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fireproofbunny's review
5.0
There are two things I love, one is a good love story and the other is a kick-ass heroin saving the day. Kate wasn’t exactly a bad ass but she definitely persevered and learned some “heartwarming” life lessons on her journey. All the characters had a Disney sort of quality to them as well as some real world problems that made them relatable. The story itself it’s very thought out and written impeccably. I appreciated the resolution and the ending was not rushed and forced into a neat bow that didn’t really make much sense. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
jen_robins87's review
4.0
While it was a little slow getting into it, I quite enjoyed this book. I loved the wide range of characters involved. This was the first book by Jacque Stevens that I had read, and I'll definitely be on the look out for more.
constant2m's review
5.0
Here are the facts. Katie's mother is dead. Her father lied and told her that her mother was off saving the world so Katie could have a hero, but that's just not true. Then her father remarries and Katie gets a stepmother. Several more children are born to the family and her father's new family takes all the attention Katie used to get. The boy Katie likes doesn't follow through on his promises. And Katie, a teenager, practically runs the inn on her own. But what if Katie is only seeing the world through a jaded perspective and her perception isn't true? What then?
Jacque Stevens does an incredible job writing from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. We can see how Katie's life has been hard but there's also a sense of a different story happening that is constantly inviting and compelling Katie to be a part of it. And so, she gets swept up into another world, where fairies are good and evil, where animals talk, where someone (or someones?) she loves must be rescued, where she learns to see the world differently. It's a beautiful, fantastic, wonderful tale. There are moments that seem to have come straight out of Wonderland, and Katie herself noted that she expected to see a rabbit with a pocket watch running late. Other times feel more like Oz, and it's unclear whether the fairies are the good or bad witches, although instead of compass points, they represent seasons. But regardless, it's easy to get lost in the worlds that Katie visits and wish we could visit them too. And maybe some of Katie's lessons and growth can be ours as we adventure with her. At least, that's how it felt to me.
I received a copy of the audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly because it was wonderful and needed more wonderful words said about it.
Jacque Stevens does an incredible job writing from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. We can see how Katie's life has been hard but there's also a sense of a different story happening that is constantly inviting and compelling Katie to be a part of it. And so, she gets swept up into another world, where fairies are good and evil, where animals talk, where someone (or someones?) she loves must be rescued, where she learns to see the world differently. It's a beautiful, fantastic, wonderful tale. There are moments that seem to have come straight out of Wonderland, and Katie herself noted that she expected to see a rabbit with a pocket watch running late. Other times feel more like Oz, and it's unclear whether the fairies are the good or bad witches, although instead of compass points, they represent seasons. But regardless, it's easy to get lost in the worlds that Katie visits and wish we could visit them too. And maybe some of Katie's lessons and growth can be ours as we adventure with her. At least, that's how it felt to me.
I received a copy of the audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly because it was wonderful and needed more wonderful words said about it.
carmenna's review
3.0
Winter falls è un retelling de "La regina della neve" di Hans Christian Andersen.
Il tempo in cui è ambientata la storia non è ben specificato (nella trama si legge "in the postindustrial town"), anche se mi ha fatto pensare ai primi del '900, e qualche volta al vecchio West.
Protagonista è Katie, una ragazzina non ben integrata tra i suoi coetanei, che cade in una vera e propria depressione quando scopre che la madre non sta vivendo magnifiche avventure in giro per il mondo, ma si è suicidata anni prima lasciandola orfana. Le cose peggiorano quando l'adorato padre decide di sposarsi. Arrivano poi dei vivaci fratellini; il suo amico Shay le invia messaggi contrastanti riguardo al loro rapporto per poi sparire nel nulla; l'albergo di famiglia in cui ha speso tutta la sua infanzia e adolescenza pare sull'orlo della bancarotta, e la famiglia decisa a cominciare altrove una nuova vita.
L'unica soluzione a cui riesce a pensare Katie è la stessa a cui approdò sua madre anni prima: suicidarsi buttandosi nel lago.
Ma ciò che la ragazza ritrova dall'altra parte non è il paradiso né il nulla assoluto, bensì un mondo parallelo in cui, scoprirà alla fine, potrà scegliere se restare, come tanti altri che hanno perso la loro strada, tornare indietro alla vita o proseguire il cammino verso la morte.
E' proprio in questo mondo che l'autrice riprende la storia originale, in modo anche più armonico, oserei dire.
Nel corso della lettura apprendiamo che quell'universo parallelo era un tempo governato da quattro fate sorelle, ognuna rappresentante una stagione, ma che l'armonia si spezzò quando una di esse, Winter, ovvero la Regina della neve, causò la rottura di uno specchio magico che avrebbero dovuto condividere.
Da allora le quattro sorelle vivono, infelici, in angoli diversi del mondo, alla testa di Quattro infelici Regni, mentre Winter cerca in tutti i modi di riparare lo specchio, a scapito della vita di quei ragazzi dimenticati di cui nessuno si prende cura. Essi, come se fosse un puzzle mortale, tentano di rimettere insieme le schegge che, come nella storia originale, hanno preso possesso anche dei loro cuori e dei loro sentimenti.
Ultima preda della Regina della neve è proprio Shay, che Katie decide di andare a cercare, rinunciando alla tentazione di arrendersi e prendendo finalmente in mano la propria vita.
La ragazza attraversa così i Quattro Regni, incontra le fate e tanti altri personaggi, e durante il viaggio si rende conto di quanto sia importante la sua umanità e la sua individualità, fa chiarezza nei propri sentimenti nei confronti dell'amico e ritrova finalmente un posto in seno alla sua famiglia.
La storia è ben scritta, con una gradevole alternanza tra presente e passato; mi sono piaciuti molto i Quattro Regni, ognuno con le proprie peculiarità e i propri colori, così come le fate, diverse l'una dall'altra e ben caratterizzate.
Ho apprezzato anche i personaggi secondari, soprattutto i ragazzi-corvi.
Così come la fiaba originale, Winter falls è un racconto di crescita, ma anche di più: è un viaggio dentro se stessi alla scoperta della luce che tutti noi possediamo, ma è anche un tortuoso percorso dalle tenebre della depressione al fulgore della vita.
La scelta di parlare della depressione avrebbe potuto essere pericolosa o quantomeno difficile, ma è stata ben gestita, anche se verso la fine Katie appare troppo vittimista (è tutta sua l'idea che il padre non la porterà con sé una volta ceduto l'albergo) e la storia ne esce appesantita. Stesso risultato a cui si giunge per l'eccessiva lunghezza del romanzo, che forse sarebbe risultato più coinvolgente e avvincente se fosse stato più breve.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/2017/04/winter-falls.html
Il tempo in cui è ambientata la storia non è ben specificato (nella trama si legge "in the postindustrial town"), anche se mi ha fatto pensare ai primi del '900, e qualche volta al vecchio West.
Protagonista è Katie, una ragazzina non ben integrata tra i suoi coetanei, che cade in una vera e propria depressione quando scopre che la madre non sta vivendo magnifiche avventure in giro per il mondo, ma si è suicidata anni prima lasciandola orfana. Le cose peggiorano quando l'adorato padre decide di sposarsi. Arrivano poi dei vivaci fratellini; il suo amico Shay le invia messaggi contrastanti riguardo al loro rapporto per poi sparire nel nulla; l'albergo di famiglia in cui ha speso tutta la sua infanzia e adolescenza pare sull'orlo della bancarotta, e la famiglia decisa a cominciare altrove una nuova vita.
L'unica soluzione a cui riesce a pensare Katie è la stessa a cui approdò sua madre anni prima: suicidarsi buttandosi nel lago.
Ma ciò che la ragazza ritrova dall'altra parte non è il paradiso né il nulla assoluto, bensì un mondo parallelo in cui, scoprirà alla fine, potrà scegliere se restare, come tanti altri che hanno perso la loro strada, tornare indietro alla vita o proseguire il cammino verso la morte.
E' proprio in questo mondo che l'autrice riprende la storia originale, in modo anche più armonico, oserei dire.
Nel corso della lettura apprendiamo che quell'universo parallelo era un tempo governato da quattro fate sorelle, ognuna rappresentante una stagione, ma che l'armonia si spezzò quando una di esse, Winter, ovvero la Regina della neve, causò la rottura di uno specchio magico che avrebbero dovuto condividere.
