Winterkill

Set in an unfamiliar, cold, and dream-like world, Winterkill is your regular dystopian YA drama, but with a twist.

Emmeline feels like the walls are finally caving in on her. Her village is very oppressive, and Emmaline only wants out. There is more to her life than just living in her small village, and she will have to brave the secrets surrounding her village and face her future.

One of the few things I was sorely disappointed about with this book is that the village was a bit too vague and mysterious at times. It was hard to tell what time period the novel was set in, and I would have liked to know more about the history of the settlement, not just the myths surrounding it. Emmaline’s character is the regular backbone-lacking, sweet and shy (yet special), run-of-the-mill YA heroine. The only trait I really liked in her was, surprisingly, her selfish nature; the negative quality made her more believable and made me sympathize with how it impacted her journey of learning how to be brave. Overall, the mystery and suspense of the novel trumped the romance, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the last page.