The Winter People

[ i actually finished this back in september but forgot to update ]

picked this up in vermont when i was visiting, the bugs in the summertime are scarier than this book.

a good enough thriller/horror book to send a chill down your spine every now and then, but i did feel bored about 60% of the time. things weren't wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end, which i enjoy, but i still didn't feel satisfied by the answers/ending.

This was all geared up to be a solid 4 star rating, until the author didn't stick the landing in my opinion. I found the first half or so of the book extremely engaging and creepy, and kept reading because I really wanted to know where this was all leading! I had several thoughts and expectations of who I thought the killer(s) would end up being, but none of them were fulfilled. Many of the plot devices brought up early on, the white apparition in the woods, the bone ring, even Sara's evident walking of the town at night, were only brought up once and didn't seem to tie in much with the actual ending.

I also wasn't expecting fully fleshed out, three dimensional characters in a quick horror/thriller read, but I found a lot of the characters, particularly in the modern day setting, unrealistic and flat. Ruthie, in particular, made me scream at the book, horror movie style, with her poor decisions and lack of reaction in some places. I still don't understand Ruthie's reluctance to call the cops when her mom went missing, apart from plot convenience. Katherine's entire inclusion in the story felt unnecessary, as she was just a vehicle for the bone ring in the present day, and to be the one to call the next Sleeper.

So I docked it a star for my dissatisfaction with where the plot ended up and the ending. At 3 stars it's still an okay book, but I doubt I'll be recommending it to friends.

This book was different in mood and story than other books I have read for a very long time. Although it jumps back and forth in time from the backstory that takes place in Sara's diary to a present day disappearance, McMahon does a great job of melding the stories. Sara, who has lost several children and has a wonderful relationship with her 8 year daughter, but perhaps struggles in her marriage, watches her daughter follow her husband out into the snow. Hours later, when the husband returns, he is alone and completely unaware that his daughter had run out after him. The daughter is found dead in the bottom of a deep well. The darkness and grief that enfolds Sara is really the rest of the novel. The story streams on with an old hag, curses, insanity, and violence. It reminded me of early Stephen King books, where it was hard to draw the line between the real and the supernatural, between real and imagined fears. I will absolutely read more books by Jennifer McMahon. Maybe it's time to get back to horror.

Rating: 3.9 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Mystery
Type: Audio
Worth?: Oh yeah.


Another book from my road trip done. This was the first book I actually wanted to read from this author but I actually read The Drowning Kind, which I also have 4 leaves. What I really like about this book, or rather her writing, is the back and forth in time and how they all connect. It is really enjoyable.

The characters were well done and the plot of the whole thing was sad and creepy. I wouldn't say it was horror, I didn't get scared. Still worth the read though!

3.5 ⭐

This book had so much potential to be a 4.5-5 star read. There were areas of the book that seemed over explained/redundant and other areas that I felt opposite. The ending was so good but I felt when Alice was explaining why things were happening she didn't explain everything well.

Katherine and Candace as characters were the literal worst. Katherine was at least well done and believable – just the type of person that being around them makes your head hurt. Candace, on the other hand, seemed off her rocker and as though there was more to her story that we'd find out later (spoilers: we never do).

JM however does an AMAZING job at creating the scene and I feel it really makes the whole book so much better. Her description of Candace's home from afar vs up close had to have been my favorite part of the book and almost gave me chills while reading it.

So. Not what I was expecting. I started this at Barnes and Noble one day because, hey, a lot of hype, so I'm curious. And I like horror. And the first few chapters were engaging enough.

But those first few chapters should be in another book. I made it to page 38 at B&N and thought it sufficiently interesting to get it from the library. So I picked up again with the introduction to...RUTHIE? She's a modern day 19-year-old named RUTHIE? I don't think so. Not unless her parents are religious, which they didn't seem to be at all. And her boyfriend is Buzz? Is Ms. McMahon stuck in 1960 or something? Anyway, I was still willing to stick with it because, hey, I grew up in NH, and I recognized a lot of the towns name-dropped in this book.

So I finished it this morning.

For the love of all that is holy, I cannot figure out why everyone and their butts were going on and on about how this is a beautiful, chilling, moving, poignant, etc etc etc book when it is rote genre at best. The prose is NOT elegant. It is standard and fairly humdrum. The characters are mostly irksome and not particularly engaging; which is a pity, because this book, for once, isn't a sausage fest–it's a taco fest. But the women in it aren't very good characters. They're all–except Ruthie, until the very end–stupid and emotionally delicate and make incredibly inane decisions. And Fawn didn't seem the least bit real to me. She was a bad horror cliche child, not a real child, even though she ended up being just a normal child. I kept waiting for a shoe to drop with her, and it never did. And how many times must we the readers be told she has saucer eyes? Apparently, every time she's in a scene, and there aren't any new ways to say it throughout the book either.