Da allora le quattro sorelle vivono, infelici, in angoli diversi del mondo, alla testa di Quattro infelici Regni, mentre Winter cerca in tutti i modi di riparare lo specchio, a scapito della vita di quei ragazzi dimenticati di cui nessuno si prende cura. Essi, come se fosse un puzzle mortale, tentano di rimettere insieme le schegge che, come nella storia originale, hanno preso possesso anche dei loro cuori e dei loro sentimenti.
Ultima preda della Regina della neve è proprio Shay, che Katie decide di andare a cercare, rinunciando alla tentazione di arrendersi e prendendo finalmente in mano la propria vita.
La ragazza attraversa così i Quattro Regni, incontra le fate e tanti altri personaggi, e durante il viaggio si rende conto di quanto sia importante la sua umanità e la sua individualità, fa chiarezza nei propri sentimenti nei confronti dell'amico e ritrova finalmente un posto in seno alla sua famiglia.
La storia è ben scritta, con una gradevole alternanza tra presente e passato; mi sono piaciuti molto i Quattro Regni, ognuno con le proprie peculiarità e i propri colori, così come le fate, diverse l'una dall'altra e ben caratterizzate.
Ho apprezzato anche i personaggi secondari, soprattutto i ragazzi-corvi.
Così come la fiaba originale, Winter falls è un racconto di crescita, ma anche di più: è un viaggio dentro se stessi alla scoperta della luce che tutti noi possediamo, ma è anche un tortuoso percorso dalle tenebre della depressione al fulgore della vita.
La scelta di parlare della depressione avrebbe potuto essere pericolosa o quantomeno difficile, ma è stata ben gestita, anche se verso la fine Katie appare troppo vittimista (è tutta sua l'idea che il padre non la porterà con sé una volta ceduto l'albergo) e la storia ne esce appesantita. Stesso risultato a cui si giunge per l'eccessiva lunghezza del romanzo, che forse sarebbe risultato più coinvolgente e avvincente se fosse stato più breve.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/2017/04/winter-falls.html
princessleopard's review
3.0
Preface: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Winter Falls is a retelling of the Snow Queen, a fairytale I was not previously familiar with. After reading a summary, though, it looks like this re-telling is faithful to the original in some ways, and plays with it in others, which I enjoy. There are a lot of details in the original that are playfully or creatively re-used in different ways.
However, this story is has many flaws. The structure is one of the most confusing points. There are constant flashes backwards and forwards in time. At first this is only between Katie's present quest and her past in the real world, but then the beginning to Part 4 ends up playing with time too in a very confusing and jarring way. It made the narrative difficult to follow at points, and it was a little hard to understand Katie's devotion to Shay until we fully saw their relationship unfold.
Another frustrating point was the number of dangling character threads. Spring comes back around, but Summer and Autumn are essentially left unresolved. What happened to the boy Summer wanted to be her prince? Where did Autumn end up (side note, it was a little weird to see the only black character being a leader of a gang of thieves...)? What about the crows and the cat (I guess it's implied they just wander off to take care of each other, but it was disappointing not to see them again after they exited the story). These points stopped the ending from feeling fulfilling in a meaningful way.
My last quibble is that the action scenes are pretty poorly done or hard to follow. The ultimate confrontation with the Snow Queen didn't make much sense to me, or what Katie chooses to do - there was just a general lack of description and meaningful verbs that would have made the scene "pop," which made the climax feel underwhelming. But the mirror twist was interesting, which almost redeemed it.
The book does have its good points, of course. Katie is an interesting character, especially because she seems to be the author's mouthpiece for her problems with depression and introversion. I think we've all been where Katie is at one point or another (though maybe not in such an extreme way). You definitely find yourself rooting for her to overcome her self-loathing and enjoy watching her care more for others and come to term with her feelings. Shay was also lovely - I'm a sucker for joker characters who end up having complex emotions/conflicts beneath their cheerful exterior. I wish we had seen more of this from the beginning, though, because it's difficult for us to initially care about Katie's quest when he just seems like a slacker/prankster of little importance or depth.
To be honest, I'm a little torn on whether to recommend this book. It's got some good points and genuine emotion behind it, but it's also pretty rough around the edges and could have used some trimming. If you enjoy fairytale retellings or character introspection, you might enjoy this - just keep in mind it's far from being flawless.
Winter Falls is a retelling of the Snow Queen, a fairytale I was not previously familiar with. After reading a summary, though, it looks like this re-telling is faithful to the original in some ways, and plays with it in others, which I enjoy. There are a lot of details in the original that are playfully or creatively re-used in different ways.
However, this story is has many flaws. The structure is one of the most confusing points. There are constant flashes backwards and forwards in time. At first this is only between Katie's present quest and her past in the real world, but then the beginning to Part 4 ends up playing with time too in a very confusing and jarring way. It made the narrative difficult to follow at points, and it was a little hard to understand Katie's devotion to Shay until we fully saw their relationship unfold.
Another frustrating point was the number of dangling character threads. Spring comes back around, but Summer and Autumn are essentially left unresolved. What happened to the boy Summer wanted to be her prince? Where did Autumn end up (side note, it was a little weird to see the only black character being a leader of a gang of thieves...)? What about the crows and the cat (I guess it's implied they just wander off to take care of each other, but it was disappointing not to see them again after they exited the story). These points stopped the ending from feeling fulfilling in a meaningful way.
My last quibble is that the action scenes are pretty poorly done or hard to follow. The ultimate confrontation with the Snow Queen didn't make much sense to me, or what Katie chooses to do - there was just a general lack of description and meaningful verbs that would have made the scene "pop," which made the climax feel underwhelming. But the mirror twist was interesting, which almost redeemed it.
The book does have its good points, of course. Katie is an interesting character, especially because she seems to be the author's mouthpiece for her problems with depression and introversion. I think we've all been where Katie is at one point or another (though maybe not in such an extreme way). You definitely find yourself rooting for her to overcome her self-loathing and enjoy watching her care more for others and come to term with her feelings. Shay was also lovely - I'm a sucker for joker characters who end up having complex emotions/conflicts beneath their cheerful exterior. I wish we had seen more of this from the beginning, though, because it's difficult for us to initially care about Katie's quest when he just seems like a slacker/prankster of little importance or depth.
To be honest, I'm a little torn on whether to recommend this book. It's got some good points and genuine emotion behind it, but it's also pretty rough around the edges and could have used some trimming. If you enjoy fairytale retellings or character introspection, you might enjoy this - just keep in mind it's far from being flawless.
diadaily's review
4.0
Wound up really enjoying this one! More than a little influenced by the 2003 Hallmark TV movie, but also has plenty of invention (or cribs from sources I don't know). Well told.
malunobrega's review
3.0
“Minuet nodded. 'Yes. That is exactly right. So now I have a fairy tale for you. There once was a cat. He had two bowls. One was full of fish and the other was empty. He could not understand why the first bowl should be empty. He spent all his time worrying about it until he starved, not having touched the other bowl that was filled. Now, what does this tell you?'
Rosco chimed in, refusing to be ignored. 'That one is too easy. Cats are stupid.'
This book was... different. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't horrible either. I can say that Stevens got better at writing, since I DNF her other book.
First, I liked that she talked about depression and suicide from the main character's perspective, because the readers will understand a little bit more people who have this. It is serious, and Katie really needed help --but no one noticed. It says a lot about society today (even if the book talked about decades ago), and it really makes us think if we know people around us well enough.
Second, the setting was nice too. It took place in another universe, a magical one with lots of dangers itself. If you think earth is difficult, think twice. In there, people become the animals they are inside --which is a complete mess. Stevens didn't explore much this world and why, for example, could Katie choose if she wanted to eat or not, but she made up to us by telling us a lot of stories inside this story, showing that magic is not always good and that if you don't believe in yourself, do not expect others to do it for you.
Well, there are also some stuff that got me mad too.
For example, Katie made me SO FRUSTRATED! She always comes with the same excuse to not do something: my mom killed herself, Pa' is going to close the hotel, nobody really likes me... I mean, it is okay to be sad in your situation, but GIRL! I was in a similar situation once. Years ago, I felt pretty much the same as Katie. But even then, I wouldn't want to worry my parents and always put a smile on my face. It was awful, it hurt, but as years passed, I started believing in the smile I once forced. My fake happiness finally stoped being fake, and I got better. It took time, but it can happen. But if you act like her and stop being human, you will NEVER get better. And that was what angered me the most.
