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aelius_'s review
4.0
Meets the young adult criteria of being an escape to reality, like literally. Puts yourself into the shoes of someone at the young adult age with a few problems in the soles. Really well put fantasy story to enjoy through!
wise1librarian's review
3.0
A young girl journeys to another land to try to find what happened to her father and figure out who her mother was. She has always felt different... Protected by her grandmother's herbs, she is able to triumph. Adventure. Fantasy.
_hart_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
eletricjb's review
4.0
This is a good tale, not quite as gripping as Ash or Huntress by Malindo Lo--or Lords and Ladies or The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett--but I really did enjoy it.
wrentheblurry's review
3.0
This was the latest bed-time story for my boys, 13 and 11. I would give it 2.5 stars, the older 3, and the younger would do 3.5. Thus, I averaged my final score out to 3.
Girl stumbles into a forbidden fantasy world. Girl encounters trouble, a boy/dog, and lots of other creatures and beings. Girl tries to fix the problems in the fantasy world, while issues are cropping up in the real world.
The story feels like it pulls elements from many other fantasy books, but I am okay with that. What more annoyed me was the extensive use of the adjective 'rough' (or adverb 'roughly') in way too many of the descriptions of Rook. I also grew weary of the long, dull descriptions of nature. I like being able to get a strong sense of my surroundings, though this felt like it went overboard.
I would've quit the book earlier on, but my sons both wanted to continue. The younger liked the subject matter, but thought "the writing could be better." In the end, I was glad to have finished reading it, but also happy to move on to something else.
Girl stumbles into a forbidden fantasy world. Girl encounters trouble, a boy/dog, and lots of other creatures and beings. Girl tries to fix the problems in the fantasy world, while issues are cropping up in the real world.
The story feels like it pulls elements from many other fantasy books, but I am okay with that. What more annoyed me was the extensive use of the adjective 'rough' (or adverb 'roughly') in way too many of the descriptions of Rook. I also grew weary of the long, dull descriptions of nature. I like being able to get a strong sense of my surroundings, though this felt like it went overboard.
I would've quit the book earlier on, but my sons both wanted to continue. The younger liked the subject matter, but thought "the writing could be better." In the end, I was glad to have finished reading it, but also happy to move on to something else.
stacyrenee's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Middle-grade
Fantasy
Fer, short for Jennifer, finds herself traveling across ‘The Way’ to find out what happened to her parents years before and discovers that she is the key to stopping an endless winter.
I really enjoyed this. It gave me magical winter vibes and is a fun, adventurous take on the fae realm.
Fantasy
Fer, short for Jennifer, finds herself traveling across ‘The Way’ to find out what happened to her parents years before and discovers that she is the key to stopping an endless winter.
I really enjoyed this. It gave me magical winter vibes and is a fun, adventurous take on the fae realm.
sparklingreader's review
4.0
This is a new fantasy story from veteran writer, Sarah Prineas – author of the “Magic Thief” series.
In this one, we are introduced to Fer (short for Jennifer – which I love! What a different twist on the nickname). She is a middle school girl who is always in trouble at school, something her grandmother is constantly on her case about. She lives with her Grand-Jane who makes her wear an herb pouch for safety and uses herbs and poultices for healing. According to Grand-Jane, Fer’s parents “had gone from this world” which Fer took to mean they were dead.
The tale starts with Fer being in trouble again and taking off into the night where she rescues what she thinks is a dog from three wolves. When he turns out to be a boy, she knows something is up.
There are all sorts of fantastical creatures, magic, secrets, and more going on in the story. It’s a quick read with very well done world building and characters you are sure to love. This will be a good story for the 4th-5th grade age levels.
Things I liked:
• The characters, especially Fer and Puck
• The way the author blended nature into the magic
• The world building
• The message shown through the characters standing against what they believe to be wrong
• The quick, satisfying read
Things I didn’t like:
• Grandma silent all these years, but suddenly, she lets Fer go to a new, dangerous world without a quibble
• POV switches – hard to know who was whom sometimes
• Fer beats off slavering wolves with just a stick (though I eventually realized it wasn’t so much her attack on the wolves as it was the magic she wielded without knowing it)
Recommendation: Definitely recommended for middle schoolers who enjoy fantasy stories and especially fans of Sarah Prineas.
In this one, we are introduced to Fer (short for Jennifer – which I love! What a different twist on the nickname). She is a middle school girl who is always in trouble at school, something her grandmother is constantly on her case about. She lives with her Grand-Jane who makes her wear an herb pouch for safety and uses herbs and poultices for healing. According to Grand-Jane, Fer’s parents “had gone from this world” which Fer took to mean they were dead.
The tale starts with Fer being in trouble again and taking off into the night where she rescues what she thinks is a dog from three wolves. When he turns out to be a boy, she knows something is up.
There are all sorts of fantastical creatures, magic, secrets, and more going on in the story. It’s a quick read with very well done world building and characters you are sure to love. This will be a good story for the 4th-5th grade age levels.
Things I liked:
• The characters, especially Fer and Puck
• The way the author blended nature into the magic
• The world building
• The message shown through the characters standing against what they believe to be wrong
• The quick, satisfying read
Things I didn’t like:
• Grandma silent all these years, but suddenly, she lets Fer go to a new, dangerous world without a quibble
• POV switches – hard to know who was whom sometimes
• Fer beats off slavering wolves with just a stick (though I eventually realized it wasn’t so much her attack on the wolves as it was the magic she wielded without knowing it)
Recommendation: Definitely recommended for middle schoolers who enjoy fantasy stories and especially fans of Sarah Prineas.
misswitch's review
It took me longer than I expected to get into, but once I did,I really enjoyed it
brandypainter's review
4.0
4.5 stars really (because Rook is awesome)
Originally posted here.
Here it is, the first of my Most Anticipated Reads of 2012. Winterling by Sarah Prineas was well worth the anticipation. This is one of the books that just fit me and my mood perfectly.
Yay for heroines who ask questions! Again. And again. And again. Until they finally get the answers they need. Also, yay for heroines who persist in what they know is right even when others say it is a lost cause. Fer had me smiling through the entire book, mostly because she is a bit different as a heroine. She is a thinker, compassionate, and true to her word. She meets what must be done head on and pours love and mercy on the people she meets. (I was also happy that not all of those she bestowed these traits on were very thankful for them. It gave the book a realistic quality that I appreciated.) At the same time she is scared of the unknown and not absolutely sure of herself. Rook was another favorite (the book focuses on him almost as much as it does on Fer) as I have a much acknowledged weakness for trickster characters with attitude. Especially when they are truly heroic and angry about it. That's always good reading.
There are many elements of the plot and world that will be familiar to most readers. The idea of a changeling, the Other world running not quite in tandem with but crossing over ours, the concept of a Green Man (or Woman), an evil one who must be defeated to restore balance and what is proper. Prineas took all of these and really made them her own though. She has created a world that is beautiful and mysterious and conveys those things without being overly descriptive. She says much with few words, a trait I always appreciate in a writer. I actually had dreams about the story each night I was reading it and that doesn't happen to me often. Only when a writer has really been able to etch their world into my mind.
Happily there will be a sequel coming out in 2013 titled Summerkin so there is more from this world to look forward too. (Most Anticipated of 2013 list already in the making.)
Kate at Book Aunt posted a review for this where she talks about the Irish myths used in the story. Very interesting.
And tomorrow The Enchanted Inkpot will post an interview with Sarah Prineas about the book.
Originally posted here.
Here it is, the first of my Most Anticipated Reads of 2012. Winterling by Sarah Prineas was well worth the anticipation. This is one of the books that just fit me and my mood perfectly.
Yay for heroines who ask questions! Again. And again. And again. Until they finally get the answers they need. Also, yay for heroines who persist in what they know is right even when others say it is a lost cause. Fer had me smiling through the entire book, mostly because she is a bit different as a heroine. She is a thinker, compassionate, and true to her word. She meets what must be done head on and pours love and mercy on the people she meets. (I was also happy that not all of those she bestowed these traits on were very thankful for them. It gave the book a realistic quality that I appreciated.) At the same time she is scared of the unknown and not absolutely sure of herself. Rook was another favorite (the book focuses on him almost as much as it does on Fer) as I have a much acknowledged weakness for trickster characters with attitude. Especially when they are truly heroic and angry about it. That's always good reading.
There are many elements of the plot and world that will be familiar to most readers. The idea of a changeling, the Other world running not quite in tandem with but crossing over ours, the concept of a Green Man (or Woman), an evil one who must be defeated to restore balance and what is proper. Prineas took all of these and really made them her own though. She has created a world that is beautiful and mysterious and conveys those things without being overly descriptive. She says much with few words, a trait I always appreciate in a writer. I actually had dreams about the story each night I was reading it and that doesn't happen to me often. Only when a writer has really been able to etch their world into my mind.
Happily there will be a sequel coming out in 2013 titled Summerkin so there is more from this world to look forward too. (Most Anticipated of 2013 list already in the making.)
Kate at Book Aunt posted a review for this where she talks about the Irish myths used in the story. Very interesting.
And tomorrow The Enchanted Inkpot will post an interview with Sarah Prineas about the book.
risamyers3's review
4.0
Reminiscent of Narnia, without the religious overtones. Seemed targeted at a slightly older audience than the magic thief books. Enjoyable, quick read.