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bkwrm1317's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Do check CWs, especially around self-harm, addiction, and domestic abuse for those who may be impacted by these.
Graphic: Murder, Addiction, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug use and Sexual violence
bearystarry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Overall this was Fine for me. The characters are very trope-y and the plot is pretty typical.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Cancer, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
kuritsahreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was a very quick read that I enjoyed overall. The intrigue definitely had me turning the pages, as I tried to figure out how the different POVs connect to each other.
This is a very dark book, and I can't say that the ending left me happy. The book touches on a handful of topics in gloomy details, from self-harm to alcoholism to how families can fall apart after losing a child. After each reading session, the story weighed on me, but I must say that I like how to author described and navigated through these topics.
Two things I sadly did not enjoy were the POVs with time changes (I think ? There were 2 really bizarre passages about
Graphic: Self harm, Grief, Car accident, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Death, and Drug use
ziemia_do_nany's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
~ I won it in Storygraph giveaway
Graphic: Stalking, Addiction, Self harm, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Cancer
Minor: Sexual content
lavenderbtcpodcast's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Stalking, Torture, and Toxic relationship
watsonle2011's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, and Murder
emilyschabert's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Addiction
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
sophee_568's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The Fear of Winter is a multiple-POV crime thriller/mystery set in Fraser, Colorado. On a cold December night in 1996, Megan Floyd went missing without a trace. A year later, Tom Floyd, her father, hires a private investigator, Marshall York, to uncover what happened to Megan. Both Marshall and Tom are ex-policemen with sad backstories. Marshall works with a 24-year-old assistant - Hannah Jacobs. They are Tom's last hope of learning what happened to his daughter. Will the two private investigators be able to solve the mystery of Megan's disappearance?
The Fear of Winter is a classic thriller mystery with no plot twists, no red herrings, a surprising lack of suspense, and a dark atmosphere. It offers nothing new or original to the genre. The characters are painfully one-dimensional, and their personalities are formulaic. As a character steps on the scene, you know to what archetype they belong: alcoholic ex-cop turned PI, a drug addict young woman forced into prostitution with a heart of gold...
The plot is interesting enough to keep you mildly entertained and turning the pages, but you have to suspend your disbelief.
The Fear of Winter is a plot-oriented novel, but when the plot hangs on by a thread, you do not feel satisfaction when you reach the end. One of the plot inconsistencies is the lack of follow-up after Tom's car accident. The book starts with Tom hitting a deer on the highway. He might have a concussion, his car is damaged, and he killed a deer. Nowhere in the book is the incident mentioned or alluded to. Did he see a doctor? Did he fix his car? Why did he not tell his wife he was in an accident? He immediately forgets about it when he arrives home.
While reading, I could not help but notice the infamous 'men writing women' phenomenon. Hannah is described as a 'petite female' because she is 5'5" and weighs under 100 pounds (165cm and 45kg). She survives by eating cereal. She constantly gets hit on by men wherever she goes, which could be a small-town thing. All of that shows how this author does not know how to write a proper woman without turning her into an object of desire.
Another problem I had with Hannah's character is her alleged OCD. The author aimed to paint her as obsessive by having her constantly avoid cracks in the pavement, checking if she locked her door once, and claiming she becomes obsessive about other people's issues if she pays attention to what they are saying. That is only an appalling but horrid OCD representation.
Tom's wife, Lisa, is grief-stricken to the point of becoming an alcoholic and mixing alcohol with Xanax. Her and Tom's inability to cope with Megan's disappearance wrecks their marriage. Lisa admits she hates Tom. Although their struggle is realistic, both characters remain bland and invoke no sympathy.
Katie is Megan's friend and a drug addict. Katie's character is a plot device that compensates for the lack of communication between Marshall and Tom. Tom and Marshall share two conversations throughout the novel. The first conversation is their first meeting, which is crucial to the plot, but the second one has little relevance. It is a poor attempt at them bonding over their similar histories.
Furthermore, Marshall and Hannah are disorganized in how they run this investigation. They share maybe 3 or 4 conversations in total. Their communication is sparse and short. Hannah attempts to call Marshall twice, and both times goes to voicemail. How do they even cooperate during this investigation if they do not have proper communication? Also, they never remember to share any findings with Tom. Instead of teaming up with them, Tom is on his own. Not to mention that Marshall's lack of reliance on other people puts him in danger.
This book lacked emotion. I did not care about any of the characters. I had no idea who they were or what they looked like. Megan is the only character with an actual, albeit vague, description, even if it's on a missing persons poster.
The writing style is detailed and creates a strong sense of place. The author lives in Colorado, and he perfectly transferred that experience to his story and characters. I could easily imagine every scene. A good sense of place and orientation is important to me.
In conclusion, if you want to read The Fear of Winter, suspend your disbelief to the maximum. That's why I think it's a perfect airport/flight read. Content warning for heavy alcohol use, graphic depictions of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide, domestic violence, mentions of drug abuse.
Graphic: Suicide, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Misogyny
tricia0613's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Minor: Rape
whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
There wasn't really any tension in the search for the missing girl. And there wasn't enough character depth to really bring out their emotional experience of the loss. The "bad guy" is kind of cartoonish in his cruelty. There was also quite a few "men writing women" moments in this book that made me wince.
Graphic: Self harm and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use