Also, Shay was weird. I didn't actually like him, it was only because Katie did that I payed attention to him. Avery really would be my option of romance if I was the writer of this book. He was always there for her and transformed from a selfish crow to a brave human, only because of Katie. And in the Fairy world, they should have spent more quality time together. In the human world, he lived by her side for like, 10 years or something (I don't know for certain), and then she treated him like a normal friend after they saw each other again. If I was her, I'd value him a little more. And if I was the author, I'd make them fall in love. Wouldn't that be epic? Certainly it would be nicer than the meh wedding at the end. Whatev's.
And finally, I would say that this book had a lot of potential, which wasn't fully explored. But it was a improvement since the Stone Bearers, so I can say that I would read another book of this author if she will keep getting better at writing.
Thanks to Free Books for Review for sending me a copy of this book
-
Portuguese
“Minuet assentiu. 'Sim. Isso está correto. Então, agora eu tenho um conto de fadas para você. Era uma vez, um gato. Ele tinha duas tigelas. Um estava cheia de peixe e a outra estava vazia. Ele não conseguia entender por que a segunda tigela estava vazia. Ele passou o tempo todo se preocupando com isso até morrer de fome, sem ter tocado a tigela que estava cheia. Agora, o que isso lhe diz?
Rosco entrou na conversa, recusando-se a ser ignorado. 'Essa é fácil demais. Gatos são estúpidos.'
Este livro foi ... diferente. Não foi perfeito, mas também não foi horrível. Eu posso dizer que Stevens ficou melhor escrevendo, desde que eu li o outro livro dela.
Primeiro, gostei que ela falou sobre depressão e suicídio da perspectiva da personagem principal, porque os leitores entenderão um pouco mais de pessoas que têm isso. É sério, e Katie realmente precisava de ajuda - mas ninguém notou. Diz muito sobre a sociedade hoje (mesmo que o livro tenha se passado há décadas atrás) e realmente nos faz pensar se conhecemos as pessoas ao nosso redor o suficiente.
Segundo, o cenário também era agradável. Ocorreu em outro universo, um mágico com muitos perigos por si próprio. Se você acha que a Terra é difícil, pense duas vezes. Lá, as pessoas se tornam os animais que são por dentro - o que é uma bagunça completa. Stevens não explorou muito esse mundo e por que, por exemplo, Katie poderia escolher se queria comer ou não, mas compensou-nos contando muitos contos nessa história, mostrando que a mágica nem sempre é boa e que se você não acredita em si mesmo, não espere que outros o façam por você.
Bem, também há algumas coisas que me enlouqueceram.
Por exemplo, Katie me deixou tão frustrada! Ela sempre vem com a mesma desculpa para não fazer algo: minha mãe se matou, o meu pai vai fechar o hotel, ninguém gosta muito de mim... Quero dizer, está tudo bem ficar triste na sua situação, mas menina! Eu estava em uma situação semelhante uma vez. Anos atrás, eu me senti praticamente o mesmo que Katie. Mas mesmo assim, eu não gostaria de preocupar meus pais e sempre colocava um sorriso no meu rosto. Foi horrível, doeu, mas com o passar dos anos, comecei a acreditar no sorriso que uma vez forcei. Minha falsa felicidade finalmente parou de ser falsa, e eu melhorei. Levou tempo, mas pode acontecer. Mas se você agir como ela e parar de ser humano, NUNCA ficará melhor. E foi isso que me irritou mais.
Além disso, Shay era estranho. Na verdade, eu não gosto dele, foi só porque Katie gostava que eu prestei atenção nele. Avery seria realmente minha opção de romance se eu fosse a autora deste livro. Ele estava sempre lá por ela e transformou-se de um corvo egoísta em um humano corajoso, apenas por causa de Katie. E no mundo das fadas, eles deveriam ter passado mais tempo juntos. No mundo humano, ele viveu ao seu lado por uns dez anos ou mais (não sei ao certo), e então ela o tratou como um amigo normal depois que eles se viram novamente. Se eu fosse ela, eu o valorizaria um pouco mais. E se eu fosse a autora, eu os faria se apaixonar. Isso não seria épico? Certamente seria melhor do que o casamento no final. Whatever.
