Winter's Shadow (Winter Saga, #1) in Aussie Readers

Mar 20, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it really liked it

Shelves: i-own, arc-s, pan-macmillan-sent, publisher-sent, for-review

*This book was sent to me from the publisher Pan Macmillian Australia*

I loved this book. It drew me in and I couldn’t stop reading--I had to know what was going on!
This is a hauntingly beautiful debut. Author M. J. Hearle weaves together a stunning gothic tale that mesmerised me and captivated me from the beginning.
While I’ll be the first to admit the story starts out slow, weaving together and setting the story up, it’s in no way boring or uninteresting. The mystery and little bits and pieces *This book was sent to me from the publisher Pan Macmillian Australia*

I loved this book. It drew me in and I couldn’t stop reading--I had to know what was going on!
This is a hauntingly beautiful debut. Author M. J. Hearle weaves together a stunning gothic tale that mesmerised me and captivated me from the beginning.
While I’ll be the first to admit the story starts out slow, weaving together and setting the story up, it’s in no way boring or uninteresting. The mystery and little bits and pieces that are thrown in here and there keep you entertained and eager to know what truly is going on. The idea of this story and the theme of the plotline are unique and not like a lot of books out there--the story is eerie and exciting at the same time.

Hearle writes beautifully. His writing flows and paints a dark picture that is beautiful. I admit I was a tad worried going into this book. Sometimes I find that male writers never really capture the essence of the heroine when their lead character is female. And yet Hearle has no problems here what-so-ever. I honestly loved Winter. He’s written her perfectly, making her easy to emphasise with and with a feminine voice. She was a terrific heroine, everything I could have asked for in this tale; realistic and normal, and yet brave and interesting--exactly what you need in these kind of supernatural tales. She reacted how I expect a normal person would when thrust into this kind of world making her someone that you actually enjoy following along on her journey.
As for Blake, well he was intriguing to say the least. One of the things I actually enjoyed so much about this book was the mystery surrounding Blake. Throughout the majority of the tale we never know exactly what Blake is or who he is---we simply know he’s different and that he draws Winter who can’t deny he’s like no one she’s ever known. Blake was a very haunted young man, with many a secret. He was mysterious and it was impossible not to feel the drawl he had that Winter felt.

I only have one issue with this book, and it’s one that tends to impact on my feelings about a lot of books, especially paranormal YA. I’m not the biggest fan of the quick lust/desire-at-fist-sight, I-need-you-from-the-very-beginning type of romance. It’s impossible not to see, and feel, the passion in this book. It saturates the pages and heightens the emotions, however the characters barely know one another. Taking place over the course of a week, is it really possible to feel that deeply about a person so soon? I must say however that Hearle doesn’t rely on this and place such a big importance on this as other writers do. It’s there, it is, but it’s not there to the same extent as I have seen a lot in the past. It’s not sickening (thank god) and it didn’t bother me as much as it normally would, seeing as the brilliance of this novel made up for it.

This book is a tantalizing read with a great range of characters from the main two, Winter and Blake, to the few others that help to give the book flavour and difference. The ending is gripping and exciting and I could not stop reading! I needed to know what was going to happen next and the last few chapters had me needing the second, yet to be named book, stat!
This book will entice you and draw you in and I recommend it to fans of the gothic and paranormal alike!

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Mar 18, 2011 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011

Well, they weren't lying in the Media Release for Winter's Shadow when they said that there wasn't any of the normal paranormal culprits here. I'm not sure if the characters (and I use that word loosely) are based on any popular myths but I sure as hell haven't encountered them before, making Winter's Shadow one of the more unique Young Adult novels out there. Winter has a talent that she's never really noticed until she meets Blake who is like her kryptonite. And one hell of a hot kryptonite he Well, they weren't lying in the Media Release for Winter's Shadow when they said that there wasn't any of the normal paranormal culprits here. I'm not sure if the characters (and I use that word loosely) are based on any popular myths but I sure as hell haven't encountered them before, making Winter's Shadow one of the more unique Young Adult novels out there. Winter has a talent that she's never really noticed until she meets Blake who is like her kryptonite. And one hell of a hot kryptonite he is. There's so many secrets he's hiding, I loved being able to find them out with Winter. Some are kind of obvious but some come out of nowhere.

