Where do I even begin? I am sitting here, staring at the screen, tears of fear and sadness and joy drying on my cheeks, wondering how I can possibly capture the words to properly describe how I feel about this book.

The Wicker Woods surrounding Fir Haven are said to be magical, even haunted, and only the witches of the Walker family are able to venture forth and return unharmed. Two weeks after a snow storm that strands those that live around the lake and the woods, Nora Walker goes into these woods and comes back with a boy that had gone missing from a camp across the lake. His name is Oliver and he had been missing ever since the storm.

But there is a shift in the woods with Oliver's return. Nora must get to the bottom of the mystery of this boy and the events that occurred on the night he disappeared. But Oliver has other secrets of his own. And he wasn't the only one to go missing that night.

I could not put this book down. And I cannot sing enough praises. The writing was utterly atmospheric. It was spooky and creepy, full of suspense and poetry. The longer I read, the further I felt myself sinking into the mossy, wet earth of the Wicker Wood and dreading what was around the corner. Shea Ernshaw is an absolute artist and painted sprawling scenes and landscapes across the page.

Not only was the writing fantastic, but I loved the characters. Nora and Oliver were wonderfully developed. Their chemistry was subtle, natural, and I found myself eagerly awaiting each of their interactions.

The plot itself was one that was exciting. My mind was flinging itself every which way, trying to figure out the twist. There were expertly placed bread crumbs that, in hind sight, I should have caught on to, but perhaps I was so caught up in the atmosphere and the mystery, I just completely overlooked them.

All I can say is, wow. I highly recommend you pick up this book. Beautiful writing, compelling characters, and a fun and mysterious plot make this a story you will not regret diving into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this e-arc to review.

This book was received as an ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Being a huge fan of the movie practical magic and reading the background story of Nora and the Walker women, I immediately was attracted to this book. This is the perfect timing to read this book because Halloween is right around the corner. Finding a lost boy in the woods Oliver Huntsmen then after discovering that the boy should be dead, finding out that he has long kept secrets and that he was not the only one to have gone missing just made the book more exciting and thrilling to read. We are on the search for more Halloween-esque books and this one just might be the icing on the cake our teen book club is looking for. I am excited to have found this book and previewed it to tell all about it to our young adult readers.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

After reading the Wicked Deep, I was super excited for this book. Unfortunately, it just never sucked me in. The scene setting was beautifully done and the writing was beautiful, but I just didn't feel like the characters were well developed and I thought the pacing was very slow. It might be nice for a reader that prefers a slow burn, but I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The quotes included in this review are subject to change upon publication.

In Winterwood we meet Nora Walker. She is a descendant of the Walker Witches who have lived in these woods longer than the trees and the lake. On full moons only, Nora enters into the Wicker Woods and collects lost objects the woods mysteriously holds. One night she finds a boy who has been missing from The Wayward Boys Camp across the lake. Nora meets Oliver and instantly questions how he has survived in these woods. While Nora and Oliver both hold secrets, they are sure to fear one another. Yet they find themselves drawn to one another instead.

“These woods are wild and rugged and unkind. They cannot be trusted. Yet, this is where I walk: deep into the mountains. Where no others dare to go. Because I am more darkness than girl. More winter shadows than August sunlight.”

As soon as I started reading, I was immediately in love. The story was completely atmospheric and all consuming. Shea’s magical writing captivated me in The Wicked Deep and Winterwood was no different. This book is all the witchy, winter vibes. The most perfect Fall or Winter read you need in your life.

“We see heartache coming from a mile away. But we don’t know how to step out of the way.”

Going into Winterwood I knew there was going to be some romance, but the way this romance unfolded made me realize this is a romance story that I never knew I needed in my life. I think that if you loved The Wicked Deep, you will love this one just as much. There was also one very small reference to The Wicked Deep in Winterwood that was wonderful and I very much appreciated. I love when authors leave a small little piece of their previous works.

“I’m certain that love can be a wound, deep, and sawtoothed and filled with salt. But sometimes it’s worth it.”

The only disappointing thing is that being this story has such a heavy emphasis on witches, I truly wish this had an October release date. But do yourself a favor and go pre order this baby! First editions will have absolutely stunning stamped art underneath the book jacket on the hardback. A very limited amount of signed editions are also available for pre order on Powell’s website!

Who made 3 stars reviews so awkward I just want to talk?? I didn’t dislike this book, but I'm not especially passionate about it either. There were an awful lot of parts to quibble over, and I reckon how much anyone gets invested in this book will depend entirely on how much weight they give them. For me, they overwhelmed the story, but for others they might be inconsequential.

Though the plot was still interesting and the setting of the dark wood fantastic in its spectacle and intrigue, this was not an action-packed thrilling fantasy like I’d expected, but a novel that I think is more heavily weighted towards characters than plot. And yet, I still felt like I was held at arm’s length from the characters who were indistinctive and their stories only vaguely interwoven, resulting in a feeling of disconnect and missingness.