E, finalmente, eu diria que este livro tem muito potencial, que não foi totalmente explorado. Mas foi uma melhoria desde [b:The Stone Bearers|29419777|The Stone Bearers|Jacque Stevens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457136775l/29419777._SY75_.jpg|49678703], então posso dizer que leria outro livro dessa autora se ela continuar melhorando na escrita.
Obrigado ao Free Books for Review por me enviar uma cópia deste livro.
Playlist while reading this:
• Cavern - Mark Mancina
• If I Were The Ocean - Mark Mancina
• End Credits - The Giver OST
• Interestellar Piano Suite - Hans Zimmer
elderkinhv's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. Much more than I thought I was going to like this book. Kate was one of the most relatable characters I have read in a while and many of the inner problems that she had are things that I have and do struggle with. She had to grow up too fast and her love of fairy tales left her broken again and again, leading her to having to build walls around herself to protect from being completely broken. In doing so, she closes off anyone who could help her feel whole again. Watching her journey, watching her learn she needs to change and struggling to do so, was very moving and brought me to tears more than once. I also loved that the change was believable. In the end, she still struggled with her mind jumping to the worst case scenario. But she didn't let the worst case scenario consume her and start to shut her off again. If I had any complaint, it was that some of the conflicts in the fairy tale world were overcome a little too easily, but the plot was more a vessel for the character development and message rather than the other way around, so I can overlook that to still absolutely love this book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
buttercupsobsession's review
3.0
This book was provided for an honest review. Let me start out by saying I enjoyed this book. If you read the author's note at the beginning, you can really tell that the author was going through something when she wrote this and it comes through in Katie's story. The message of the story that whatever struggles you are going through end and that you can over come them is a great one and I really appreciated the message and the way that the main character never gave up, though you thought she might a couple of times. My only real issue is Katie's self loathing attitude, I have a hard time connecting with characters like Katie. She refused to admit her feelings for other people, refused to be cared about by those around her, and never knew her own worth, and for me that gets old after a while. I needed her to snap out of it sooner than she did. I don't think it is an issue with the writing or the character development, I think after having read a few characters like Katie, I just don't connect well with them.
On to the actual story...Katie Graham lives in a hotel with her father. The book starts with Katie finding Avery, a talking crow from a place called the Four Kingdoms. Where Avery is from there are all manner of talking animal and fairy tale creatures, specifically the Fairy Princesses of the four seasons who take turns ruling. Avery has a broken wing and Katie vows to nurse him back to health and find his way home, in the meantime the two become inseparable companions. In the meantime, at the age of 7 Katie must take over the hotel while her father mourns the loss of her mother. Katie wants to keep the hotel in business and she has to grow up way to fast. The story follows her from the age of 7 to 17 while she runs the hotel, her father gets remarried and has more children, and Katie never feels like she is part of the family, she always feels left out even when she's included. Part of her issue is because she closes herself off to everyone and is cold so she doesn't get hurt. Even to Shay the boy who has liked her since they were 7. Much of the book follows Katie through her life at the hotel and her interactions with her family and the townspeople. After a while the story begins to alternate between Katie's adventures in the Four Kingdoms.
One of the guests at the hotel turns out to be the Snow Queen, Flurry. Flurry takes Shay to the Four Kingdoms, and Katie isn't very happy about it. She can't decide if they are just friends or something more, but she knows she has to go after him, so she goes to the Four Kingdoms herself and meets each of the princesses, who help her along the journey in some way. Katie's perseverance to save Shay and restore the Four Kingdoms and reunite the fairy sisters was really enjoyable. Overall a great retelling of the Snow Queen tale.
On to the actual story...Katie Graham lives in a hotel with her father. The book starts with Katie finding Avery, a talking crow from a place called the Four Kingdoms. Where Avery is from there are all manner of talking animal and fairy tale creatures, specifically the Fairy Princesses of the four seasons who take turns ruling. Avery has a broken wing and Katie vows to nurse him back to health and find his way home, in the meantime the two become inseparable companions. In the meantime, at the age of 7 Katie must take over the hotel while her father mourns the loss of her mother. Katie wants to keep the hotel in business and she has to grow up way to fast. The story follows her from the age of 7 to 17 while she runs the hotel, her father gets remarried and has more children, and Katie never feels like she is part of the family, she always feels left out even when she's included. Part of her issue is because she closes herself off to everyone and is cold so she doesn't get hurt. Even to Shay the boy who has liked her since they were 7. Much of the book follows Katie through her life at the hotel and her interactions with her family and the townspeople. After a while the story begins to alternate between Katie's adventures in the Four Kingdoms.
One of the guests at the hotel turns out to be the Snow Queen, Flurry. Flurry takes Shay to the Four Kingdoms, and Katie isn't very happy about it. She can't decide if they are just friends or something more, but she knows she has to go after him, so she goes to the Four Kingdoms herself and meets each of the princesses, who help her along the journey in some way. Katie's perseverance to save Shay and restore the Four Kingdoms and reunite the fairy sisters was really enjoyable. Overall a great retelling of the Snow Queen tale.
chymerra's review
5.0
What a great retelling and imaginative retelling of the Snow Queen.
Told in 1st person and through flashbacks, after Katie jumps off of the same bridge that her mother, Winter Falls explores depression, suicide and how it affects the people left behind. The way the author wrote about it and the sensitivity that she showed about such sensitive subjects was amazing. I also like that she didn’t glamorize suicide, as I have seen in some books. Beth’s reasons for committing suicide were awful and I cried when the reason was revealed.
I liked how Katie’s character wasn’t perfect by any means. She is a snob, keeps herself away from her family and openly mocks her stepmother as she tells fairy tales to Katie’s younger brother and sisters. You are hard-pressed to like her in her flashbacks because of how she is.
But, everything does change when she enters the land of fairy and starts on her quest to get Spring, Summer and Autumn’s tokens of powers. You could just see her come into her own and you could see her processing how closed off she was, how rude and how snobby she was as she is retelling her life story and how she fell in love with Shay.
Shay’s character was as flawed but he was aware of it and he did try to better himself. I felt awful when he was talking to Katie about how bad his home life was after his mother died and when Katie’s stepmother basically told his father to get lost.
Katie’s quest was different and full of surprises. The people/animals that she met and helped/were helped by stood out to me. Each season was basically her finding herself and her understanding that she didn’t need to live her life the way she was and that only she could change her life.
The climax of the story was great and I was put on edge. I did get slightly emotional during a certain scene with Shay and Katie.
All of the storylines were resolved by the end of the book. I really liked how they were resolved in realistic ways. Not every storyline was a HEA and it was refreshing to read that.
The end of the book was great. It was pretty standard but the changes in Katie and Shay was there for everyone to see.
Told in 1st person and through flashbacks, after Katie jumps off of the same bridge that her mother, Winter Falls explores depression, suicide and how it affects the people left behind. The way the author wrote about it and the sensitivity that she showed about such sensitive subjects was amazing. I also like that she didn’t glamorize suicide, as I have seen in some books. Beth’s reasons for committing suicide were awful and I cried when the reason was revealed.
I liked how Katie’s character wasn’t perfect by any means. She is a snob, keeps herself away from her family and openly mocks her stepmother as she tells fairy tales to Katie’s younger brother and sisters. You are hard-pressed to like her in her flashbacks because of how she is.
But, everything does change when she enters the land of fairy and starts on her quest to get Spring, Summer and Autumn’s tokens of powers. You could just see her come into her own and you could see her processing how closed off she was, how rude and how snobby she was as she is retelling her life story and how she fell in love with Shay.
Shay’s character was as flawed but he was aware of it and he did try to better himself. I felt awful when he was talking to Katie about how bad his home life was after his mother died and when Katie’s stepmother basically told his father to get lost.
Katie’s quest was different and full of surprises. The people/animals that she met and helped/were helped by stood out to me. Each season was basically her finding herself and her understanding that she didn’t need to live her life the way she was and that only she could change her life.
The climax of the story was great and I was put on edge. I did get slightly emotional during a certain scene with Shay and Katie.
All of the storylines were resolved by the end of the book. I really liked how they were resolved in realistic ways. Not every storyline was a HEA and it was refreshing to read that.
The end of the book was great. It was pretty standard but the changes in Katie and Shay was there for everyone to see.
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