Review: Winterwood
4.5/5
For fans of: witches, magical forests, magical woods, wilderness, plot twists, murder mystery, cottagecore, magic, contemporary fantasy
Synopsis: The dark woods surrounding Fir Haven are unkind to all but the mysterious Walker women. For generations, these women have lived around the lake year-round in their ancestral cottage and for generations, most have heard of the stories of these women, these witches. Nora Walker has been left at the cottage for the winter as her mother sells the famous honey only she can get from the woods. The nearby wilderness school for wayward boys, along with everyone else along the lake, are huddled down as winter storms have cut off the main road and power to the citizens living around lake. One of their boys has died, his body not yet recovered, and another has been reported missing. That is, until Nora stumbles upon a body in a part of the woods no one should be in, no one but her. The body, however, is very much alive. Oliver Huntsman has no idea how he got there or how he survived two weeks in the woods. He awakens to a girl, the only girl in the entire area, trying to wake him before he loses his fingers and toes to frostbite. He remembers only that something bad happened weeks ago, but what happened and his role in it is a mystery. Nora knows something is wrong. The woods speak to her. They are angry. Death, a wrong death, has happened in their woods and they never forget.
Review: I loved every single aspect of this story. Mysterious loner girl wandering the woods she calls home with a life that no one understands. Dark, broody boy with a mysterious past, found in said woods, and no one understands. Two lonely souls just wanting to be left alone yet yearning for real acceptance. All along a frozen lake, mysterious woods, and a winter storm looming. Add to that the stories of various Walker women as chapter breaks and you have me. The story is slow-paced, character-driven, and lulls you in like a warm, toasty blanket on a deep, wintery night. Its mesmerizing and the ending, I should have seen coming, but when it hits, it hits hard. I’ve already added all of Shea Ernshaw’s books to my TBR.