I was never really able to fully stay within the flow of this novel though which was very frustrating for me. I do not by any means fault the author for my inability to stay fully focused on this tale though because I really think that I just don't do well with a slow burn. There was so much that was so appealing and unique about this book that I should have absolutely loved.

This is a great book to cozy up with on a cold winter's night. The atmospheric, magical mystery was enjoyable, hard to put down, and very satisfying. Nora, the last in a long line of women with special powers, happens upon a mysterious young man in the dark woods that only she and members of her family can penetrate. The boy,Oliver, cannot remember how he got in the woods, and Nora tries to help him as best she can. A terrible winter storm has cut off the lake where Nora lives from the rest of civilization for the time being, and so Nora and Oliver go through the next several days with very little contact from others, aside from residents of the boys' camp across the lake. Nora knows that a boy from the camp has gone missing and soon discovers that another boy has died. She must figure out how Oliver fits into the events leading up to the death of the boy. What she discovers will force her to face not only her past but also the past and heritage of her family. Can she trust Oliver? And can she trust herself?
The imagery and descriptions in this book were amazing. I truly felt like I was stranded in a mountain valley in the middle of winter, with an ancient perhaps malicious forest to one side and a bottomless lake to the other. I did not want to put the book down, and really enjoyed the character of Nora. Her journey of coming to terms with her family and how she fit into that was very well done. I did suspect the "twist" in the story, but it still felt very well done and made me want to go back and read certain passages again.
The book was not perfect. There was a big emphasis placed on Nora's mother, but she never made an appearance in the book, which felt a bit like a loose end left dangling. The camp counselors were also "conveniently" absent from any of the action in the story.
These things did not take away from my enjoyment of the book, however, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read YA, or Fantasy.

This was the witchy YA read I needed right now. Shea Ernshaw's atmospheric writing completely sells Winterwood's murderous woods, endlessly deep mountain lakes, and a magical family of women.

I enjoyed Nora's journey-in-place to find herself and her power--the proof she needs that she is actually a worthwhile addition to her family's name--while simultaneously stuck inside the novel's rigid boundaries: a snowstorm has marooned her in her family cabin, along with a camp full of juvenile delinquent boys, and a girl who was never supposed to be there to begin with. They could be stuck there like this for weeks, with no contact with the outside world. Unfortunately for Nora, when she finds one of the boys in the Wicker Woods (see murder woods), she also finds a series of questions. How did he get there? How did he last two weeks alone? And then, more importantly, once she finds out another boy died the same night her boy was found, she must ask: is he a murderer?

The mystery plays out in a satisfying way. I was completely immersed. That said, there are downsides. Absent adults when there shouldn't be (the camp counselors just "stopped caring," and Nora's mom is off selling honey on the coast), information repeats itself far too often (Oliver has green eyes, only Walkers can walk in the Wicker Woods, Nora doesn't have a nightshade, Nora's mom wants to be normal and Nora hates that about her, etc.), there are not nearly enough female characters in a story about female witches, and the end is a little convenient. I also feel sad for Nora's mom--all of Nora's pent-up anger toward her goes nowhere and can never resolve thanks to the boxed-in nature of the story. Also, how often do people stop and talk at length while in a precarious, near-death situation? It happens a lot here.

But, it's pretty. It's witchy. It's what I wanted. I hear the author is making some changes post-ARC, so I'm willing to read it again when the updated book lands.

I loved the Wicked Deep, so getting to read Winterwood was really exciting. It was a slow start, but the build up with a haunting atmosphere and an interesting plot really got me hooked. Shea Ernshaw is a really talented writer, and fans of gothic, young adult books with witches, then please read this book!

3/5 stars to Winterwood

I loved the Wicked Deep so when I found out Shea Ernshaw would be releasing another witchy novel I was excited to read it.

I don't want to spoil anything for the book but the ending definitely made up for the beginning and middle of the book which was slow.

Ms. Ernshaw really has a good grasp on creating a dark and haunting story with witchcraft and mystery mixed in.

Mostly the thing that bothered me the most was the endless repetition that was happening. It almost felt as though the author was purposely repeating the same information in order to satisfy word count and it not only detracted from the story but also from the character and plot development.

I did see from other reviewers that apparently the author would be rewriting the book and the final would be much different than the arc, so I might go and re-read the final when it comes out and change my review/rating.

4.5 stars!
This book was so creepy and attention grabbing and atmospheric and I loved it.
Living somewhere where winter sticks around for what seems like forever, I could totally picture this tiny little summer house lake covered in 4 feet of snow. Personally, this would not be my choice of living (or almost anyone else’s considering almost all the houses are summer houses) but it was so easy to imagine this setting and landscape.
The characters were all real and relatable. I loved Nora’s grandmother even though she wasn’t alive. I liked Nora’s quest to kind of find herself. Some of the boys from camp, Rhett and Jasper were incredibly cruel, as well as one other spoilery character.
I loved the Wicker Woods. The whole atmosphere was so creepy that it almost makes me scared to go into regular woods. Nora’s understanding of the woods makes it so much more believable because she 100% believes everything she has been taught about them.
The only reason I rated this down a half star was because the middle was kind of slow. Things definitely did happen, but it seemed like it was just almost stalling before getting to the end. The last 20% or so was just bam, bam, bam all this stuff that had me glued in until I finished. I loved the ending. What happened was predictable, but how it happened wasn’t. It made for such a good standalone and I’m so glad I had a chance to read it early!

