Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw is a haunting, atmospheric story perfect for fans of dark fairy tales. Set in a snow-covered forest, it follows Nora, a witch unraveling eerie mysteries tied to a missing boy. The lyrical writing and spooky vibes are enchanting, though the pacing might feel slow for some readers.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

“Winterwood” by Shea Ernshaw was everything I’d hoped it would be: atmospheric, witchy, and the best kind of twisty. The writing was visceral, and I was absolutely absorbed in it. A dark, beautiful, and rich fairy tale, I HIGHLY recommend this story.

Completely engrossing! I could barely put it down and stayed up way too late reading it. It's one of those books you can't wait to read what happens next, but you also don't want it to end.

I absolutely loved The Wicked Deep by this author and couldn’t wait to read this one, unfortunately it was slow and didn’t keep my interest.

This book is beautifully written and atmospheric, but I also found it to be a little slow, which made it harder to keep my attention.

*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*

This book was so different and unique, it was the perfect spooky read for October. The story is one part mystery, one part suspense, one part magic, and a dash romance. I was intrigued and constantly wondering what would happen next or how everything would play out.

Nora is shrouded in mystery. While the Walker women are said to be witches, Nora has yet to find her own unique ability. She feels like a failure as a Walker woman but on top of that she finds a boy in the woods on the full moon and everything changes. Who is Oliver, why is he in the woods, what are boys at the Camp for Wayward Boys hiding, who is and isn't trust-worthy, all these factors had me excited to turn the page and solve the puzzle. Nora continues to dive into these questions and her search for answer is plagued with surprises and dangers.

The whimsical writing style builds suspense, with a dual POV and glimpses in the Walker women of the past. I did find at moments, the descriptions and imagery were just a little too long. There were times when it took away from the story instead of enhancing it. But overall, I enjoyed how the story played out. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I loved that I couldn't figure out anything until it was revealed.

Highly enjoyed this book. Very atmospheric and the writing was done well. This was quick with some mysterious elements. The story can be a little repetitive and the twist can be seen a million miles away. What I love the most is the atmosphere. This is definitely a book to read in the winter time.

This was my kind of book for sure! Witches, magic, mysterious boys and murderous trees? Ridiculous in a lovely way. Twist number one was pretty easy to see coming, twist number two not so much, when it made so much sense afterwards.

Shea Ernshaw is a master at creating a mood. I loved her book The Wicked Deep, so I was so excited to read Winterwood. The story follows Nora Walker, a young women rumored to be a witch in her small, remote town. But really, she has this deep connection to the woods, like the Walker women who came before her.

One day in the woods, Nora finds a boy (is led to him), Oliver Huntsman. He is the same boy who has been missing for weeks from the Camp for Wayward Boys in her town. Though he disappeared during one of the worst snow storms in history, he is virtually unscathed., even though he should be dead, and to thicken the plot, he has no memory of the time that he has been gone.

What follows is a story of love, secrets, and what happens in the woods. Like in The Wicked Deep, Shea Ernshaw creates a mood and setting that is dark, cold, and mysterious. The setting almost seems like an additional character in the story. If you like dark, compelling, atmospheric books you will love this one. YA readers will love it, and adults will too!

This book was everything I had been hoping it would be! Dark and melancholy and beautiful. Shea knows how to write characters and her settings are always so vivid! I think I loved this one even more than The Wicked Deep!

Everything Shea Earnshaw touches is gold. I love the atmosphere created in the world's Shea dreams up. They're moody and add so much depth and dimension to the story. I couldn't get enough of this book and I highly recommend.

Winterwood is a hauntingly beautiful story, about a young girl, her magical heritage, dark woods full of lost things, and the boy she found in said woods on the one night a month the trees don’t see everything.

Shea Ernshaw managed to create this dark and mystical, and at times creepy, atmosphere around the plot, that drew me in from page one. Her highly descriptive writing style fits the story perfectly, painting the world in such vivid detail you can almost feel the bite of the cold on your skin and smell the woods surrounding Jackjaw lake.

We enter the story knowing very little about the circumstances that led us to our initial scene, and spend the book following our heroine Nora Walker as she slowly puts the pieces together. While the mystery was well-preserved throughout the first quarter of the book, I figured out where Shea was taking her characters long before it was officially revealed. Despite this, small twists to the story, the stories of past Walker women and Shea’s addictive writing kept me glued to my kindle until the end. And of course, I had to know if I’d guessed correctly. The ending, I have to admit, I did not see entirely coming. It was almost too good to be true, but of course, I was hopeful. I loved it.


Looking back, the only thing I’m a bit bummed about was the missing background stories to the other characters, especially the boys. While I get that Nora’s background has priority, I would have loved to know more about the circumstances that brought the boys to the Camp for Wayward boys and their obviously complicated emotions.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves a well-written story and doesn’t mind the fact that they probably won’t feel safe in the woods ever again.

Thank you so much @SimonandSchuster & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | November 2019)

SYNOPSIS | Nora Walker is a witch and she has the ability to go into the Winterwood on the night of a full moon to find things that have once been lost, except she also finds a boy. He is the same boy that vanished from the Camp for Wayward Boys a couple of weeks ago, yet he has no memory of where he has been or how he ended up in the forest

WHAT I LIKED:
- wonderfully atmospheric vibes
- the spellbook pages were a lovely addition to the story & history of the Walker family
- this reminded me of We Were Liars

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- instalove
- her magic was too convenient
- I wanted a tragic ending not a happily ever after
- the pacing was very slow
- missing parents trope (seriously, where was her mother during all of this?!)

I was provided with an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

4.5/5

So. Good. This book was beautifully atmospheric, and all sorts of spooky and twisty. While I suspected the major plot twist from quite early on, getting to the reveal was intense and awesome. I literally couldn't put it down, needing so badly to see what happened next. I will definitely be revisiting this book again - especially in the cold days of fall when I want something with some dark spooky vibes!

I've found myself reading quite a few YA fantasy novels lately despite them not being my usual fare, but this was a good escapist novel for our difficult times! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, if the characters fell slightly flat at times. Overall, a really enjoyable reading experience!

When I saw that this book was being compared to Practical Magic I knew I just had to pick it up. Shea Earnshaw did not disappoint with this book. It is a perfectly spooky novel that gives all the best fall vibes.

3.6/5 not great not terrible - guessed the story twist just a little of the way in. Also, who leaves their teenage kid alone in a snowbound town in the mountains for like, months at a time?? Don't do that.

I had heard such great things about this novel so I was super excited to pick it up. It started pretty slow for me so I kept pushing forward, but unfortunately it never really picked up. I guessed the twist about the boys pretty quickly and I felt like I just needed to skim the rest of the book. I really wanted to like this one but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you Netgalley for sending a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Shea's writing style. Hauntingly poetic.

This story wasn't quite on the same level to me as The Wicked Deep but I still enjoyed the supernatural plot and array of characters.

While predictable, the plot was a quick dark thrill ride that was fun to journey on and I appreciated that romance wasn't shoved in our faces.

A fun read.