- set in a snow-trapped town, Cora struggles to support her starving family
- through hauntingly bleak months of grief and trials, a glimmer of hope begins to shine
- themes include: friendship, family bonds, resisting evil, seeking truth, and more
- convo: deaths, a few kisses between unmarried young people, one whipping with a belt, some physical fights with injuries, frequent lying, executions by hanging mentioned, torture instruments mentioned, a man gets drunk once
Type: fantasy chapter book
Ages: 13-18
Author: Christine Cohen
This book would be a good gateway for young teenagers who are ready for the heavier fantasies. It’s a gentle heaviness with its somber tone, yet invitingly keeps the pages turning. Though there are scenes in which actual evil happens, a good percentage of the book’s intensity is due to a fear of evil possibly happening (from things such as the “undead” spirits, wolves that live in the nearby forest and other things).
The characters are well-developed and one grows to dearly love a few by the time the story ends. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’m being careful with this review! Know that it is not all bleak and sad–there are occasional sweet, good or funny moments inserted here and there. I would have liked a few things to be better concluded or addressed at the end, but, overall, I appreciate such a good, clean novel being out there as an option for our young adults!