Winter of the Wolf

Winter of the Wolf is a beautiful exploration of grief, love, loss and finding yourself. The characters are relatable and easy to connect with. The plot heart wrenching and heart-breaking covering the hard subjects with tact and grace.

4 stars.

This explores the gut wrenching loss of a sibling and how you are willing to do anything to bring them back, at any cost. This book centers around Beans journey to uncover whether her brother Sam really did kill himself. It is hard to read at times. A loss like this is profound and the way the main character is written only affirms this. The story grapples with the spiritual connection you have to a loved one and how even when they’re gone, they feel everywhere.

A unique and heartbreaking story.

What I Loved:
Wow! Winter of the Wolf was such an emotional read. I get so invested in a story that has a mystery element but also draws me in emotionally. It was beautiful to read!

My Synopsis:
Sam Hanes has died from suicide by hanging in his bedroom. His sister, Bean, is absolutely distraught over losing him. Everyone around her is saying that Sam committed suicide. As Bean relives the event through her memories, she just can’t believe that he would do that. She knows her brother in a way that others do not and is determined to uncover what really happened to him.

While Bean is working to figure out what has actually happened to her brother, she is also learning to manage her own grief as well as the grief of her family. Winter of the Wolf blends mystery, grief management, forgiveness, and spirituality, to create a beautiful, touching story.

How I Felt:
I just need to give a quick shout out to this fabulous cover! It caught my attention immediately and I knew I wanted to read it!

This story was so emotional. It really provides a glimpse into grief and explores how people manage it. I was blown away by Martha Hunt Handler’s writing style and ability. Her descriptions created vivid images of the scenes I was reading about. I felt drawn into the story where I would forget I was reading, losing all sense of my surroundings, and it was as if I was in the book. It’s the best experience possible when reading.

The characters were so incredibly real. Bean, the main character, shared her emotion and feelings in a way that made her feel like my friend, not just a character in a book. She was open about her thoughts, concerns, regrets, and insecurities and was the perfect character to convey this story. I felt like the way her feelings were written made them relatable in my own life, and I appreciated that.

Overall, this was a story that covered friendship and family, emotion, spirituality, and grief. It was written and edited well, and I highly recommend it!

Content Warnings:
Discussion of suicide, loss of a child or sibling, mental health, bullying, autoerotic asphyxiation.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend Winter of the Wolf for readers of all ages that enjoy an emotional story with a mystery to it!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Winter of the Wolf is a harrowing yet alluring depiction of grief and the pain and questioning that follows after an unexpected loss of a loved one.

Bean has recently lost her brother, Sam, to an apparent suicide. Questioning the cause of Sam’s death, Bean embarks on a journey of spirituality and grief in order to find out the truth.

I’d like to start off by stating that this book made me cry twice and that despite its heaviness, it has made me feel lighter. Combining elements of nature, death of a loved one and reincarnation, Winter of the Wolf portrays the painful process of grief and the questioning of a believer. It is a heartbreaking story of a sister so close to her brother she considered him her soulmate, and how his beliefs came to shape her, even after his passing.

Following Bean and her family through this difficult time, we witness how each member of the family has been affected by Sam’s death and just how special he truly was.

Handler writes and develops these characters incredibly well and makes you truly care for them and their well-being. Especially Sam, a character that is physically absent but ever present behind every action.

It is impossible not to connect with this story and its characters. I guarantee you every reader will undoubtedly take something away from Winter of the Wolf. I walk away with an even bigger admiration for the indigenous beliefs mentioned, a deeper interest of the afterlife and our connection to nature. I also applaud the author for donating all book sales proceeds to the Wolf Conservation Center. PROTECT OUR WOLVES.

Phew that was a lot to take in. While this is a good book, I do not think the age level that I deal with in school is appropriate. It dialog was great and there wasn't anything too horrific but the bases of the story will get them asking questions that I dont think they need to be worrying about in elementary school.

Full review on my blog monday 6-1-2020

This book had me hooked in every way possible. The cover had me hooked. That's the sole reason I requested it. The description comes later, gimme the BEAUTIFUL COVERS FIRST!!
The book, inspired from a true incident faced by the author, had an interesting, beautifully written and yet heart-breaking, inconsolable plot about the demise of the MC Bean's brother, Sam. Thanks to the Lilliputian size of their town, the word about Sam's passing away spreads faster than Usain Bolt's sprint. People not excluding his family, believed that he took his life wantonly. Except for his sister, Bean. She—after subjugating her trauma and setting her sights on uncloaking the truth about her brother's death—asks her best friend to help her in the process. The true reason really forces the reader to ponder over it.
The expression of all the negative feelings like that of grief, anger and sadness, is gracefully and stunningly done. The development of the characters is successfully pulled off. This book is really a genre-busting one.

Overall, this was a story that covered friendship and family, emotion, spirituality, and grief. It was written and edited well, and I highly recommend it!


I would recommend Winter of the Wolf for readers of all ages that enjoy an emotional story with a mystery to it!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I love every mystery and thriller, but this combination of mystery and some thriller elements combined with teens or YA literature has totally made me melt!

Omg I truly lived this book. The way grieve was portraid in so many eays in this book was amazing. It was a beautiful read that gripped me.

I really enjoyed this book. Right from the beginning I was hooked. We follow Bean who has gone through a tragedy. This was a really heart breaking read following Bean and her family as they are dealing with a death and the grief that they are going through . Bean beliefs that Sam's death was not suicide and believes that something strange happened to her brother because he would never commit suicide. She decides along with her best friend that she is going to figure out what really happened to her brother. I really loved the relationship that was shown between Bean and her brother Sam. They truly had an amazing relationship and believed that they were sibling soul mates

Bean is such a strong main character and very mature for her age due to all of her brothers teachings. Even through her deep depression she manages a whole household at the age of 15 which is really admirable because her father and mother seemed to check out after Sam's death.

I really enjoyed how supportive this family was and how they believed that everyone should go through a journey and figure out what they believe or not believe when it comes to religion. This whole family has many beliefs, Bean's dad is an atheist, Sam had Inuit beliefs and Bean and her mum were exploring many different avenues.

This was such an impactful and eye opening read to many different themes such as grief and religion. I really recommend this book for everyone.

What a wonderful story! Heart-wrenching, captivating and unique, At times, it was hard for me to believe this is a piece of fiction. Winter of the Wolf is a masterpiece that would change the way you see and believe things. Ms Handler has beautifully amalgamated elements of mystery, suspense, emotions and life in this story. A must-read book for readers of all ages. Highly recommended.

Winter of the Wolf is a beautifully crafted story that opens up many topics for introspection and exploration. It's a good book for families to use as a jumping off point for having important conversations with our teenagers and twenty somethings. It can be difficult to initiate discussions around topics like relationships, spirituality, death, grief, and suicide, but talking about Bean's beliefs and experiences gives parents the perfect opening. Whether or not the reader sees eye-to-eye with Bean, there is plenty in this well-written novel to prompt an exploration and discussion of important topics.

Winter of the Wolf was a super intense story from beginning to end. This book just pulls at your heartstrings, it's very deep and depressing (not meant as an insult) due to the nature of the events that transpire.
I was sucked right into the book and finally stopped for the night at about 2 or 3 in the morning because it is just that well done. You can feel the heartache, the anger and confusion, all the feelings in this book that are laid out there, you feel them.

I think that most people who have lost a loved one, no matter the connection (familial or not) would feel for this family and connect with at least one if not a few of the characters. You never know what life will throw at you or when, nobody is ever prepared for the death of a loved one. It is a very gut-wrenching and painful experience to have to go through.


******subject warnings: suicide, loss of a child/family member, Autoerotic Asphyxiation, bullying (lightly glazed over), mental health, death, grieving, moving forward after such a catastrophic event in life and forgiveness.

I would recommend this for most ages, sadly because of how things are in our world and societies.

Less serious matter, the cover is absolutely gorgeous! I love wolves, I have always felt connected to them. Wolves are a very misjudged animal.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Winter of the Wolf.
All opinions are my own.

Sometimes the end is only the beginning........

Martha Hunt Handler presents a storyline that will give you pause. Perhaps you have been touched profoundly by the passing of someone whose death leaves more questions than answers.

Handler introduces us to the Hanes family living in northern Minnesota. Frigid is on the weather meter most of the year. We come to know Bean, a fifteen year old, surrounded by three brothers of differing ages and personalities. But her favorite is her kindred spirit, Sam. She and Sam almost finish each other's sentences and are pretty much on the same wave length. No sibling rivalry here in the least.

But it is the character of Sam who will set the course for this story. Handler will bring us through a day's worth of events that will eventually lead us to Sam's ultimate death. If you have ever experienced the loss of someone through suicide or even were touched on the outskirts of its aftermath, then you will feel this one deeply. Handler extends the reality of such an act and doesn't turn away from it.

Winter of the Wolf actually is a journey into the arms of healing and hope. Handler gifts Bean with open and honest dialogue as she tries to sort out her feelings with her best friend, Julie. There is nothing abbreviated with these two. They speak to a truth that is cleansing and uplifting while adults "deal" in their isolation and in their confinement. "If he took his life, then I never really knew him." But what they truly knew about Sam is his completeness in what will bring them to a far higher level of understanding.

Please note that this is not a maudlin novel because the initial subject matter is heavily set before us. In fact, the honesty is what propels us throughout. Handler weaves Sam's deep respect for the Inuit people in his daily lifestyle and his lifelong honoring of all things in Nature. Savor the beauty of that book cover. It is through Bean that we come to appreciate her newly found focus on the expanse of Sam's life in its entirety rather than solely focusing on the tragic moment of that day. Perhaps it is a life lesson for us all. We are far more than any single, standalone moment of our lives. Chosen or not. Bravo, Martha Hunt Handler.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Greenleaf Book Group Press and to Martha Hunt Handler for the opportunity.

This book surprised me in a number of ways - for some reason, I expected it to fall more into the realms of fantasy, where Bean discovers that her brother has somehow been reincarnated into a wolf, but discovered that it was a very realistic, moving journey through loss, grief, and recovery. I don’t know what the author has experienced in life, but I expect that she has gone through the loss of someone very dear to her in order to write about this family so realistically.

I liked that the book dealt with Sam’s apparent suicide in a manner that a real family would and didn’t shy away from some of the darker aspects of it, like feeling so full of despair that you can’t function, as we see when Bean’s mother hides in the dark and ceases to do anything. Bean’s grief manifests in her abandoning her best friend and the anger she feels toward her family when she feels that they are not behaving in the way she thinks they ought. The author normalizes these feelings and validates them. She also does an excellent job of showing the healing process which is painful and not a steady line upward back to normalcy, but one that dips and rises again and again as the family slowly comes back together, confronts the painful memories, and is eventually able to begin to remember Sam with happiness rather than grief.

The ending did feel very abrupt, though the more I thought about it, the more true to life it felt. Sometimes we are presented with a mystery, and though Bean is determined to prove that Sam did not commit suicide, her efforts do not lead to a neat, satisfactory answer. Her search for answers is not fruitless, however, and gives her a path toward healing. Ultimately, time provides the answer, dropping it into her lap, and isn’t that just how life is sometimes? We can search and search, but in reality, we aren’t detectives, and we don’t get our answers in the way we expect because our life isn’t a novel, neatly packaged.

I do have some criticism about the inclusion of Inuit culture in this book. Admittedly, I don’t really know much about their lifestyle, but I felt that it was rather romanticized (possibly based on the docudrama “Nanook of the North,” which is not a true documentary, but was mentioned as the source of Sam’s interest) and portrayed Inuit more as who they were (or how westerners saw them 150 years ago), rather than who they are today. Were their traditional burial practices a part of becoming a part of nature, or simply a product of being unable to bury people in permafrost?

At one point, Bean says that she doesn’t know much about them, not sharing her brother’s interest, but she also states that she thinks they would never even commit suicide. This could be a valid thought, coming from her point of view, though I think it's a bit tricky making these assertions when the general public doesn't know otherwise. Though the book amends this to a small degree later (though I don’t know the degree of truth in those statements), Inuit people today are facing a number of different challenges today compared to what they have dealt with in the past, one of which is a mental health crisis leading to some of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Anyway, it just reminded me to some degree of how Native Americans were portrayed in children’s books that I read in the 80s. Even if an author of that era intended only the best, it wasn’t accurate and treated them as people of days gone by, rather than a living culture that has modernized with the rest of the world.

I think that Sam’s spirituality and deep connection with nature could have been easily expressed without referencing other cultures. I, too, feel that burial is a total waste of money and resources, and is harmful to the environment, but that stems from reading Stiff by Mary Roach (a great book if you get the chance to read it). I did like Sam’s connection to nature, especially animals - he was a kid I would have really connected with at that age, and I loved him for it.

At any rate, I think this book was beautifully written and could possibly be helpful to someone outside of a family dealing with a difficult loss, to better understand what they’re experiencing and how friends can support them. The characters were rich and well developed, and surprisingly, Sam was too even though his death occurs at the start of the book. He is present beyond death, just as anyone's loved one lives on in their heart and mind.

This genre may not appeal to the general YA crowd or anyone looking for escapist reading, but there's something beautiful in it that is worth experiencing.

Winter of the Wolf is a beautifully written story exploring deep themes such as the loss of family, grief and suicide, all of which are handled with care and compassion. There were many things I enjoyed about this book, despite the tough subject matter. I adored Handler's writing, the way that grief and suicide were explored through Bean's eyes without ever feeling like romanticised, and I became interested in the weaving of Inuit culture into the story, as I have not seen that in a story before. I admit, without doing more research, I cannot say for certain how well the aspects of Inuit culture were expressed within the story, but it felt like the matter was approached with respect and care. The characters were well developed, Bean and Sam especially, and though it had the air of sadness as Bean was grieving for her brother, the novel felt very entwined with the emotions of our main character, and left me intrigued to continue reading. Ultimately, this is a story of healing, of sifting through the complicated feelings one can have after losing someone you love, especially after an apparent suicide, and coming to an understanding of your emotions through Bean's unravelling of the truth behind her brother's death. Also, unrelated to the story, but the cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous.

Winter of the Wolf was a great book to read. I enjoyed it.
It's about a girl named Bean and her family who are close. One day something happens, and one of her brothers gets in serious trouble after doing his sister a favor. He gets grounded. He is very angry and he does something after his friend tells him about it and gives him the item to do it.
His parents soon find him and are devastated, and so are the other brothers and Bean.
She soon decides to find out, with the help of her friend, who or what happened to her brother. What she finds out is shocking, to say the least.
A very good book.
4 stars.

Winter of the Wolf is the story of a girl dealing with grief and how she begins to overcome it. It deals a lot with Inuit culture and spirituality. It is a wonderful story with strong characters, a great Northern Minnesota setting and a bit of a mystery at the center of it all. I really loved everything about this book and the cover is perfect. I can’t recommend it enough. Perfect for all readers, but especially those who enjoy nature, spirituality, and YA books. This is definitely one worth picking up.

Winter of the Wolf is listed as a Young Adult/Children’s mystery - this book is SO much more than that if one can even list it as a mystery. At its core, Martha Hunt Handler has crafted a book about a young girl’s spiritual journey after the death of her brother.

The answer as to why people die is never easy and sometimes we never know why - hence the mystery. Handler takes us on Bean’s journey as she asks why her brother died. The answers are not easy and some questions are never answered. Yet on this journey questions she never asked are answered. Handler gives us a glimpse into the Inuit culture and how she utilizes Sam to influence the people in his life.

Handler also shows us how death impacts an entire family whose belief systems are different. How every member of a family has a different relationship with the one who has died. Everyone grieves and moves forward differently.

Winter is also about friendship. Bean did everything she could to push everyone away. Julie gave her space, but in the end she said: enough. She pushed her way back into Bean’s life and would not let her be alone. Girl code. I love Handler’s depiction of Julie and Bean.

When you see the word mystery by Winter of the Wolf know that you are getting so much more. You will be walking away with the knowledge of another culture and Bean’s journey of awareness to life.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

This book can be read in a few hours but it will be one that imprints itself in your mind and doesn’t go away. I love to read something that is different, something that stands out from the crowd, yet I can still connect with at my level. This is such a book.
Bean, the only daughter in the household and youngest child at 15 years old, is the central character of the story. You could say it isn’t about her it is about her brother Sam but is it a journey of discovery as she finds a Sam she didn’t know. We are after all unique to everyone in every relationship we have with them. We all have numerous personalities.
Bean and Sam have a very special connection between them that they don’t have with their older two brothers. In fact, the closeness they have is rare between siblings to this degree. Sam is at one with nature and practices Inuit Cultural ways. He really knows how to work the system at home too and can wiggle his way out of most situations if dealt with by his mother. His father is much stricter.
After a really bad day where everything that can go wrong does, Sam is found dead in his bedroom and it is put down to suicide, something that his sister Bean cannot accept.
Bean has her own journey of discovery in this story. I loved her character and the way she went about hunting down the truth, especially respecting her brother’s beliefs and ways. I was fascinated with the Inuit Culture as she used her own knowledge he had taught her and discovered paths she never thought she would need. The author joins nature and the old ways of the tribes combined with good old investigating to get to the truth.
This is a heartfelt read, at times I felt helpless and sad myself but it is so much more. It is about moving on and finding peace with yourself and others. Beautifully written.
I wish to thank Michelle Fitzgerald of FSB Associates and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I received a free electronic copy of this amazing novel on July 7, 2020, from Netgalley, Martha Hunt Handler, and Greenleaf Book Group Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Martha Hunt Handler to friends and family. She writes a tight tale with fascinating protagonists and a storyline that dips into your heart very close to the beginning of the novel.

This novel is so persuasive you can feel the ice crystals forming on the bedroom windows. It is a book I missed sleep to read, and would do so, again. I hope to see many more novels from Martha Hunt Handler.