Winterkill

Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

In the woods outside Emmeline’s isolated settlement, a powerful enemy lurks, one that wiped out much of the population generations ago. Inside the settlement’s walls, Emmeline is watched for Waywardness: the rule-breaking behavior that sent her grandmother to her death. She knows she shouldn’t go out into the trees or seek answers to questions no one dares ask.

When one of the settlement leaders asks for her hand, Emmeline has the opportunity to wipe the slate clean, ridding herself and her family of the Stain of her grandmother’s crimes, even if her heart belongs to another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where dangerous secrets lurk.

Her grandmother went down that path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.

This book is so good you could read it in one sitting even if you have never finished a book in one sitting before! Winterkill has a winning combination of a compelling love story and a juicy mystery that begs to be solved. It was a real page turner and once I started reading it, I found it impossible to put down. Winterkill did everything right in my eyes. It was one of the best YA mysteries I have ever read and is filled with plot twists which will keep you guessing.

Lots of people say that when they start reading the book it has a similar feel to The Forest of Hands of and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and The Village by M. Night Shyamalan. And I totally agree. But I can assure you that Winterkill’s story is very different and original and in my opinion the story is much better than both those stories. I loved the protagonist, Emmeline. She was such a brave and endearing character that she crawled into my heart from the first chapter. Emmeline is a character who questions the norms of the society she lives in and isn’t afraid to break the rules and risk it all in her quest to discover the answers she searches for.

There are French speaking people living in Emmeline’s community and so  Boorman decided to sprinkle her dialogue with some French sentences. I really loved this extra French flavor and it definitely enhanced my reading experience. One of the characters in this book, Brother Stockholm, reminded me a little bit of a character from one of my other favorite books, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, which is probably another reason why I enjoyed this book so much. There was one violent scene toward the end of the book that I did not enjoy and I thought was unnecessary but it wasn’t enough to ruin my great experience of the book. This story is brilliantly and beautifully written and is one of my favorite books.