I’d recently finished The Wicked Deep, which is just as atmospheric and beautifully written as this story, when I realized the author had a second book coming out. I’m grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy! This story is a little slow to start but I found myself wanting to read further the deeper I got into the story. It’s rich in creepy atmosphere and melodic prose and has a plot twist that took me by surprise. I also liked the winter setting. Most gothic stories I’ve read are all about heat and humidity, usually taking place in the Deep South. This was a nice change of pace and is a great read for Halloween!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

Nora Walker is descended from a long line of women who share a special connection with the forest and considered to be witches. However, her family is older than the word witch. It is said that they were born of the forest: when they breathed, the forest listened and when they shed tears, the forest wept sap down its bark. Furthermore, each Walker women is born with a Nightshade, a special power that they possess, except for Nora it seems. Desperate to find her place and feeling alone, Nora tries to continue on her family’s legacy by herself.

After a bad storm hits, Nora and a group of troubled boys are trapped in the forest, surrounded by the haunted woods, and cut off from civilization. Tragedy strikes the camp when one boy dies while another goes missing. After finding the missing boy in the haunted forest, things start getting stranger and more trouble comes her way.

After thoroughly enjoying Shea Ernshaw’s first book, The Wicked Deep, I was anticipating Winterwood since it was announced. However, it did not live up to my expectations. I found it very slow and it just dragged on. I liked how the author seems to bring the forest to life with her descriptions. Unfortunately, it did not make up for the fact that I did not feel a connection to Nora or Oliver and was eager to finish the book just to be done. I usually don’t mind “instant love” but felt that there was no need for that in this book, even after things were revealed in the ending. In my opinion, the last fifteen percent of the book saved it from being a complete waste of time. I liked the twist and reveal at the end, but that is the only part of the book that I enjoyed. I really wanted to like this, but feel I can only give it 2 stars.

I loved this broody, atmospheric gem of a book. Gorgeous prose and very imaginative world-building. I think this will be a hit with fans of "The Hazel Wood" and "Twilight."

This is such a lush, atmospheric story; I was utterly engrossed. It was the best book I've read in awhile, and I'll be picking up a copy of The Wicked Deep as well as pre-ordering a finished copy of this to share with my daughter.

Though I saw one of the twists coming long before it was officially revealed, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was also the perfect length for me. Too often, stories that are written this lyrically wax on forever, describing everything so in-depthly that it detracts from the plot moving forward. This wasn't the case here. While I highlighted numerous sentences just because I so immensely loved the way they flowed, the book still managed to be a page-turner, keeping me hooked well into the night.

It also had the perfect amount of resolution for me. It didn't leave a bunch of unanswered questions, but also didn't go on and on and on after the climactic scene with loads of chapters of tying things up and saying goodbye slowly to each character without any additional plot to keep me interested.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the free advanced copy of this ebook.


{ I will post this review here: http://runningwithspears.com/winterwood-book-review/ as well as on my Instagram later in September of early October.

I already pre order a copy of Winterwood for my library and after reading it I am so excited to share this one with my patrons. Shea Ernshaw is one of my new favorite author her books are interesting and never let you down. This one is a must read and if you haven't read The Wicked Deep go out and get it because it's also an amazing read. Can't wait to read more from Shea.

I loved this book! Shea Ernshaw is extremely talented! The book is written so good! There's mystery, great characters, and a fantastic story line. I couldn't have asked for anything better! Would definitely recommend, and can't wait to read more from her!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Where ‘The Wicked Deep’ was Hocus Pocus, ‘Winterwood’ is very much Practical Magic, with a long line of women with their own gifts and taste for magic that would make the Owens girls proud.

“Winterwood” follows Nora Walker wandering through the woods looking for lost things when she finds a boy half buried under the snow. As the two become closer Nora tries to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance and uncover the truth about the other boy from that night but when faced those who would rather leave the past behind she finds herself staring into the woods hoping nothing will look back.

I adored every second of this book! It reads a lot like a lost fairy tale whispered on a cold winter night while sitting near the fire and I couldn’t read it fast enough. Nora is the only Walker we meet but we get to see insights from the lives of the women in her family who have shaped her love for magic and the connection to the forest which she holds so dear.

The main story plays to a lot of different themes and it was interesting to see this kind of murder mystery unfold and how far those involved are willing to go to keep things buried even if it means adding to the body count. Having the boys across the lake treat Nora and her family like urban legends was also an interesting take as they were quick to make her a joke but unwilling to see the truth when it was drawing them closer to the woods themselves.

This was such a great read and as much as I would like to recommend it for autumn and the spooky vibes that fit the season, this one really is perfect for a snowed in winter night where you can feel the chill in your bones right along with the characters.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**