The Winter's Child by Cassandra Parkin

3.27 AVERAGE

thoughtsinintervals's profile picture

thoughtsinintervals's review against another edition

4.25
emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
careymacaulay's profile picture

careymacaulay's review against another edition

3.0
Plagued with guilty feelings, Susannah's decent into madness culminates in an ending you see coming a mile away. We don't know exactly how the book ends, because Susannah is constantly hallucinating and imagining and dreaming and having visions. But, we also know, life as she knew it is gone. The unravelling of Susannah and John's relationship is also told in a very realistic way -- starting with their inability to have a child and Susannah's progressive selfishness once they adopt Joel. It is also a stark portrayal of what happens when two parents are not on the same page and the outcome, albeit, a very dramatic depiction. I empathised so much with John and detested Susannah! These are all the good things about this story. But, there is also an equal number of not so good.

I just do not understand the relationship between Nick and Susannah. Her side is easily understood -- her loneliness and her madness. But what about him? As the story progressed I felt as if he knew what Susannah has done and is waiting for her to remember but that just ups the ickiness factor for me. Especially, as he is a policeman and also married. And what is with the neighbour? And what is with the psychics?? And what is with everyone around Susannah, really? All the episodes and everyone just lets her drive and live alone and be about in the world??

I am definitely on the fence with this one.

bonkers_about_books's review

4.5
challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lizzietish101's review

4.0
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
As the mom fell into madness throughout the book I felt like it keep getting faster and I couldn't read fast enough. The slow transitions from sane to ptsd like to flashbacks was really good and kept me wanting more. It became a little predictable after awhile but was still really good

rikimuk's review

5.0
Breathtaking!!! I could not put this book down. It’s a beautifully written book about the life of a mother who’s son has gone missing and her quest to find out the truth. It’s a heartbreaking read rushing to a dramatic conclusion but I could not put it down.

joco32's review

4.0
An engaging story following the mother of a teenage boy who has disappeared. The journey through coping, dealing with a miscellany of charlatans, seeking affinity with another mother in a similar position and ultimately discovering the truth is engaging, although I predicted the ultimate outcome quite early on.
literallymya's profile picture

literallymya's review

5.0
WOW. I finished this book in two days. It was flawless -- sucked me in so deeply to the character and then created some deeply unsettling feelings as the book went on, that were so palpable and real. I swear I had to take a xanax after I finished it. (these are all good things.) I'm not even a mystery fan, but this was fantastic and eerie and gripping all the way to the bittersweet, perfect end.
sarahsass's profile picture

sarahsass's review against another edition

4.75
challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

allthemisfits's review

5.0
Cassandra Parkin is a goddess, plain and simple. I was hooked from the very beginning and just had to know what was going to happen despite not wanting the book to end. This was the second book of hers I’ve read and she’s already become one of my favorite authors. Her descriptive style and the pathos and pain she infuses in her characters are achingly beautiful.

lipah's review against another edition

3.0
dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes