28. kol 2014.

ARC Review: The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

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Author's 

Book summary:
An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.
Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 

Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.
         After seeing this cover and then reading this blurb at NetGalley it was really hard for me to resist and not to request it. Weak as I am, I couldn't and now here we are. This blurb creates certain expectations I had for this book and sadly not all were fulfilled.

        The Winter People promises you a really mysterious and unique world, which you get. Maybe not that unique world, as some unique elements of it, and that is something I really liked her. Another thing that worked really well here is mystery, which was something that made me really happy. It all started when Salome was six years old after she fell in a frozen pond. She was lucky enough to survive that and now some years back it's time to face the consequences. It took me a lot of time to connect everything and realize what was behind this.

         I wish I could tell you that everything else was as good as the whole idea of the story, but sadly there are some flaws that ruined the whole experience for me. One thing, as the author put it love "quadreangle" here was really annoying. Boys weren't problems, some were a really good material, but I felt like watching a bee that goes from one flower to another throughout the whole story. Not to mention Salome's best friend. That girl is something I wish to educate on some things. Yes, it does present teens nowadays, but it's a really bad influence which I want to keep out of the YA lit.

        This story was engrossing, complex and enchanting even, I give it that, but there are many elements here that didn't work for me. It mainly focuses on Salome's love issue(s) and not enough on paranormal elements. I realized what it was all about nearly at the end of the book. It was a really good idea and it was all nicely put together but it could have been better organized.

        The author has a really good writing skills as well. The story was nicely written, so I really hope that in the future she will stay away from stereotypes and over-complicating things, which tend to ruin the story. And sadly they ruined this story for me.

Rating: 2 stars. 

Until the next time,
**Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Entangled Teen, via NetGalley. Thank you! 

Broj komentara: 19:

  1. Oh no! I am sorry you didn't like this one more.

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  2. *sighs* I'm not sure what I'd think about this either Tanja; although I have a feeling I'd probably have the same thoughts as you. I hate it when the romance takes over the plot (or in this case the paranormal elements), so I have a feeling that would definitely bother me.

    I'm glad that it was at least entertaining and decently constructed despite its flaws. Thanks for sharing Tanja, and, as always, BRILLIANT review! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  3. Overcomplicated is not my thing either. I think I will skip this one
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings


    OdgovoriIzbriši
  4. It's too bad this one wasn't as good as it sounded :( I'm glad the writing is great, but it's always frustrating when the romance takes up too much of the book. The quadreangle seems frustrating, too. Thanks for the amazing honest review! :)

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  5. I have now read two less than glowing reviews in a row for this one...it does not bode well.
    I must say I think the thing that is turning me off this the most is the love quadrangle, I mean a triangle is bad enough this just sounds overly complicated!
    Sorry you didn't enjoy this one more!

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  6. I'm really sorry it wasn't for you. It's sad because I expected a lot from it as well, the idea was intriguing. I think I'll pass. thanks for the review.

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  7. A mystery that constantly keeps you guessing as opposed to seeing the solution from a mile away is so difficult to find, Ruining it so thoroughly with cliches should be considered a crime. Too bad. I'm sorry you wasted your time.

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  8. Oh man so sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one... that is a pretty cover though =[

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  9. Dang! I'm sorry to hear this was a disappointment, Tanja. It has such a lovely cover, but I think I'll be skipping this one. I have no time for love quadrangles and silly characters.
    Thanks for the honest review! :)

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  10. Love quadreangle? Noooooooooooo Tanja! WHY?! There are enough complications that exist between two people trying to get to know one another, why add so many other people into the mix too? I'm really bummed about that aspect of the story, but I'm glad you enjoyed the mystery and the world itself:)

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  11. I am soryy you didnt enjoy this one, it seems so good from the blurb. Now I am sceptical to read it but I will have to -_-

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  12. I am so glad I am in a self-imposed requesting ban on Netgalley because if I saw this on the gallery, I would have requested this without any hesitation. I am so sorry Tanja that this didn't deliver. Love quadrangle? Oh boy. It's disappointing that the author focused on this. If it were me reading, I would be frustrated too. Hoping your next read is stronger, Tanja!

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  13. Ahh man. I thought this was a good one but to ruin it with the love square is a shame. Too bad.

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  14. Quadreangle ? That's a new one lol ! The more, the merrier ;)

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  15. Aw man, sorry to hear this wasn't as good as you'd hope and they didn't capitalize on the great premise

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  16. I can't stand it in books when the girl is switching from one lover to another too much. But I have seen this around on other blogs which means it is quite popular. It's a shame it wasn't as good as it first appears to be :(

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  17. This cover has really caught my eye, but after reading your review, I think I'll pass.

    Terri M.
    Second Run Reviews

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  18. Aw damn, another disappointing read! I must say that this year has seen many below three stars rating books and that is a shame. It's sad when a book doesn't live up to the expectations you had from it. Also, wait. What? "Quadrangle"? Now that is as interesting as it is disgusting. Anyway, I hope your next read is full of niceness! Great review, Tanja!

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  19. I'm really sorry this one didn't work out for you as it seems pretty interesting, but "quadreangle" as you put it, really put's me off too. It reminds me too much of Zoey and the House of Night series, so I'll be skipping this one. Thanks for the great review Tanja!

    OdgovoriIzbriši

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