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bessadams's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident and Toxic relationship
divine529's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
I had a lot of fun with this book.
If you liked Greenglass House, you're most likely going to like this as well, though they are different.
This follows our main protagonist Elizabeth after she's sent to Winterhouse for the winter holidays so her aunt and uncle can go on their own vacation. Elizabeth is full of curiosity and loves to solve puzzles and sometimes all of that gets her into trouble. When she arrives at Winterhouse she begins to discover the mysteries it offers and things go from there.
I loved the mystery aspect of this book, the setting was also great, but the characters are where this book shone. I really enjoyed Elizabeth's character, but I think my favorite is Freddy - he's just so relatable to me. The pacing is where some of the problems of this book came about and particularly towards the end. I will say that even though I loved the mystery aspect, I saw all of it from a mile away, but given that I'm not the intended audience, that's ok.
All in all a fun read and I look forward to picking up book two.
If you liked Greenglass House, you're most likely going to like this as well, though they are different.
This follows our main protagonist Elizabeth after she's sent to Winterhouse for the winter holidays so her aunt and uncle can go on their own vacation. Elizabeth is full of curiosity and loves to solve puzzles and sometimes all of that gets her into trouble. When she arrives at Winterhouse she begins to discover the mysteries it offers and things go from there.
I loved the mystery aspect of this book, the setting was also great, but the characters are where this book shone. I really enjoyed Elizabeth's character, but I think my favorite is Freddy - he's just so relatable to me. The pacing is where some of the problems of this book came about and particularly towards the end. I will say that even though I loved the mystery aspect, I saw all of it from a mile away, but given that I'm not the intended audience, that's ok.
All in all a fun read and I look forward to picking up book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Body horror, Violence, and Car accident
simply_fran's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
readingwithrylanne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After finishing Winterhouse, I’m already convinced that 2023 is going to be my middle grade era because I LOVE the genre and always have so much fun with it. Winterhouse was a great book to start the year with; it was full of mystery, puzzles, and secrets as the main character Elizabeth learns about the history of and people inside Winterhouse, the hotel her aunt and uncle sent her to for Christmas break. It was such a quick read, and I loved the use of word puzzles throughout the book!
Elizabeth’s parents died when she was only four or five years old, and since then, she has lived with her aunt and uncle, who she doesn’t really like (they don’t like her either). When they send her to Winterhouse for Christmas so they can go on vacation, Elizabeth is frustrated and upset, but she quickly embraces the hotel and even makes friends. During her stay there, a mystery about the hotel owner’s family comes to light, and Elizabeth realizes that she is a big part of it.
Winterhouse is the first book in a trilogy, and I definitely plan to continue with it soon. Elizabeth was an entertaining character who had growth throughout the book, and I cannot wait to see what adventure she goes on next. The plot was fast-paced and fun, and I loved the hotel setting. The illustrations were adorable as well. I would recommend this one!
CW for loss of parents (in past, car accident), some grief.
Elizabeth’s parents died when she was only four or five years old, and since then, she has lived with her aunt and uncle, who she doesn’t really like (they don’t like her either). When they send her to Winterhouse for Christmas so they can go on vacation, Elizabeth is frustrated and upset, but she quickly embraces the hotel and even makes friends. During her stay there, a mystery about the hotel owner’s family comes to light, and Elizabeth realizes that she is a big part of it.
Winterhouse is the first book in a trilogy, and I definitely plan to continue with it soon. Elizabeth was an entertaining character who had growth throughout the book, and I cannot wait to see what adventure she goes on next. The plot was fast-paced and fun, and I loved the hotel setting. The illustrations were adorable as well. I would recommend this one!
CW for loss of parents (in past, car accident), some grief.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death and Death of parent
maddie_rae_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
My new favorite Holiday “ghost story”! Welcome to Winterhouse where the festivities are one of a kind and the secrets are never ending. Tweens Elizabeth and Freddy grow close together through their love of puzzles: word ladders, anagrams, scavenger hunts, and more. Together they learn about the ups and and downs of friendship and family ties all while working to save Winterhouse.
If you’re a fan of The Westing Game, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and/or Greenglass, I highly recommend you read Winterhouse.
If you’re a fan of The Westing Game, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and/or Greenglass, I highly recommend you read Winterhouse.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a really sweet middle-grade book, with its wintery, frolicky adventures and cute illustrations. The perfect escapism! Plus the heroin is into word enigmas - she's a champion of word ladders - and the readers are encouraged to unravel the mystery alongside her. The light touch of magic was well incorporated, and the lovely friendship blossoming between Elizabeth and a young inventor was a pleasure to follow. Bonus points for a swoon-worthy library and full-page illustrations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
christabelle_v's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The premise of the book was good and solid. It's not a bad book, it's good,but not fantastic. Felt like it was missing something. I'll start with the positive: the atmosphere is good. It's winter but cozy. The writing has some strong beautiful moments and at one point my heart was racing. The problem I had was connecting with the mystery, the characters and the pacing of the book. I was surprised by turn to darker and creepier things. Regarding pacing and characters, half way in, my interest dropped. Elizabeth began to act impulsively and annoyed me as she appeared...stupid. It didn't line up with her character in the first half of the book. She was this intelligent girl who could pick up on mysteries and solve puzzles but her behavior baffled me at that point. She disregarded her friend's feelings. Later she realized she was wrong, but she did same behavior two more times. The author appears to try to explain this later by hinting she was moved my a mysterious force, perhaps Graycela but it bothers me that she didn't try to fight it. She simply went with it, ignoring all voices of concern. And then when everything is wrapping up, she does the very same thing a third time, making me feel that her character did not develop or learn from her mistakes. Lastly, the pacing was off for me; being fast then slow, then fast, then slow. Perhaps it needed to be a bit shorter. The motive for the villian was "because I want to" so the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out and the book was a tad too long. Not bad but could have been tweeked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
skar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent