Reviews with content warning for Grief - Зимняя чаща

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw is an atmospheric, dark book follow the MC, Nora Walker. Nora Walker is descended from a long line of witches, all born in an old house beside the Jackjaw Lake. The Walkers have always shared a special connection to the Wicked Wood, the forest surrounding the Fir Haven. One day, Nora Walker finds a boy, Oliver Huntsman, who disappeared from the camp for wayward boys two weeks ago. While Nora attempts to discover how Oliver survived in the forest for that long, and how he got there in the first place, Oliver has his own secrets to keep. Ones he'll never unearth.

I Liked

The dark atmosphere
The idea of an MC, being separated from the rest of society :)
The action (scenes) (apparently, I like action combined with thriller)
The ENDING :O HOW DID I NOT SEE IT COMING?!

I Didn't Like

The romance (sorry, I don't ship it)

This was the first book in a while that I didn't want to stop reading. While not a favorite read, I think this was worth it.

Later in life, she preferred the way Chinese vowels curled off her tongue, and she spoke it while walking through the autumn aspen trees reading from her favorite book.

Keep in mind, Chinese is not a language, rather, an umbrella term for multiple Chinese languages/dialects.

Content Warnings

cyan_altaria's review against another edition

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dark inspiring mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This book is just like an old, spooky fairytale. I liked how the characters reacted to each other. Oliver and Nora's romance was pretty cute. The way the Ernshaw handled the wicker woods was amazing, especially in the latter half. I also loved the pages on the different people in the Walker family. Unlike a lot of other people, the twist did surprise me. However, this book could get a bit repetitive a points, with all of the Oliver mysteriously leaving, then Nora trying to find him that happened in the middle. The ending also felt like a cop-out. Other than that, this was a great book.

Who do I recommend this to? People who like dark fairytales, not knowing who to trust, and interesting MCs
Who should skip this one? People who are easily bored, especially by repetition, people who dislike not knowing whether a character is good or evil, and people who hate disconnected endings/endings that undo previous events.
Will I read more by Shea Ernshaw? Yes. I liked this book quite a bit, and I've heard lots of good things about her other book The Wicked Deep.

Content Warnings

malloryfitz's review against another edition

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3.5

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elliekg's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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