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frostybee_bookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
bookishjosh's review against another edition
4.0
laurolly's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars. This was so much better than I was expecting it to be. I really didn’t want to put the book down, and it has ended with just enough loose threads that I am going to be thinking about it for a long time to come. Winter, our main character, was actually clever enough to think things through before acting and understood what her role meant in terms of her responsibility and her future. Shocking that a YA character actually has some common sense - though she certainly still had some teen angst towards her mum! I especially liked Henry, and I think Bobulski did a really good job crafting how his character reacts to the modern world. There was an awesome combination of modern world, fae forest, and time-travel. The hints of romance had me squealing as I read. I was expecting this to have more of a scare factor than it did, there were some elements of spook but nothing that made me feel chills. It would have been nice if Mer and Winters mum had a little more development in their characters as they felt very one dimensional. Overall a very good read and I would be keen to read more of Bobulski’s work.
librariansrule's review against another edition
4.0
Such a great, fun first half! Then things got predictable, dull, and rushed.
karen_hallam's review against another edition
5.0
Do not travel on the paths.
Do not linger after dark.
Do not ignore the calling.
Sixteen-year-old, Winter, is a guardian of the wood, the same wood that took her father. She protects the travelers who pass through, making sure they return to their time period. Otherwise, the world could implode.
It’s a dangerous job. Winter works all day to ensure the travelers are guided back to their threshold. But, if she’s caught in the wood after sundown, the shadows, called Sentinels, rise; the icy cold follows their razor sharp teeth.
The wood is ill, black tar drips from the leaves, and it’s spreading. Travelers are found in bad shape, stricken to their core by the darkness of the wood and the poison and the shadows.
Winter isn’t alone. She worries about her mother, while her mother worries if she’ll return home each day, or if the wood has taken her. There’s Uncle Joe, who’s worked closely with her father, and more like brothers through the years as guardians of the wood. Uncle Joe watches over Winter. He wants to protect her where her father left off.
So when a boy passes through the wood from the 18th Century, a mortal, begging for help, who might know where her father is, she listens. Reluctant, at first, helping him goes against the most important rule of the guardians: No traveler can pass through a threshold into a time that is not their own.
Together, they set out to save the wood, and find his parents, Old Ones who disappeared that may know what’s happening to the wood and how to stop it. But the ancient one, Varo has returned, an outcast 500 years ago. Could he be darkening the wood, and using Dragon’s Bain, the one thing that could kill an immortal guardian?
A fun fantasy with a time-travel twist, a forest that comes alive with dark forces, magical benevolent fireflies, friendship, sacrifice, and a satisfying conclusion, make for an absorbing read. The action writing and the pace were effortless.
Recommended for readers 13 and up.
Release date: August 1, 2017 by Feiwel & Friends
This review posts on the Kidliterati blog tomorrow - April 10th.
Do not linger after dark.
Do not ignore the calling.
Sixteen-year-old, Winter, is a guardian of the wood, the same wood that took her father. She protects the travelers who pass through, making sure they return to their time period. Otherwise, the world could implode.
It’s a dangerous job. Winter works all day to ensure the travelers are guided back to their threshold. But, if she’s caught in the wood after sundown, the shadows, called Sentinels, rise; the icy cold follows their razor sharp teeth.
The wood is ill, black tar drips from the leaves, and it’s spreading. Travelers are found in bad shape, stricken to their core by the darkness of the wood and the poison and the shadows.
Winter isn’t alone. She worries about her mother, while her mother worries if she’ll return home each day, or if the wood has taken her. There’s Uncle Joe, who’s worked closely with her father, and more like brothers through the years as guardians of the wood. Uncle Joe watches over Winter. He wants to protect her where her father left off.
So when a boy passes through the wood from the 18th Century, a mortal, begging for help, who might know where her father is, she listens. Reluctant, at first, helping him goes against the most important rule of the guardians: No traveler can pass through a threshold into a time that is not their own.
Together, they set out to save the wood, and find his parents, Old Ones who disappeared that may know what’s happening to the wood and how to stop it. But the ancient one, Varo has returned, an outcast 500 years ago. Could he be darkening the wood, and using Dragon’s Bain, the one thing that could kill an immortal guardian?
A fun fantasy with a time-travel twist, a forest that comes alive with dark forces, magical benevolent fireflies, friendship, sacrifice, and a satisfying conclusion, make for an absorbing read. The action writing and the pace were effortless.
Recommended for readers 13 and up.
Release date: August 1, 2017 by Feiwel & Friends
This review posts on the Kidliterati blog tomorrow - April 10th.
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
It was a cool concept that I wanted a bit from, more complications and world-building, but overall it was a decent Fall-ish book that gets you in a the mood to be wrapped in a blanket.
It was a cool concept that I wanted a bit from, more complications and world-building, but overall it was a decent Fall-ish book that gets you in a the mood to be wrapped in a blanket.
Spoiler
I was a bit bummed about the last chapter, which was fairly open-ended. I guess I was assuming there would be the usual turnabouts: Winter would no longer HAVE to be a guardian, there was going to be some way Henry can stick around, etc. But nope; her dad is dead, Henry is gone, and she's gotta just keep doing the same thing she's been doing...it was quite a dreary ending.xxdrpancakexx's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
loslibrosdelosdragones's review
3.0
Fue un libro muy interesante, que disfruté mucho.
Si bien es bastante predecible y, a mi parecer, falla en conseguir ese "efecto sorpresa" al final, al revelar el supuesto "misterio", me gustó. El enigma que se plantea, junto con el misterio, funcionan muy bien y, si bien se desarrolla poco, lo hace lo suficiente como para mantener al lector atrapado hasta el final.
El concepto que se plantea del bosque me pareció muy interesante y mágico, aunque me hubiera gustado que se desarrollara más y que se le diera un poco más de protagonismo.
El final me pareció demasiado apresurado. Pasamos muy rápido del misterio, de algunas pistas, a resolverlo todo. Y el drama adolescente junto con el romance... demasiado forzado y exagerado. No podía evitar suspirar de la frustración cada vez que se nombraban "los músculos formados del personaje" o la forma de su bello rostro. A pesar de que había química entre ellos, no parecía haber mucho más que lo que el narrador forzaba.
Si bien es bastante predecible y, a mi parecer, falla en conseguir ese "efecto sorpresa" al final, al revelar el supuesto "misterio", me gustó. El enigma que se plantea, junto con el misterio, funcionan muy bien y, si bien se desarrolla poco, lo hace lo suficiente como para mantener al lector atrapado hasta el final.
El concepto que se plantea del bosque me pareció muy interesante y mágico, aunque me hubiera gustado que se desarrollara más y que se le diera un poco más de protagonismo.
El final me pareció demasiado apresurado. Pasamos muy rápido del misterio, de algunas pistas, a resolverlo todo. Y el drama adolescente junto con el romance... demasiado forzado y exagerado. No podía evitar suspirar de la frustración cada vez que se nombraban "los músculos formados del personaje" o la forma de su bello rostro. A pesar de que había química entre ellos, no parecía haber mucho más que lo que el narrador forzaba.
ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition
Teen romance masquerading as something actually scary. No! Stop trying to trick me!
themichellegray's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars - This was an equally creepy & heartbreaking story that featured well-rounded characters, time travel, other fantastical elements, and the perfect Fall vibe. I flew through it and am shocked no one is really talking about this book, highly recommend!