Winterwood.
Three pages into this book I can already feel the goosebumps running over my arm. Shea has an amazing talent for weaving a story that captivates you.
I adore her writing style. I have already written down so many quotes from this novel.
This was the perfect book to end September with..it had all the witchy vibes I have been searching for.
Nora Walker comes from a long line of witches and she stumbles into Oliver Huntsman in the Wicked Woods. The setting of the wicked woods was so eerie and I really loved both Nora and Oliver.
The mystery was well developed and could definitely keep you guessing.
Winterwood is one of my favourites of 2019 and I will be revisiting every fall for sure!

This is a lovely story, I really enjoyed it! The writing itself feels very atmospheric, the plot unfolding into a fairytale. Winter as a season is so well encapsulated that you feel every creak of a branch and crackle of the fire without tiring.

Nora lives in a house in a wood in the town of Fir Haven. She has a spectacular family tree and she is connected to the forest. The forest itself is a character on its own in this book! (view spoiler) Many passages from this reminded me a lot of Alice Hoffman, and I think fans of her magical work will enjoy this as well. I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for work from Shea Ernshaw in the future!

Thank you so much for a copy of this book!

A magical and whimsical read!
I rarely enjoy this genre but I loved Winterwood!
It was an amazing read with well written characters and beautiful writing style!
Highly recommend!

Winterwood was haunting and atmospheric. I had so many questions about everything from the start. There wasn't one moment where I was not intrigued by both of the protaganists' stories.

Winterwood is the story of Nora Walker, a young witch, one of the few year round residents of a remote mountain village. During the worst storm of the winter a boy from the camp for wayward boys goes missing. Two weeks later Nora finds a boy in the depths of the Wicker Woods, and begins unraveling the mystery of how he survived and what brought him to the woods in the first place.

This is a book made to be read by the fire with a hot cup of tea while a storm brews outside.

Everything about this book is amazing. The writing is so elegant and magical. The characters are well developed. The plot is fantastic. It’s a unique story that somehow still felt familiar, like an old memory you can’t quite grasp.

I really wanted to give this one a higher rating given how much I loved her other book, The Wicked Deep, but it just wasn't there for me. I enjoyed this book because the author has such a beautiful way of writing stories, her books are so atmospheric and perfect for this time of the year. But as far as the plot goes, I predicted it from the start so it felt like the characters were going in circles until the last quarter of the book. There wasn't much character development, and a lot of the characters repeating themselves which I didn't enjoy. But the setting and premise of the book was still pretty good.

I did like this book, but I wanted more. I'm interested to see if the final copy differs from the ARC. But even with this one being a middle of the road type book for me (I didn't love it and I didn't hate it), I will always read Shea Ernshaw's books because her writing is so picturesque and beautiful.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster
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I read Shea’s first book, The Wicked Deep, a few years ago and I absolutely fell in love with her world building and writing style! When she revealed her upcoming book, I knew I was going to love it! Then I received an arc and I almost had a heart attack!
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This book was utterly amazing! I’m always drawn to witchy stories, especially in the Fall and this did not disappoint🙌🏻
We follow Nora Walker, who comes from a long line of witches and her journey with finding a missing boy and trying to solve a murder. Stuck on a mountain because of a storm, she gets involved with the Boys Camp across the lake, and with some characters that fear the Walker reputation and “the moon girl.”
The characters are well developed and I felt as though I was there in the Wicker Woods with them! Told between two perspectives, getting two sides of the story was a treat!
The world, The Wicker Woods, is eerie and hauntingly beautiful with everything that has ever been lost turning up for people to find, if they’re courageous enough to enter.
The mystery aspect kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I was constantly trying to figure out what the truth was and the twist was so mind blowing, I had to take a breather from the novel!
Overall, this book was stunning! I give it 5⭐️ and I highly recommend you check it out when it’s in stores come November!

A T M O S P H E R E.

Seriously. Whew. Shea Ernshaw is an absolute *master* at atmosphere, creating an almost claustrophobic sense of place. From the bottomless black lake to the sinister, ancient Wicker Woods to the knickknack-strewn cabin of the Walker witches ... everything was vivid, harsh, and beautiful. There was a palpable sense of dread bleeding off every page, alongside a strange calmness. It felt like deep-wintertime. And in this snowed-in world, we have Nora. I LOVED Nora. Despite the strangeness of her situation, she's an easy character to identify with - lonely, full of yearning, and always searching for her inner magic. Even Suzy was a refreshing take on the popular-girl stereotype. Oliver (the LI) came across as a little blander in comparison. I couldn't *quite* feel the chemistry in the romance. That being said, both Nora and Oliver's desire to not be alone was a major pinch point, so I definitely believed they'd cling to each other in that way.

I'm of two minds about the plot as a whole. My main criticism of the plot and the writing in general was it's REPETITIVENESS. The same thoughts and worries were circled around again and again, frequently with almost identical wording, and it got a little tedious. And the twist ending (which I won't spoil) sort of fell flat for me? I think because it all felt too easy, when I craved something darker and twistier and bittersweet. However, the strength of the writing kept me devouring page after page, and even if the images were repetitive, I loved them so ... I can forgive any plot holes. Also I adored the intermittent chapters about the Walkers! Such beautiful magic <3

Overall, a solidly enjoyable read, especially for fans of dark, atmospheric contemporary fantasy. 4/5

Holy smokes!
As usual Shea Earnshaw is killing the writing game.
Her books are a breath of fresh air and never fail to disappoint, winterwood is no exception.
It’s a thrilling and enticing tale with a delicious spin on YA fantasy.

I can not wait to see what she does next