Monday, July 20, 2015

The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon - 4 stars

I received this book as a gift from my husband and I decided I wanted to read it right away because I have read other books by this author, The One I Left Behind, and Promise Not to Tell. I enjoyed both of those books and really enjoy the authors style of writing.

In this book we have Ruthie who lives with her mother, Alice, and Sister Fawn in West Hall, Vermont in an old farm house that belonged to a supposed mad woman named Sara Harrison Shea back in 1908. The town is known for odd disappearances both past and present and one evening Ruthie returns home to discover her own has disappeared. Ruthie and her sister start their search for clues as to where their mother has gone, thus a historical mystery is born.

I really enjoyed this story very much, with it's mix of creepy, mystery and supernatural elements. It was so very fluid and easy to read and follow. It has a great plot with both a historical aspect and present day blended together that kept me engaged throughout the entire story. I had no idea what I was going to discover with this book because it was not predictable at all and I found that very refreshing. I found it to be a journey into a darker side gone bad. I felt like the ending was a little incomplete and maybe rushed. I also felt like there were some cliffhangers that could lead to a future sequel, which may also explain the rushed ending.

The characters I feel were pretty well developed for the most part, but I feel like a prequel would be amazing for this story and would make the characters feel a little more realistic. I really liked Fawn in this story although she is not the main protagonist. I liked her role in this story and I liked her doll Mimi as well. I think that she is a great element to the story. Also I found Ruthie to be interesting as well, and how she handled the situations she was placed in considering she was just a teen. The only one I had a problem with really was Candace. I don't feel like her character was really needed in the story.

Overall I think this was a great story, with a plot that was quite different from what I have read before. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical mystery and maybe even stories of a darker nature.

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