I really really liked Winterwood!!!

It is the perfect atmospheric read, you can feel the cold and isolation of the setting, the magic is nature related (my favourite!) and the Wicker Woods are an eerie place that demand respect but also awake a sense of awe and curiosity - they feel like a character themselves!

I liked the writing, but the inner monologue of the main character about her heritage and legacy is often repetitive. There are beautiful descriptions and I quite a few poignant sentences.

As for the plot, it was slow, but I feel like that is a crucial part of the atmosphere of the book. The main plot twist was interesting but a little too obvious. I think the author tried to give the hints in a way that the reader would gradually fit the pieces of the puzzle together (my favourite way of reading a mystery), however my first guess was accurate. I didn't disliked it, but I wasn't taken by surprise either, unfortunately.

For me, the characters were the weakest part of the story. The romance was too insta-love and I felt like there was a lack of depth to every character, we are given only one facet of each and I wish we had more, with a slow plot we had time for that, but because of the repetitiveness of some of the story we lost time that could have been invested in getting to know the characters on a deeper level.

I really liked Winterwood and Shea Ernshaw's writing, I read it really fast and at the perfect time, while it was still cold outside. Recommend it if you like stories about witches, old magic, cold settings and fantastical woods that have a life of their own!

Will be reading The Wicked Deep and more of what this author publishes in the future!