Reviews - Winterset Hollow

855 reviews for:

Winterset Hollow

Jonathan Edward Durham

3.86 AVERAGE

catieshabbs's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 14%

Difficult to understand writing style

ritchie437reads's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

anotherbooklady's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

📚100 /100 (2024 Reading Goal) 🎉

📖 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬

✍️ 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗺

🎧 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗺

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.𝟮𝟱

2nd Read

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱:

Dark fantasy, talking animals, found family, thrilling, PNW setting, gothic, book within a book, omniscient storytelling

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲(𝘀):

“There’s beauty in the unknown, but there’s also beauty in truth,” she answered. “I guess some of us like to believe … and some of us just have to know…”

“…one rabbit, one bear, one fox, one frog, and one owl.”

“Haven’t you ever read something and felt like it was written just for you?”

“You know, it’s been said that you should never meet your heroes, but I say better to know whom you place on that pedestal, don’t you agree?”

“Oh, Eamon, were you expecting a happy ending?”

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

Jonathan Durham’s debut novel is nothing short of phenomenal! A dark fantasy blended with gruesome horror, it’s the perfect read for October. The story’s premise is intriguingly unique: imagine if the woodland creatures from your favorite childhood books were real, but far from the cute, loving animals you once imagined. Picture “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” meets “Watership Down,” and you’ll have a glimpse into this terrifying tale.

The setting is masterfully crafted: a creepy mansion on a deserted island off the Pacific Northwest coast, complete with animal heads on the walls, a hedge maze, a mysterious cave, and a hunter’s cabin. The atmosphere is so vivid that I constantly found myself rubbing the goosebumps on my arms.

While the characters fit the usual traits of a “slasher” story, the plot is tightly woven and expertly executed. The omniscient storytelling is flawless. I rooted for the main characters, could predict who would die first (and next), and felt a mounting sense of anxiety for the protagonist as the story hurtled toward its inevitable conclusion. This book screams for a film adaptation—Netflix, are you listening?

I complemented my reading with the audiobook, narrated by the author himself, and Durham’s narration is stellar. He delivers the story exactly as intended, and his rendition of the poetic sections is pure gold.

On my second read, I found myself even more impressed, upgrading my original rating from 3.5 to 4.25. This novel is a chilling, immersive experience that I highly recommend.

caityporter's review against another edition

3.75

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Winnie the Pooh meets The Most Dangerous Game. I was expecting to be scared, not sad! The author definitely loves his thesaurus but other than the writing taking itself too seriously it was a good read. The tension of knowing things are going to go bad but not knowing when, being able to empathize with the “villains” (who I can’t even really call villains), the tears the end brought because none of it was fair or right at all. A good message about what revenge and guilt will take away from you.

charlietuna92's review against another edition

4.0

This book had lovely prose, a unique plot, and endearing characters. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The story in the book reminds me so much of Winnie the Pooh. And the sweet, nostalgic poetry is so well juxtaposed by the violence of the actual plot.
Winnie the Pooh meets the Hunger Games lol