brookey8888's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Murder
sarahholliday's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I absolutely adored this reading experience. The Winter People is a beautiful, perfect balance of suspense and horror, exploring grief and oppression and the consequences of holding on too tight to the things we love.
If you're looking for a lightly suspenseful "what's going on here" kind of story...this is not that. This is full-on creepy and terrifying. At its heart, though, is this question of what unnatural evil can arise when we try too hard to subvert death and the grieving process.
Graphic: Grief, Death, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Child death, and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death
mflynn8908's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Death, Child death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cancer, Gore, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Gun violence
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The spookiness of the story is not a new idea, v Pet Sematary. But the inclusion of
Spoiler
a non-supernatural antagonistSpoiler
Also, although a supernatural evil is heavily implied, I felt like it wasn't the only option. Martin going crazy was a strong possibility in my mind. Definitely one of the most tense bits for me was centered on the barn. I legit thought Martin had accidentally killed and skinned his daughter in a delusional state. Chilling.Overall, I'd say the ending was frustrating, though. Ruthie deciding not to go to college? Bleh. Destroying the pages? Yeah! A certain someone going ahead and sharing all those pages anyway? C'mon, dude.
Frustrating ending, but it doesn't ruin the book for me. Delicious resolution before the frustrating bits.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Miscarriage, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, and Suicide
julienicole1106's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
michaelat21's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child death
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Confinement
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Racism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Confinement, Stalking, Violence, Car accident, Classism, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Car accident, Animal death, and Cancer
bernluvsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 was such an atmospheric read. It takes place deep in the woods of Vermont during a snowy, winter. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. It was creepy and had such an ominous vibe throughout. The alternating timelines were very well done, revealing bits of history which help us understand the present.
This is perfect for fans of ghost stories who don’t really want to delve into horror. I loved the paranormal elements and the bits of magic infused into the story. There were also some key emotional moments that really made me feel invested with the characters and the story. Definitely recommend this for mystery fans who enjoy atmospheric reads that give off creepy vibes!
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“Madness is always a wonderful excuse, don’t you think? For doing terrible things to other people.”
“How can you dream if you don’t have a soul?”
This was a fun, spooky read. I've had this book on my shelf for literal years but definitely never realized it was a horror. I'm so glad I finally read it, though. I would not call myself a horror reader and this feels like a solid book for those just kind of getting into the horror genre. It was creepy and suspenseful without being overly gross or too "out there." I liked the multiple perspectives. It was easy to tell the difference between each POV and I was equally interested in all of the different characters we were following. I enjoyed the creepy feeling that the book gave me. I read a big chunk of this novel late in the evening and freaked myself out when I had to turn out the lights for bed time. I always find that to be a good sign in terms of general atmosphere.
I'll try to not be too spoilery with the things I didn't like it but please read ahead with your own risk, especially if you're thinking of reading this book in the near future. My major gripe was that the only BIPOC character ended up being essentially a villain. She was very much the mystical Indian that only serves to further the character development of a white character. My other major question had to do with the teenaged character and how she came to live with her adoptive parents. The whole situation seemed like a major plot hole and didn't make sense to me. Personally, if I had been her aunt in the situation, I would not have let her adoptive parents take her given the traumatic events that led to her adoption.
Overall, this was a solid mystery horror. It was fun and gave me creepy vibes.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt