Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

3 reviews

phoenixlovesbooks's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jupiter_01's review

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adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I found this novel really inspiring for my own writing. Adored the atmosphere, the premise, and the world building! Absolutely loved the idea of the woods being alive and a little evil. Hope the author delves more into it at some point!

I don't think it was as insta-lovey as other reviewers have noted. To me, it seemed more like Nora was off-kilter because of her conflicted feelings about being lonely and the fact that her powers had begun to manifest. I also didn't mind the repetition.

Learning about the elder witches was a very cool edition and just like the woods, I wish we knew more!

Some of my favourite descriptions:
  • "They have limbs that sway ... instead of moan and crack; they aren't old enough to hold grudges ... not like ... the Wicker Woods."
  • "I feel like I'll never be warm again. Like I can feel tree roots growing ... inside my bones, and soon they'll ... tear through my skin and push thorns from my eyes."
  • "Better to not remember the woods. Or how dark the dark can be."
  • "By morning, Oliver will be gone. Melted into the floor like a boy made of snow. A trick of the woods."
  • "We see heartache coming from a mile away ... but we don't know how to step out of the way."
  • "My heart cracked so deeply it split open and my shadow side spilled out like black mud."
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maple_dove's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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.
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