"The Winter People"

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy

Series: The Winter People (Volume #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Page count: 320 (Hardcover)

Release date: September 2, 2014

Places to pre-order:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Synopsis:

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

My review:

This winter wonderland is far from wonderful; "The Winter People" is a cold, dangerous world filled with romance, fear, deception and magic. Things are never what they seem especially when there are three impossibly good-looking guys--Colton, Nevin, and Gareth--who show up one after the other into Salome Montgomery's life, each with connections to her and to one another.

Things I LOVE about this book:

• The cover is GORGEOUS! (The typography and colors and everything else about it captures the novel so well!)
• The setting (Michigan)
• The imagery in this novel about winter (I kept getting chills while reading it... *shivers*)
• Fairies!
• Kingdoms are similar to the ones in "Snow Like Ashes" by Sara Raasch (since there are Summer and Winter Kingdoms in both stories)
• The romance is something that not a lot of people might like, but it was something I really enjoyed reading! (I couldn't predict who Salome was going to pick until I got closer to the end of the story and that made everything that much more interesting!)

I couldn't put this book down (except for three hours of sleep) due to the fact that I was completely drawn into this world filled with complex relationships and secrets that needed to be revealed. The characters are well written, each with their own unique story and background that helped build to the climax of the novel. Since I have family that live in Michigan that I visit during the winter and summer seasons, I was easily able to picture the bitter weather where all you want to do is have a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate and a warm blanket to wrap around yourself. 

And when you think that the ending is all wrapped up with a pretty ribbon, you then remember that there are unanswered questions, things that will leave you with a chilling sensation that this happy ending won't last for long....

Which is why there is a SEQUEL! 

"Summer Marked" will be released on August 4, 2015 (according to Goodreads)

~Whit Lo