Boys two weeks ago. And now she has found him. His name is Oliver Huntsman. She leads him out of the woods and to her home where he recovers from hypothermia. He has no memory as to how he ended up in the woods, only bits and pieces of his life before. He remembers his cabin mates Brett, Jasper, and Lynn. But something tells him not to let them know he was back and return to the camp. He has a feeling they have something to do as to why he was lost in the woods.

Time passes and Oliver spends time with Nora. Nora also befriends the popular girl (her name is escaping me sorry) who is also Brett's girlfriend. She spends nights at the cabin with Nora, but never sees Oliver. But Nora has told her Oliver is alive and well and sends the news to Brett.
Nora is invited to the part Brett is throwing at a summer home and is confronted by the three boys. They fear her since she is a witch and lock her in one of the bedrooms when she refuses to tell them where Oliver is. For they know what happened that night and that Oliver should be dead. Not a boy named Max who was also there but is said to be the one who died. Oliver helps her escape the house and Oliver starts to remember more and more about that night. Nora almost drowns falling through the ice of Jack Jaw lake trying to get answers herself for that night.
The night after she almost drowns she is dragged out of bed by the boys who are furious at her for trying to escape. They force her into the Wicker Woods, ignoring her warnings that it is not a full moon and the woods would be awake. Oliver is nowhere to be found in these moments. When the enter the woods the trees come alive and close on in on the group. Jasper, in a fit of rage sets the woods on fire. He is the only one that does not make it out of the woods for the trees drag him underground in retaliation. The whole town starts to burn as the fire spreads fast. Nora goes in search of Oliver and instead finds Max. Max who was hiding out in the summer house this whole time. The pieces come into place that Oliver has never been alive. Nora, having the ability to see ghosts like her ancestors, was the only one who could see him. Oliver recovers all his memory, remembering being forced onto the lake as dare by the boys. Max gets on the frozen lake too and the two fight. Oliver falls through the ice and drowns while Max just watches.

Nora returns to the lake and once again falls through the ice. But she wakes up in the woods that are now whole again like they never burned to begin with. She also finds that time has reversed and that Oliver is alive since the whole night when he drowned never happened. Nora had her own magic the whole time after all, the ability to manipulate time. After that it is said that Nora still got Oliver despite him not remembering any of their romantic moments before when he was dead. Also that she spent the rest of her days in that cabin in fur haven, never truly dying unlike her ancestors, for time is now nothing to her, only a memory.

So what really killed this book from being fantastic is it's predictable plot and repetition. I can't count how many times Nora goes on and on about her family being a line of witches and that she is so ordinary. Also on how everyone treats her like a freak for being a so called witch and yada yada. It's really weird that a modern town even goes on about witches and makes a point to ostracize Nora for it but I digress.
I also knew that Oliver was a ghost to begin with. I really wish that I was a big plot twist that I didn't see coming but it was obvious. It really bugs me when I can see the supposed plot twist from a mile away.
Anyway I don't believe this is worth taking the time to read but that is just my opinion. ...more

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Jan 07, 2020 Cindee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: january-2020-tbr

I loved this book so much it was way better than the first book the author wrote it had a great mystery and paranormal element I loved everything about the story. I really loved the characters especially Nora and Oliver I liked how their relationship progressed not too slow or too fast. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Oliver and the forest what it ended up being was surprising and not at all predictable. I really enjoyed the plot of the book it starts out pretty much as a mystery about ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Kim rated it really liked it

The story is of Nora, who comes from a family of witches. She lives across the lake from an all boys camp in the mountains. A winter storm comes and changes everything.

Although the book moved slowly for me, I love the way it was written. So eloquent and descriptive. Very dark almost Burton-esque in scenery and visualization. I enjoyed the last third but the beginning took a bit of a push.

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Feb 06, 2021 Jenn rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was not at all what I was expecting when more of the woods expose expecting more dealing with The woods. Over all it was a decent read. I think we could deep was a lot better with characters that are easier to Lake and a feel something for. The characters in this book are harder to connect with. I wouldn't a little bit more from the spell book a little bit more of the magic aside from the couple of spell book pages at the end of a couple chapters. I'm not sure if this would be one that I woul ...more

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