I loved Shea Ernshaw's previous book, The Wicked Deep. It was full of magic, witchcraft, and ghosts. Winterwood, her second novel, continues with an even more moody, creepy atmosphere, plus characters who will tear at your heart. This was a thoroughly entertaining, spooky book!

What I Liked:
Atmosphere:

The setting is a remote lake in the Pacific Northwest in the dead of winter. One side of the lake has a boys camp for troubled teens. On the other side are vacation homes, empty of summer revelers, save one lone house. Nora, a teen rumored to be a witch, lives a solitary existence. She wanders the Winterwoods on evenings of the full moon, looking for lost items.

I loved the sense of isolation for both the boys camp and Nora. With no real adults around (the camp personnel seem to only minimally supervise the boys), bad thing can happen. The situation becomes even more dangerous as a storm leaves the area cut off with no phones and blocked roads.

Characters:
Nora:

No one talks to Nora at school, and the locals spread rumors about her and her family of women being witches. It doesn't bother her too much because it's actually true. All the women in her family have some extraordinary talent. All except Nora. Even though the circumstances are fanciful, I think every person can identify with Nora. What makes us special? What if there is nothing?

Oliver:

We get another perspective from Oliver, the boy Nora finds in the forest. This is a case of an unreliable narrator. Is he responsible for the death of another boy? He can't quite remember what happened to him out in the woods. Or can he?

Story:

I would say that the story was a slow burn. The author spends a good amount of time establishing the mood of the book, and the story takes a while to unfold. But it is thrilling! How did the boy from the camp get killed? What was Oliver's role? As Nora tries to solve the mystery, the sense of impending doom increases.


We are also left to speculate if the Walker women actually are witches, and if the young men at the camp are a danger. If Nora finds out what really happened, will someone try to silence her?

Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood in exchange for an honest review. The book releases Tuesday, November 5.

“I am a Walker. I am the thing whispered about, the thing that conjures goosebumps and nightmares” (loc. 131).

Evocative. Atmospheric. Beautifully written. Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood is a gorgeous YA fantasy novel set in a world just next door to our own. Teenager Nora Walker, the Walker (or, perhaps, witch) at the center of the book, is an outcast from the world and from her family. Her nightshade, her gift, has never revealed itself, so Nora leads a life separate from her small community, a life wedded to the powerful trees in the Wicker Woods and the bottomless Jackjaw Lake, but one in which she can never fully join the powerful matrilineal tradition that Nora’s mother has rejected. So Nora, who learned from her grandmother until her death, has to fight to continue living within the magic of the Walkers even while she is “as helpless as a girl by any other name” (loc. 235).

Nora’s heritage means that she is a finder of lost things in the Wicker Woods, and the home she shares with her mother is filled with treasures she has brought back when the moon is full and the trees asleep. At the opening of the novel, Nora is walking in the woods with her wolf/dog Fin when she discovers her “latest found item” (loc. 248), Oliver Huntsman, a boy missing from the Jackjaw Camp for Wayward Boys.

Nora rescues the boy and then must deal with the aftermath of her discovery. As Ernshaw’s novel unfolds, she delves into the Walker family’s Spellbook, which details the stories of Walker women, and into Oliver’s own perspective as he struggles with his loss of memory and comes to know the real Nora, the one outside the superstitions and rumors that surround her family. Both Nora and Oliver try to uncover the truth of Oliver’s disappearance and of the death of one of his companions from the camp.

Winterwood is just phenomenal. Shea Ernshaw beautifully builds a novel that feels like a dark fairytale, and I loved the line she draws between “the legends [Nora] know[s] to be true” and the stories the boys and townspeople tell, which “are lies. Born from fear and spite, not from history” (loc. 475). The legitimacy of Nora’s family story, which is centered on women, and the defiance of the norms the town tries to force upon them are supremely empowering. At one point, Nora declares, “My family is older than witches. . . . Older than the word itself” (loc. 1330). Oliver and Nora each have a loneliness, an emptiness, that draws them together, though they have a hard time overcoming their mutual mistrust. Their earnest attempts to take a risk and be vulnerable to each other are moving, even while both make it clear why it might seem safer not to let down the walls they’ve used for protection.

Though I was able to predict a part of the story arc, I enjoyed every moment of this novel, which is a dark, mysterious, and perfect YA read. The complexity of the characters beautifully centers this amazing and atmospheric book. Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood would be an excellent fall or winter read, but it’s worth picking up regardless of the season.

I want to start off this review by saying THE WICKED DEEP was one of my favorite books, and that story is what had me racing to read Ernshaw's sophomore novel. That being said, WINTERWOOD, disappointingly, feel flat for me. Don't get me wrong—the atmosphere and the writing itself were amazing. I felt sucked into this world and could feel the cold bite of the forest air even though it was sunny and warm outside. I just felt no connection to anything. The plot was slow and sometimes felt a little pointless, as if nothing was really going anywhere. It was one of those stories where I'm halfway through and have no idea how I could've possibly read so far into a book because it felt like nothing had yet to happen. By the time I got to the end, it was both predicable and also totally out of nowhere at the same time. I also didn't care about the characters much at all. I've heard that the final copy of this story differs drastically from the arcs, and I truly hope that if that's the case, it has to do with the characterization. I can get past a slower plot if I'm invested in the characters, but there was just nothing there for me to grasp onto, and I feel sorry to say I really struggled to get through this story. Based on what I've heard, I'm willing to give the final copy a second chance in the future, and will definitely be purchasing Ernshaw's work in the future (the writing truly is just so beautiful.) But this version of this book left me wanting more than what I was given.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything. The beginning was a little underwhelming but Ershaw managed to spin a truly phenomenal yarn that is all sorts of addicting. The story and setting is so wonderfully dark. And Nora is a strong witch without having all encompassing power which I love. Not only did Ershaw make me forget how much I hate the everyone lives trope but she made me feel like it was the absolutely perfect ending to her story. I am so throughly shocked. SUCH A GOOD READ.

Winterwood is the follow up to Shea Earnshaw's dark realism novel The Wicked Deep. I fell in love with the writing Ernshaw displayed in The Wicked Deep, even though I had some personal qualms with the love story. All in all, I was really looking forward to their next book. It didn't disappoint. Winterwood is full of beautifully atmospheric writing and prose. You really get a sense the location is another character in the book because it takes on such a powerful essence in the story.

The woods are always more than they seem. They really are alive. Watching. Breathing. Waiting. Especially if you’re a Walker woman who has always lived in those woods. After all the Walker women are always witches. They know about the woods.

Winterwood is a story of Nora Walker. The Walkers have a special connection to the woods surrounding Fir Haven. Especially the Wicker Woods. On the nights of a full moon, Nora is able to enter the woods to discover lost things. This time she finds a boy, Oliver Huntsman. Olivier disappeared from the Camp for Wayward boys two weeks ago on the night of the worst snow storm in many years. The snow storm that trapped them all, as it shut down the road and the power.

There's something not right about the whole situation though. One that Nora just can't seem to pin point. Oliver isn't telling her the whole truth and neither are the other boys Nora meets from the camp. Something more must have happened on the night of the storm when he disappeared. There are secrets to learn.

My favorite character in this book really is the Wicker Woods. They are eerie and give a large sense of foreboding. Perhaps it's because as a native Pacific Northwester, who has spent their fair share of time in cold dark woods, I could really sense how easily the woods can hold magic within their roots and branches. But mostly, it comes from Ernshaw's writing that connected me so strongly to the woods and brought them to life between the pages.

I was able to predict the ending and the direction the book took. As a reader that's often disappointing. I like to be surprised. It didn't detract though from my enjoyment of the book. I still walked away from this thinking about the book and wanting to take a long walk through the woods. This was a lovely, cold, witchy wood read. I enjoyed the fairytale like slow flow of the story about Nora Walker, the woods, and a boy she finds on a full moon night.

Going into the story, I was a little hesitant because of the issues I had with Shea Ernshaw’s debut novel The Wicked Deep, and I was interested to see how I felt about this book and if any of those issues showed up again.

Once again She Ernshaw delivers the perfect atmosphere to fit the story, the writing was so beautiful, and it transported you to this dark wintery wood. I think it’s official, I would say Shea Ernshaw is the “Master of Atmosphere”.

I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting, the one major issue I had with her previous book did show up in this one but not to the same extent. There was one thing about the plot to be a bit predictable, I missed out on the intended impact of the plot twist was meant to have because I deduced it, but everything following it came as a complete shock to me.

At first, I wasn’t very attached to either of the characters, but both Nora and Oliver did grow on me, but I felt like we could have gotten to know them better.I also felt there should have been more of Oliver’s perspective because the whole mystery that we’re trying to solve for most of the book surrounds him.

There were a few minor things that bothered me. but the ending redeemed a lot of the book for me. The ending probably was my favorite part of the book and everything about it was completely unexpected. I’m officially here for whatever Shea Ernshaw writes next, you know I’ll be picking it up.

I want to thank @netgalley #netgalley for an early copy of #winterwood in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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This novel was my first by Shea Ernshaw (and now I can’t wait to read her other one I have (Wicked Deep.) She has an amazing talent of pulling your heartstrings from the beginning!! I smiled, I cried, I went through all the emotions with these characters as they did. That to me is pure talent! I love reading books like this one. They resonate with you long after reading it! Although, it lost one star for the repetitive “whining” through three-quarters of the start of the story. That’s my ONLY complaint. But, I had my heart attached regardless.
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This book takes you on a journey with Nora Walker, a witch of the oldest haunted woods whose ancestors belong to the land. She meets people and love in strange circumstances, but an adventure worthy of a standing ovation! A haunting, beautiful, and heart-pounding story that I absolutely adored.

This novel was almost every thing I needed to get me through this hot California fall. The beautifully descriptive ambiance of a west coast forest in the middle of a cold, dark winter had me wishing so hard I lived further up north. Honestly, I think I was most in love with the setting and the general plot of the book. It was engaging and though I was able to guess the direction it was taking, it still kept me invested until the very end.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the digital ARC!

I have not read The Wicked Deep so I was unfamiliar with the author's writing style and it took a little getting used to. The repetitive sayings were a little annoying and the plethora of metaphors and similes were distracting at times.

I enjoyed that the Wicker Woods were there own character and reading of the different Walker women ancestors. The ending was thoroughly enjoyable even if it was a little predictable.

Winterwood, Shea Ernshaw's follow up book to her popular release The Wicked Deep, cements Ernshaw as a premiere young adult author of dark, dreamy, magical realism.

In Winterwood, the Wicker Woods come alive as our heroine, Nora, traverses the haunted hills of her home outside of Fir Haven. Nora, descended from a long line of witches, enters the wood during full moons to find things that have been lost; one month, she has her biggest find yet - a boy named Olivier, lost from a boys camp nearby. As Nora tries to unravel the mystery of Oliver, the story speeds toward an heart pounding end.

Ernshaw has mastered the art of making environments come alive. The Wicker Woods is its own character, clearly interacting with the characters and serving justice when necessary. The whole story is atmospheric, eerie, and perfect for a fall/winter read. Some of Ernshaw's plot lines are hard to follow and things can get a little muddled, but that blurriness seems built-in to the story intentionally.

Overall, I'll be recommending this novel to readers of all ages who enjoy magical realism, settings that come alive, dark mysteries, and witchy vibes.

I did not finish this as I lost interest in the novel. This is a little on the older side for my middle school students and I think the writing would go above their heads. In a different world, it would probably have been nice to read as the lyrical writing is beautiful--however, with loads of other books taking up my TBR, I had to stop reading this one and move on.

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Injury

"I do not think the forest would be so bright, nor the water so warm, nor love so sweet, if there were no danger in the lakes. --C.S. Lewis"

Shea Ernshaw has done it again. She’s captivated my senses and left me yearning for more of her magical, eerie tales. While I felt that Winterwood perhaps wasn’t as developed as the plotline in The Wicked Deep, it still left me with a sense of deep satisfaction. The ending was exactly enough, as I was totally engrossed in the atmosphere that this novel offers.

"Nora Walker. The girl with moonlight in her veins."

Winterwood is the story about Nora Walker, and the ancestry of the women in her family. Even though she is the only Walker present, the representation of multiple generations of family members is palpable. I enjoyed how a “lore” was created around her family, which also spread to the reaches surrounding the town of Fir Haven.

Coupled with the lore of the Walker family, are the Wicker Woods. The woods are magical, but hostile. Only on nights of the full moon are the Walker women allowed to enter the woods while they slumber, to find lost things. It is on the night of a full moon after a terrible snow storm when Nora happens upon a boy in the woods. Having gone missing from a boys camp across the lake, his appearance in the woods is strange, as Nora knows to be in the woods is a perilous endeavor even for her.

"The Wicker Woods are where old, vengeful things lurk--things much older than time itself. Things you don’t want to meet in the dark. Get in. Get the hell out."

As Nora learns more about Oliver Huntsman, the boy from the woods, the more she realizes something sinister has happened with a group of boys from the camp.

Throughout the plot’s unravelling, the reader is introduced to different ancestors of the Walker family, via entries in the family spellbook. The Walker family have a long history of oddity and dysfunction. Nora Walker doesn’t have a good relationship with her mother. Having different desires, especially in consideration to the family they come from, their relationship has always been strained. Her mother, always had a desire to leave Jackjaw Lake. Nora, did not. She’s plagued with worry of if she truly belongs in her family.

"But without a nightshade, I can’t help but wonder if I’m really like any of them. If my name deserves to be listed in the spellbook among them. Or am I an imposter?"

Nora shares the point-of-view of telling the story with Oliver Huntsman, a young man who has been attending the “troubled boy’s camp” on Jackjaw Lake. After Nora finds him in the woods, pieces of his memory returns to explain how he came to be in the woods, and how he’s survived them for so long. On the night of the snow storm, a boy had gone missing from the camp, and Nora believe she’s found him. But Oliver and Nora begin putting the pieces together of what truly transpired, and they both realize that there is something more sinister afoot.

"I'm on my own. And in books, those with nothing to lose always become the villain. This is how their story begins--with loss and sadness that quickly turns into anger and spite and no turning back."

If you are looking for a fast-paced, quick, and immersive read, be sure to check out Winterwood. While I found the ending to be somewhat predictable, and parts of the plot underdeveloped, I really enjoyed this story overall.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Some, including death.

My Rating: ★★★★

~ARC provided by NetGalley~

If there's anything I love more than fairytales it's a good witchy story. This book had such an ethereal quality, I couldn't tear myself away! I loved the alternating pov's and the grimoire additions. Really good read.

This book was fabulous. It was dark and cold and mysterious. What a perfect book to read this time of year. I loved the writing in this book. The characters were mysterious and I didn’t connect with them much but I don’t think I was supposed to. This was a really good story.

4 stars-- The Winterwood by Shae Ernshaw
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy.
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Someone died that night, but no one knows who. Then Nora finds a boy in the woods...
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What I Loved: Nora Walker comes from a long line of witches and in between chapters, we get a description of her ancestors and their story. I absolutely loved it. Also, the scenery was described beautifully. The way the woods were described and the chill from the air was just so well done.
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What I didn't: the plot was extremely predictable and the character development was not what it could have been.
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I do recommend this book and need to read the author's previous work!

Oh my gosh you guys! Shea Ernshaw has done it again!! Winterwood is a deliciously magical book that I am head over heels in love with. There was so much magic, suspense, and mystery woven together by the absolutely gorgeous writing. I will admit that it was a slow start, and for a while it felt like I was being hit over the head time and time again with the fact that Nora is a witch and nobody likes her for it. But, during those first few chapters we learn through entries in the family’s spell book all about the generations of Walker women, born with magical gifts and destined to be alone. There are also spells included that correlate to each of the Walker women that are just that little something extra that I adored. I may have to let my inner witch shine through and try out some of these spells for myself!
About a quarter of the way through the book the story really takes flight. Nora has found Oliver in the woods, like so many of the treasures she hoards away in her room. She wants to keep him. To not end up like the other Walker women alone in the woods, but the mystery surrounding the night Oliver went missing just may stand in her way. From the way the first few chapters were written, I was not expecting the story to lead me down the path that it did. There are boys that are vicious and secrets around every corner. The suspense of not knowing what happened but needing to know kept me turning page after page! Until I reached the ending that almost destroyed me with how beautifully quiet it was after the nerve wracking situation Nora and Oliver found themselves in.
Y’all, this book is a total 5 out of 5 stars for me! Yes, it may take you a hot minute to really be sucked into the story, but there is not a moment that isn’t either beautiful or completely suspenseful.
This book releases on November 5, 2019, so in the meantime, if you haven’t already read The Wicked Deep, also by Ms. Ernshaw, I highly recommend, and if you’re looking for another generational tale full of magical realism, check out Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore. If it’s mystery and suspense you’re craving, This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston just may be what you’re looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing this e-arc for me to review.

What wondrous example of modernizing folklore! Within a few pages, this book utterly transported me to a cold, wintry world, where Nora Walker, a "witch" descended from a strong lineage of past witches, is trying to figure out her place in the world as she has no idea what her Nightshade, otherwise known as a power to us commonfolk, is or if she has one at all. When she discovers Oliver Huntsman in the very alive Wicker Woods one day, her life takes a very mysterious yet exciting turn.

This book has the perfect amount of magic, mystery, and even romance, while providing the a well grown history of the Walker family and intertwining that with the modern day world that Nora is living in. I loved the characters of Nora and Oliver and, while one of the mysteries I solved relatively early on, there were plenty more I did not see coming in the least. I was completely wrapped up in Nora's life throughout the entire book and loved the intertwining viewpoint that Oliver brought to the table. Even the side characters add to the overall story and I felt like I couldn't have done without any of them.

This would make a perfect read for the Winter as the setting replicates that sense and the character of Wicker Woods unto itself brings a sort of creepiness and intrigue that will make this a great pageturner to curl up with. Even though categorized as YA, I strongly believe this book would be great for adults as well, especially if you a fan of the bigger genre of folklore.

This was a beautiful atmospheric read with the same whismy of Practical Magic. I loved the familial magic of the Walkers and the lush setting. I was so drawn in by Nora's world and the mystery of what happened the winter a boy at the camp across the lake died and a boy went missing. It was a perfect read for the beginning of Fall and I was entranced by Shea's descriptions, I felt like I too was in a cabin snowed in at the lake watching events unfold. This was a beautiful and suspenseful read and one I will be recommending all Fall and Winter. I will also be including it in a roundup for The Young Folks of 25 Books To Read During Halloween, as a glimpse of upcoming books perfect for the holiday.

Mostly I thought that Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw was okay. There were parts I really enjoyed and the overall atmosphere of the story was really great but it just didn't wow me. I loved the parts of the story that talk about the Walker family and each of Nora's ancestors and the gifts they each possessed. This was so interesting and I am always a sucker for witchy families full of powerful, strong women. I enjoyed Nora as a main character for the most part, she felt so strongly connected to her family and her home despite not always feeling like she truly belonged and that was great. However, near the end especially, she kept making choices and doing things that were so annoying and I just found myself getting really frustrated with her. Speaking of the ending, I think its just a personal thing for me that the kind of conclusion or solution that was used in this book is one of my all time least favorite kinds of endings. It always ends up feeling a little like a cheap and lazy way to wrap up every loose end very quickly. As soon as it happened, I just felt a little disappointed. I do like the reveal near the end where Nora finally learns the truth of what happened at the boys camp. It is maybe a little predictable but still really enjoyable. Not a bad book by any means, I had a really good time reading this story overall, it just wasn't a favorite and ultimately felt very middle of the road to me.

4.5 stars- a couple of plot points held it back from being a full 5 stars.

This book was positively enchanting. The writing was haunting and lyrical and I couldn’t put it down or stop thinking about it when I had put it down.

Nora Walker comes from a long line of witches- women with powers and a connection to the Winter Wood that no one else dares to enter. She is a finder of lost things and a girl who is searching for her true self when she comes across her most important found thing yet and a journey unfolds that is filled with mystery, intrigue, love, and the path to finding who she truly is.

*I received this ARC from NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review