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decafenby 's review for:
The Winter Soldier: Cold Front
by Mackenzi Lee
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'll start with the positives. I chose The Winter Soldier: Cold Front because I wanted a breezy novel I could read in between denser, non-fiction pieces. This book did the trick nicely. Looking past some gruesome action sequences, the writing style in this book is most similar to other mass market popular fictions, like romance novels or even fan-fiction. As a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the Captain America movies specifically, it was nice to have a handle on the characters in some familiar settings.
Other reviewers mention the startling differences between Bucky's MCU character and the character written for Cold Front. That's because this book is not apart of the MCU (note: it doesn't fit the "C" for cinematic, seeing as it's a novel, not a movie). Lee changed many surface details (I suspect due to advice from executives to make him as different as possible from MCU Bucky). These details largely pertain to his overall origin story—he doesn't grow up as Steve's best friend and he's 16 when he begins his army adventures in 1941.
Most of the book revolves around his tormented love story with a young woman he meets in 1941. Spanning between 1954 when he's "V" (the Winter Soldier) and 1941 when he's Bucky, the book grapples with his search for identity and moreso, his desire to fight his own battles. The plot (mainly running away from various "bad guys" and smashing things liberally) leaves something to be desired, and you can tell Lee put most of her focus on Bucky's characterization both through his internal dialogue and his relationships with others. This book works best in its less action-packed moments with both Bucky and V making their own choices in flawed circumstances. And yes, it's sad, but really—what did you expect for a book about the Winter Soldier?
Now, for anyone coming to this novel with a background interest in Steve/Bucky dynamics (re: Stucky), I issue the following statement: Steve is barely in this book; however, I wouldn't say his presence is absent. In fact, by the end of this book, I was left wondering if Lee informed some of her characterizations through Steve-coded glasses. For instance, Bucky's main love interest is a strong-willed, stubborn blond who happens to have blue eyes (that cause Bucky to later think about someone else's blue eyes—Steve). Additionally, *spoiler*Gimlet/Ginny and Bucky literally recreate with very minimal variation the "who the hell is Bucky" scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. So, yes, it turns out the act of breaking your torture-conditioning simply by seeing someone from your past is inherently romantic. There are a few small moments peppered in towards the end of the book that had me wondering if I was delusional for spotting Steve/Bucky crumbs. Namely, that "V" (the Winter Soldier) remember Steve mostly for *spoiler* the taste of spearmint gum. Huh. I wonder why he would remember that about his platonic male friend. All this to say, I would mostly recommend Steve/Bucky fans to travel elsewhere for frankly better written stories about their favorite characters, but if you happen to read this book, it gives you something to think about. I'm curious to know if anyone felt similarly.
Other reviewers mention the startling differences between Bucky's MCU character and the character written for Cold Front. That's because this book is not apart of the MCU (note: it doesn't fit the "C" for cinematic, seeing as it's a novel, not a movie). Lee changed many surface details (I suspect due to advice from executives to make him as different as possible from MCU Bucky). These details largely pertain to his overall origin story—he doesn't grow up as Steve's best friend and he's 16 when he begins his army adventures in 1941.
Most of the book revolves around his tormented love story with a young woman he meets in 1941. Spanning between 1954 when he's "V" (the Winter Soldier) and 1941 when he's Bucky, the book grapples with his search for identity and moreso, his desire to fight his own battles. The plot (mainly running away from various "bad guys" and smashing things liberally) leaves something to be desired, and you can tell Lee put most of her focus on Bucky's characterization both through his internal dialogue and his relationships with others. This book works best in its less action-packed moments with both Bucky and V making their own choices in flawed circumstances. And yes, it's sad, but really—what did you expect for a book about the Winter Soldier?
Now, for anyone coming to this novel with a background interest in Steve/Bucky dynamics (re: Stucky), I issue the following statement: Steve is barely in this book; however, I wouldn't say his presence is absent. In fact, by the end of this book, I was left wondering if Lee informed some of her characterizations through Steve-coded glasses. For instance, Bucky's main love interest is a strong-willed, stubborn blond who happens to have blue eyes (that cause Bucky to later think about someone else's blue eyes—Steve). Additionally, *spoiler*