Hearle does a great job writing Winter's Shadow from a female perspective being that he is male. I've had some bad experiences with males writing Young Adult so I'm rather picky with what I'll read. I'm very impressed with Hearle's skills and it was nice to get away from the deception and bitchiness that seems to litter so many YA novels recently. Not that I don't like them but sometimes you just need a break. Unfortunately though, I found the style of writing a little stiff for Young Adult. Maybe it won't feel that way to those better educated, I just thought some of the words and phrasing seemed a bit mature when narrating about a girl who is almost flunking school.

Winter's Shadow stays interesting all the way throughout with great characters supporting the protagonists. There are flashbacks to Paris during the late 1800's that run alongside Winter's story giving us more of an idea of who Blake is. I really enjoyed these as there are only a few of them and they don't interfere with the main story, only support it. The ending was very sad but then the last chapter creates an opening that is just begging for some closure. I'm not a fan of open ends so I'd like something more whether it be a sequel or just a few more lines in the final published edition. All in all, Winter's Shadow is a wonderfully unique story that paranormal YA fans will lap up.

Cover: Really pretty, not very unique these days though. Love the colours. ...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Kai rated it really liked it

Shelves: teens, books-i-own, for-review, 2011-tbr-pile

Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

What made me interested in this book was the fact that the writer is a guy. Who says the paranormal genre is only for women? M.J. Hearle is a guy who wrote a book through the point of view of a girl, Winter. And he does it so well you'd never guess the difference if it was a man or a woman writing this.

What started out as a typical love story transformed into something unique. Until now I'm still not sure just WHAT exactly Blake is. He's a different paranormal Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

What made me interested in this book was the fact that the writer is a guy. Who says the paranormal genre is only for women? M.J. Hearle is a guy who wrote a book through the point of view of a girl, Winter. And he does it so well you'd never guess the difference if it was a man or a woman writing this.

What started out as a typical love story transformed into something unique. Until now I'm still not sure just WHAT exactly Blake is. He's a different paranormal being, behaving in a way where people becomes naturally curious to find out just what he is. Attractive, dark, with dangerous secrets he'd die to protect, his life changed when he tried to change what was supposed to happen to Winter. Our female lead, who is no stranger to death like Blake, tries to get by everyday, grieving for her recently deceased parents. Withdrawn and naturally reserved, Winter's life changed when she met Blake, and along with discovering Blake's secrets, she found out some about her own as well. In a race to save herself from strong forces out to get her, love blossomed.

Let me just say, I will never look at cats the same way again. Another interesting portrayal of the felines will be seen here in Winter's Shadow. If only Nefertem can talk, Grimalkin of the Iron Fey series will have a fierce competition from this tabby.

Evil took a new form in this book. If you think vampires, werewolves are monsters to be frightened of, you have to be prepared to encounter a new type of dangerous creature in this book.

The shift from the present to the past was handled nicely in this book. Most books tend to be careless in writing flashbacks, but not in Winter's Shadow, as it greatly helped piece together the entire story. The past completed the present, and the story maintained an ominous, dark vibe throughout the entire novel.

Winter's Shadow is a story about star crossed lovers, two tormented souls, both having experienced painful losses and finding their way to each other. Danger was always present, as both characters are a constant threat to each other, and yet they just heeded love's calling. I loved how the story started out slow, allowing time for the characters background to be establish and develop, and ending into a wild rush of action that led to the partial conclusion of Blake and Winter's story.

Gripping, intriguing, and deliciously dark, Winter's Shadow is a great start for author M.J. Hearle! The ending was very promising and I am eagerly anticipating the sequel of this book!
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Mar 21, 2011 Nan marked it as to-read

Shelves: unrealeased-to-read, young-adult

T/N: Read the first 80 pages and its just brilliant. Want to keep reading more. So many unanswred question like. Who is Blake? Who is Madeline? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

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Mar 19, 2011 Melissa rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed reading this! It's great to see original stuff popping up in the paranormal genre. Don't get me wrong, I love what's out there at the moment but it's cool to read some unique stuff as well. Winter was quite a lovable character. I look forward to reading more of M.J Hearle's writing!! ...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Stacey (sassysreadingnook) rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. Got a little slow in parts but well worth the read. Brings something new and exciting to the table. And an ending that leaves you truly breathless for more.

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