Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia, Mystery



Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters.

That part of the book description is what really made me want to read Winterkill. What was it that was lurking out there in the forbidden woods? The answer wasn't really all that surprising.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I got annoyed with Emmeline a few times because I thought she made some stupid choices and couldn't see who she should obviously have been able to trust and who she obviously should not have been able to trust. Also the romance was a bit too insta-love for me because there wasn't enough build up to it. And while I thought the characters were ok, none of them really stood out in any special way to me.

This book also reminded me a lot of another book series, The Frost Chronicles by Kate Avery Ellison. That one, while not perfect either, surprised me more and had a creepier feel to it so I liked it better over-all.

When I chose to read this for some reason I thought it was a stand-alone, but it is the first book in a trilogy. There were no cliff-hangers, and the main mystery is wrapped up. It looks like the next book explores new territory and while it advances the plot-line of what Emmeline found out in the woods, I'm happy to leave it where it is and consider it a stand-alone. If I had loved it more I would continue, but there was just something missing for me.






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