Winterling by Sarah Prineas is a magical tale of friendship and righting old wrongs – a testament to the value of life. Winterling opens with a bang as the prologue begins with a dog running from wolves and ending up in our world.
Winterling
The plot of Winterling by Sarah Prineas then follows Fer, a girl who has always been just a bit different. Fer is an orphan who lives with her grandmother – a purveyor of herbs and very protective. Fer’s grandmother will not let Fer out of the house to wander on her own. In a fit of anger, Fer leaves the house in defiance of her grandmother and ends up saving a dog named Rook which unleashes a series of events. Fer finds herself in an other worldly place called The Way and in the thrall of a mysterious woman known simply as Mor – a powerful huntress. In the Way people are wildling, which means they morph into animals. It has been winter for too long and the land is hurting. It is up to Fer to save the way.
The prologue of Winterling by Sarah Prineas is very exciting. I found that it really hooked me into Winterling. There is a blending of different bits of folklore from Phoukas to the Green Lady. I thought Winterling would be a good introduction for children who aren’t familiar with these traditional bits of folklore, as Winterling is an engaging story and not at all boring.
To me, Fer is quite an admirable heroine who is strong, yet vulnerable at the same time. She is open to feelings and emotion.Yet, she gets the job done when it comes to saving the Way. She is courageous, yet we can see that yes she is nervous about messing up. I like this bit of realism added to Fer because no one is fearless all the time, not even the most intrepid heroine.
However, Winterling is at it’s strongest in message. We see the characters grow dynamically. We see characters have the courage to do what is right and to stand up against injustice. I loved that themes of friendship and loyalty are woven throughout the book. Winterling by Sarah Prineas weaves familiar elements and is a fabulous read for the dark of winter as it is a perfectly atmospheric read.
Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.
Other reviews of Winterling by Sarah Prineas:
Mrs. Archer’s Book Notes
Karissa’s Reading Review
My Brain On Books
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Sounds great! I love a good book with a strong heroine as well as folklore and such. Will have to check this out!
Strong heroines are definitely my book cryptonite! 🙂 I love them!
This book sounds really interesting. I always like venturing into new worlds when I read, so this sounds perfect. Thanks for the review!
The worldbuilding in Winterling is legitimate, I mean there are actual rules that need to be followed and such.
Your review makes me so much more excited for this one! Since I heard about it, I’ve been excited and can’t wait for it to be out!
Yay! I am very glad to hear that!
I liked this book a lot for all the reasons you mentioned. Loved the wintery atmosphere, loved the loyalty/friendship themes. And Fer is a wonderful heroine–just the right mix of strength and vulnerability.
I’m excited you commented! It’s like having a celebrity drop in.
Dubs true about Fer having the mix of strength and vulnerability. I loved that!
Oh, Fer sounds like a fabulous character! I think I’ll have to check this one out. Always on the lookout for a good MG.
Fer is fab! You should def add this book to your TBR!
Hi everyone!
Please come check out the new WINTERLING book trailer over at the HarperChildrens channel: http://youtu.be/fXxZZ2Yxfjc
Leave a comment or a like!
Michelle @ Dog Ear Creative
Thanks Michelle! I will definitely check it out 😀
Yay! I really enjoyed this book too. I was a bit of a sucker for Rook 🙂
Rook was awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed this as well.