The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

Title: The Winter People

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy

Length: 320 pages

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy

Release Date: September 2, 2014

Source: e-galley (via NetGalley. Thanks Entangled Teen!)

Read: September 2014

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.

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I started reading this book without knowing much about the story at all. I only read the first sentence in the synopsis and decided I wanted to read it.
I am glad that I decided to. Overall, I really enjoyed the story.

I found the writing to be awesome and beautiful. The author's writing style really pulled me into the story from the beginning and kept me wanting to keep reading as the story continued.

The Story:

This story focuses on a girl that is afraid of winter due to falling into an icy pond as a child and almost dying.
I found this story to be unique and creative. I was really interested in the voices and things that haunted her in the woods. I was completely fascinated by this element of the story. Trying to figure out why these things have been happening to her and why they keep continuing.

I liked the pace of the story. It felt like there was always something happening.

I love the magical elements that are part of the story. It made the story a very entertaining and exciting read for me.

There were a couple things that frustrated me a bit while reading.

My biggest frustration was the love interests. There are three of them. So a love rectangle of sorts. There are three boys that she bounces around and seems to have some feelings for. For me, it really frustrated me at first. But as the story progressed it didn't bother me as much. And now being finished with the book, I feel like I have a better understanding of why the author chose to write the love interests that way.
I can't speak for others, but for me the love rectangle didn't bother me the more I read the book. And I definitely had a boy that I liked more than the others near the end.

I also was a little sad that she needed rescuing so often. But I also get that part of that has to do with her fear of winter.

So even though there were a couple things that bugged me, I was still able to enjoy the story and the mystery. And I felt satisfied with the ending.

The Characters:

I liked the characters.
Salome was a little frustrating at times, but I did empathize with her a lot. I can't imagine being so terrified of something like a season. It would be so hard to deal with this fear. There were times that I wished I could have been her friend so I could help her.  And I like that her character evolves as the story goes on. I like that she questions what is going on and wants to find out what is happening around her.
Colton- I really liked how he is the first love interest because she already knows him. It made it really easy to be interested in what was going to happen between these two characters. I like that he appears to be mysterious and was very curious about him.
Nevin- I really got wrapped up in this character in the beginning. He is pretty mysterious as well, so I was wondering what his story was. I kept wanting and longing for the next time she was going to see him. He is very determined and protective.
Gareth- I really like him. I feel that he is a very strong character. I think that he is very loyal. I really loved all the parts of the story that included him.

I also really like that the mother is pretty present in the book. She really cares about her daughter and wants what is best for her. The grandparents are also interesting and caring. They don't have as big of a part in the story as the mom does.

My Recommendation:

If you like books that are beautifully written,  have mystery, and aren't easily deterred by love triangle situations then I recommend giving this one a read. I enjoyed reading it.

My Rating: