Whiteout - Dhonielle Clayton, et al

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"A snowstorm like this hits Atlanta only once every hundred years. As the city grinds to a halt, a group of teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm?

A mall full of holiday spirit...and a confession under the twinkling lights.

A deserted aquarium...and secrets that keep bubbling to the surface.

A stalled road trip...and a car full of bittersweet memories melting in the ice.

A whole city blanketed in snow...being warmed from the inside out.

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can't always prepare for the magical moments that change everything."

 

I just finished this book, and it took me on a journey. I don't know if this will be a real REVIEW review, but I'm going to share my thoughts as they come in, riding on the waves of sadness over finishing a lovely book and wishing I could be in it for just a little longer, even though that isn't how books work.

I understand why we couldn't, but I wish we got more time with each character. Most of them are so loveable, the ones that I had moments of hesitation about I feel like it was just because I didn't have much time to get to know them, and also, like I said, I want to live in this world for a little longer. Please? 

I got so frustrated with some of the miscommunications and overreactions and indecisiveness, but only because it was SO true to teenage life, and it weirdly made me nostalgic for when I was that age, even though you could not pay me enough to deal with all that angst again. Like, Evan-Rose? So many crushes, so little time...I empathize, E.R. I remember the days where I had multiple crushes and was like oh god, is something wrong with me? I like more than one person? How can feelings be real if you feel them for more than one person? It messes with you.

The morale of basically every story in this book is that open and honest communication is key. Talk to each other, friends. It will always bring more clarity than avoiding people and stewing.

I can't decide if Jimi and Teo's story is my favorite or Ava and Mason's. Or Jordyn and Omari's.

I hope this author group writes more books together. I will read them all.

Winterwood - Shea Ernshaw

 My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Be careful of the dark, dark wood...especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Cursed, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it's this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman, the same boy who disappeared from the camp for wayward boys weeks ago - and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive and left in the woods with no memory of the time he'd been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver's presence. And it's not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn't know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own - secrets he'll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn't the only one who went missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago."

I'm not a huge fan of spooky stuff, but this book is eerie in the most perfect way. The world-building is excellent, and the scene is set so well that from the first page I found myself transported into Nora's cold, snowy, dimly-lit world. The moment Oliver's green eyes snap open, I was enthralled, and from the first page to the last, I didn't want to close the book.

I pride myself on being someone who sees twists coming and can call the end of a book, movie, TV show, what have you early on, but this one kept me guessing. There were multiple scenes that had me gasping out loud, and even a few "ohhhh shit"s that got out before I could stop them. Shea Ernshaw will keep you on your toes! Ultimately, even if you are able to call twists and turns where I wasn't, this book is worth it for the ambiance, the mood, and the excerpts from the Walker spell book interspersed throughout the story.

Plus, as a bonus, you know I judge books by their covers, and THAT COVER THOUGH.

Whichever version you get, I could eat it with a spoon. And I don't know about the dark cover, but the white also features blue sprayed edges to match, and my god, it is a thing of beauty. Even if I hadn't loved the story from start to finish, I would keep this on my shelf for the cover alone. Everything about this book is art.