This book was okay, but nothing to write home about. I am so confused about the rave reviews. Apparently, they don't know that women actually write good horror. This was pretty darn standard stuff. No beautiful sentences, nothing to make you gasp in awe. No characters that you love more than anything. Mostly, the characters are bland at best, idiotic and annoying at worst. The pacing starts becoming a mess, especially in the last third or so of the book. The time jumps, especially at the end, are ineffective and lack emphasis in the places where emphasis could be used. And the plot twist–such a bad mystery plot twist. Ridiculous, just the worst. I'm used to horror plot twist and the reasons they exist. But in something that is almost more mystery than horror, the plot twist is always the most absurd thing. This one had me confused and then rolling my eyes.

Honestly, I've read plenty of trite genre books that are more engaging and interesting. There is nothing spectacular here, nothing of note, nothing that is new or different. The pacing is similar to any mass market thriller/horror/mystery you could find at a used bookstore. The characters in ‘The Winter People' are no better, their actions no more interesting and actually far less commonsensical. If you want horror by women, do yourself a favour and get some Gemma Files or Sarah Langan. They know the genre and tell better tales.

Quality chills, excellent pacing, alternation of POV, the rare instance where separating the narrative into two timelines was engrossing rather than frustrating. Did not see the twist coming. 

Pet Sematary vibes: both trying to bring loved ones back from the dead and questionable indigenous rep elements 🫤.  There are a couple character decisions that really don't seem very reasonable unless you take into consideration it's necessary for the plot but I'm kind of used to the easy road showing up occasionally in the kind of horror I prefer.
I like that the original reason why the Devil's Hand land is cursed, why it is a portal for raising sleepers isn't really explained, some mystery is left.
I rarely achieve synchronicity in matching calendar timing with book themes but reading this in January added a little something to the experience. 
Between this and what I remember of The Invited, seems clear McMahon strongly identifies with mother/daughter, mother/child relationships, loss/grief and unique/powerful/magical women as social outcast/outsiders often defined by the mores of a bygone era, as themes. 
This also helps solidify a thought on my reading taste: I'm a lot more into historical fiction when it's a genre mashup, historical horror, historical mystery, etc. 
I'd warn off those with claustrophobia from reading this. 
⚠️Child death, suicide, animal death, period typical attitudes/treatment of possible mental health concerns

Winter People is a mix for me. The way this is formatted was a tad annoying. There are a lot of characters and their stories throughout this book and usually that doesn't bother me.

However, the past timeline (Sara's journal pages) and the way it is thrown into the mix disrupted the present timeline for me. I would have much preferred the journal pages at the start of each section, together, like a mini-prologue. That's just my preference though.

The story itself wasn't my favorite either. I did love the atmosphere that was set and the cave setting. I was just hoping for some actual spooky as this is touted to be a ghost suspense. It's not actually about ghosts though...so that doesn't really fit. Maybe more of a paranormal women's fiction...

Overall, I was disappointed. I didn't love this one but didn't hate it either. It would be good for those who want an eerie type atmospheric read for Spooktober, but don't expect to be thrilled or scared with this one.

Bottom line: This book had a whole lotta hype for not a whole lotta reason.

The Winter People actually had a great creepy start that really captured my attention. So from the beginning, you are given the impression that there will be chilling ghostly happenings wrapped up in a suspenseful package. But then there isn't.

So let the book bashing commence...

What happens is this (no spoilers, I promise): in the present day Ruthie's mom goes missing... in 1908 Sara's daughter dies and becomes one of the “winter people”... and a random guy named Gary stumbles upon the missing link to the story. The story is about figuring out what happened to Ruthie's mom, what happened to Sara/Gertie, and what happened to Gary in conjuntion. The entire book is a wild goose chase of putting clues together. I really didn't get any of the suspense that I wanted, and it mostly felt like Scooby Doo. Really.. Scooby Doo.

The chapters switched back and forth between the present and 1908, which is fine - I've read many books written this way and they were great! But McMahon repeats exact elements of the story when going back and forth and creates a very strong sense of deja vu. And you end up being confused if you read it already or if you just think that you read it already. Not okay.

Also, the sideplot with Gary and his wife Katherine was completely unnecessary and distracting. I believe the story would have been much better with further development of the main characters and elimination of Gary and Katherine. Plus, their story was left hanging at the end for no good reason.

This was the first time I have read a book by Jennifer McMahon, and I honestly disliked this book so much that I probably won't read McMahon again. The story was too cookie cutter for me.. with no intrigue, no exceptional plot, and no major character development.

Ternyata buku ini termasuk genre horor. Atmospheric horor tepatnya, cukup membuatku merinding.
Ruth gk sabar ingin keluar dr kota tempatnya tinggal, namun suatu hari ibunya menghilang sehingga dia terpaksa hrs menjaga adiknya. Ketika dia membongkar-bongkar isi rumah untuk mencari petunjuk kemana ibunya pergi, dia menemukan suatu buku yg ditulis oleh Amelia Larkin, berisi buku harian bibinya, Sara Harrison Shea. Dalam buku harian itu Sara menceritakan jika orang yg sdh mati bisa dibangkitkan kembali.
West Hall memang terkenal membuat orang2 menghilang tanpa jejak. Salah satu sejarah kota juga menyangkut kematian Sara Harrison Shea. Apakah yg sebenarnya ada di West Hall??