I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Winter People is a touching story of friendship and true love. Salome has a massive fear of Winter. Ever since she almost drowned the winter she was six years old and began hearing whispers in the woods, she's kept inside and become panicked if caught out in a storm. Her parents have taken her to therapy to no avail. Because of her fear, she's alienated among her peers, all except for her boy crazy best friend Kadie. This winter her grandparents have tasked her with taking care of their home while they are away. That's when she meets the captivating Nevin, handsome and mysterious. She learns of a family curse and races against time to figure out the answer, while a sinister being continually taunts her and threaten her life. Her eyes are open to a whole other world, one where fairies are at war. Who can she trust?

This was a fantastic urban fantasy, one that drew me in right from the beginning. I loved the way the boys were tied into the story in unexpected ways. It was amazing how courageous Salome became over time. I think Gareth brought out the best in her and I loved the fact that he was completely honest with her, warning her about getting hurt. All in all, this was a beautiful love story, one I'm sure I'll read again. ( )

Rebekah Purdy's The Winter People is a splendid ghost story and mystery that kept my interest from cover to cover. The "creepy" factor in this book is high--for a horror fan like me, it is difficult to induce chills, but this book did so several times. Two girls search for their missing mother, and this leads them to further discoveries and a dark mystery into which they delve deeper. Family secrets are revealed that involve the supernatural. Switching times between 1908 and the present helps reveal, over time, the horror that is . ( )

I really liked this story and couldn't put it down. It was a little redundant with the multiple love interest and the accidents. I would recommend this to others and look forward to seeing where the second one takes the story since this book kind of wrapped things up. ( )

Long and wordy, with very little actual character development. The storyline had a Twilight-saga style build up to almost no climax. I think it would have made a better short story, especially by eliminating one or two of the THREE love interests. Seriously? Who does that to their readers? Apparently, Ms. Purdy does.

To say this book is "An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world" is incredibly aggrandizing. This author is in nowhere near the same league as Ms. Cashore or Ms. Stiefvater and this book is neither "engrossing", nor "complex, nor "romantic" and the setting for this book is not remotely "a wholly unique world."

What Ms. Purdy does have in her favor is a good blurb writer, though she could use a better editor. (The phrase is "should HAVE", not "should OF". This is a hardcover edition. That should never have happened.) ( )

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Salome been been extremely scared by winter ever since she fell through the ice as a kid. This winter, it might prove she was right to be scared, for there are creatures lurking in the dark woods...

I think I'll have to conclude this book wasn't for me. The emphasis really was on the romance part and I never really like that normally but this one was tedious at the best of times. Salome apparently can't think logically and not just when her phobia is concerned, but also around boys. In the time span of approximately one week she goes from being bullied for her fear of snow in a place where there is a lot of snow, to three boys fighting - sometimes literally- for her in this love triangular pyramid. All three of them show her very early on that they are more than just a little bit weird. These things combined would suggest to me a cacophony of alarm bells ringing and getting the Hell out of there. But not for Salome. She's even thinking 'It's weird', but doesn't do anything about it. An explanation is given later on, but failed to really convince me, as it felt more of an easy plot device.

With her life in constant danger Salome decides THIS year must be the year she must overcome her fear and do anything. And while she has all kinds of episodes, all her parents do is make her an appointment with her shrink. I, personally, don't understand why her grandparents would ask her of all people to look after their house (especially as Grandma knows more what is going on) with Salome being so extremely scared. It didn't make sense to me.

The ending gave some explanation, but parts of what was said went completely against all of the folklore I know about it (which is, I'll admit it, not too much, but still). Overall, this book wasn't for me. One mediocre metaphor: breath smelling like rotten mangos... ( )