The Winterwood ~ Shea Ernshaw

Ok, I thought I loved Ernshaw’s first book. I mean, I did.

But, oh, it completely pales in comparison to her sophomore story. I’ll be honest. I haven’t really jumped on the whole Witch bandwagon. But this entire thing drew me in.

Winterwood follows the last manifestation of a long line of powerful, magical women, culminating in a teenager whose powers have never really manifested. She lives alone, her mom constantly jetting around, leaving her to her own devices.

She’s a bit of an outcast at school but it doesn’t bother her much. She wanders the woods, living quietly and staying out of everyone’s way.

Then, one winter night, she finds a boy who has gone missing from the “correctional camp” across the lake. According to the news stories, he’s been missing for weeks but she drags him back to her cabin and nurses him back to health.

And so begins the magical run through a deep, dark woods. Woods that don’t particularly enjoy having boys or girls trespassing in their grounds.

Filled with mystery and beauty, chills and suspense, Winterwood is almost entirely impossible to capture in a recap without leaking spoilers.

Just trust me when I say this book is delightful and hauntingly gorgeous. Ernshaw nailed it, again, and then exceeded the bar.