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A review by asreadbykat
The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
4.0
True Rating: 4.35/5 Stars
Content/Trigger Warnings: Discussions of death, brief non-graphic depiction of someone dying
My Thoughts
Like the first boo, my writing of this review is my second time reading this novel (although I never added it to GR). I honestly forgot most of what happened, however, so it was almost like reading it for the first time again. And, just as with "Winter House," this novel is a nice cozy, wintery fantasy/mystery for readers old or young.
This is a pretty good example of how to keep what was good about the first installment in a series, but add in something new. "Secrets of Winterhouse" doesn't ignore the trauma Elizabeth experienced in the first novel; it touches on it, hinting multiple times that she still has a lingering fear over what happened with Gracella, and that she still suffers in different ways from the encounter. Elizabeth also now has to deal with having family that really and obviously cares about her, something she's not used to, and this causes a very realistic conflict when she wants to be involved in the darker and more mysterious goings-on but is held back by her grandfather.
If the first Winterhouse novel focused more on the setting and world building, this one definitely focuses more on Elizabeth as a character and the growth she goes through. There are still fun puzzles, interesting side characters, and that touch of fantasy and whimsy that made the first book so charming and cozy. However, this book adds in the necessary pre-teen angst a 12-year-old may experience and combines it with Elizabeth's particular circumstances.
Again, this isn't a series that's going to rock anyone's world. It's not mind-blowing, it's not trying to get some big message across, and it's not filled with the biggest battles. But it's a warm, cozy novel that's great to read on a cold winter night, and if you're looking for something relatively low-stakes then this is a trilogy for you.
Content/Trigger Warnings: Discussions of death, brief non-graphic depiction of someone dying
My Thoughts
Like the first boo, my writing of this review is my second time reading this novel (although I never added it to GR). I honestly forgot most of what happened, however, so it was almost like reading it for the first time again. And, just as with "Winter House," this novel is a nice cozy, wintery fantasy/mystery for readers old or young.
This is a pretty good example of how to keep what was good about the first installment in a series, but add in something new. "Secrets of Winterhouse" doesn't ignore the trauma Elizabeth experienced in the first novel; it touches on it, hinting multiple times that she still has a lingering fear over what happened with Gracella, and that she still suffers in different ways from the encounter. Elizabeth also now has to deal with having family that really and obviously cares about her, something she's not used to, and this causes a very realistic conflict when she wants to be involved in the darker and more mysterious goings-on but is held back by her grandfather.
If the first Winterhouse novel focused more on the setting and world building, this one definitely focuses more on Elizabeth as a character and the growth she goes through. There are still fun puzzles, interesting side characters, and that touch of fantasy and whimsy that made the first book so charming and cozy. However, this book adds in the necessary pre-teen angst a 12-year-old may experience and combines it with Elizabeth's particular circumstances.
Again, this isn't a series that's going to rock anyone's world. It's not mind-blowing, it's not trying to get some big message across, and it's not filled with the biggest battles. But it's a warm, cozy novel that's great to read on a cold winter night, and if you're looking for something relatively low-stakes then this is a trilogy for you.