Winterkill

Written by Kate A. Boorman

Narrated by Jenny Mudge

For as long as Emmeline can remember, she’s longed to leave the isolated world of the settlement and explore the wilderness that calls to her in her dreams. And now that the Council has fallen, she will finally, finally get that chance. With First Peoples guide Matisa at her side, Emmeline rallies a brave group to join her on her quest into the unknown, including her beloved Kane and his two younger brothers.

But the journey soon proves far more dangerous than Emmeline anticipated — with warring clans, slavers, colonists, disease, and natural disasters seemingly at every turn. After putting so many lives in danger, she starts to doubt everything she once knew. Did she make the right choice to leave the settlement — and can her relationship with Kane survive the ordeal? Matisa insists that to set things right and to fight the evil that is bringing all this danger and turmoil to the forest, Emmeline must journey to Matisa’s people — even if that means leaving Kane behind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abrams Books
• Release date: Jan 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781683354406

Kate A. Boorman

Kate A. Boorman is an award-winning writer from the Canadian prairies. She was born in Nepal, grew up in the small town of Rimbey, Alberta, and now lives in Edmonton, where she wrangles her family and schemes up travel to faraway lands. Kate has a MA in Dramatic Critical Theory and has held an odd assortment of jobs, from accordion accompanist to qualitative research associate. She is the author of What We Buried and the Winterkill trilogy.

Reviews for Winterkill

[obtusata · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I want to love this book so badly, but I can only get as far as liking it and having a great love for the author's writing style.

Do you remember M Night Shyamalan's movie The Village? This book is similar and I think that a lot of people are under the impression that it's just a redo of the movie: there's a village/fortress/compound, scary things outside of the village, creepy or fanatical people in charge of the village, and a damaged girl breaking all the rules. But, it has it's own unique touches (including some influences Canadians will appreciate, like the inclusion of French and Native culture). And, besides, there are a tonne of stories/movies that follow this same template.

I always want to love the damaged girl and her need to satisfy her curiosity and question the way things are while still being pulled by honest fear, but I did get a little tired of Emmeline's overly dramatic obsession with being "stained" (subject to prejudice because of bad things her grandmother did). I also have a strong dislike for romance novel style love triangles. I had to remind myself, often, that she's just 16. In the eyes of a 16 year old love is intense, life is unfair, and parents are as much the enemy as anyone.

All that said, I did still enjoy the novel. The story and the village's lore where interesting, but more importantly, the writing was very evocative. The author drew me in and kept me intrigued enough to overlook Emmeline's drama. I could feel Emmeline's fear, I could hear the forest noises, and I could see her dreams. Boorman also peppers the dialogue with French and Native (not sure which tribe), where appropriate, instead of forcing all the characters to only speak English, which I find very refreshing. And, she trusts the reader to be smart enough to understand without constantly translating every word (she translates enough to get the point across).

While I didn't love Emmeline, I did have a hard time putting the book down. The story was thrilling and full of the ebb and flow of trust and fear that Emmeline was experiencing. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series and have high hopes for the author.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you've read any other reviews of Winterkill, you probably already know what movie this book is being compared to. I'll admit, I had the same thought originally. A hidden settlement in the middle of the forest. An unknown terror that lurks right on the fringes, terrifying the inhabitants into submission. The group of people who rise up to make sure that their submission is total. Are you with still with me? Now, as much as I agree that this has a lot of similarities, it doesn't negate the fact that this actually an interesting story. Winterkill does have quite a bit to offer. Don't count it out just yet.

I adored Emmeline, our main character. As one of the Stained, she has a much different view of her town than most of the other people who populate it. She's on the outside, looking in. This creates a great way to see into the corruption that simmers beneath the surface. It makes it easy to understand that nothing is what it seems. It also creates this beautiful and mysterious atmosphere, that only increases as Emmeline slowly uncovers the truth. I couldn't pull myself away. I had to see what she found next. Her innocence clashed perfectly with what was going on around her, and I loved it.

Major points also go to Boorman for creating such a believable society in the first place. Although it is hinted at, it's never quite fully explained where Emmeline's community came from. We simply know that each Winter (La Prise) they struggle to survive, and welcome the next Spring. I was easily able to make myself a part of their struggle. Everything from chores, to customs, to classes was laid out for me. I was just another cog in the machine. I feel like that was an important part of why I read this so ravenously. I felt involved.

So why the three star rating, you ask? Simply, I felt like the first half of Winterkill was spectacular, and then things went downhill. By the time I neared the ending, I knew that there wouldn't be enough time to answer all my questions. There simply weren't enough pages left to tie everything up. I watched as Emmeline finally discovered the truth, and found myself sitting there confused. It wasn't what I was expecting, at all. It didn't feel like an ending worthy of all the lovely, atmospheric writing leading up to it. Overall though? I enjoyed my time in Emmeline's world. With its mysteries and romance, I couldn't fault it for not delivering the ending that I personally wanted. Three stars it is.

[pat2011-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this as a review copy. When I first started this book, I wasn't sure I would finish it. As I got into the story it became better and seemed to flow. The village is an isolated village with no neighbors. It is cut off from everything and everyone. The village itself is divided into sections and the sections tend to stick together. Along comes Emmeline, a rebel or just a girl with an inquiring mind who doesn't like to follow the rules. Follow her adventures outside the walls of the village. It is an interesting story with a mix of French and English that adds to the mysticism of the time and village.

[bookishthings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review
Winterkill has a very The Village type of feel to it.  This kept me turning the pages.

Emmeline is a character that doesn't conform to the same rules in her village.  She doesn't take everything at face value, and wants to know what's in the woods.  I also liked the fact that she finds a few comrades in those that she lives with.  People don't always understand her, but they are willing to keep a few secrets.

There is of course romance in this book.  It plays a big part in who Emmeline can trust.  Not everyone has her best intentions at heart.  I was worried that the romance would detract from the story, but it only fueled it.  There are strange things that happen in the woods.  There are also many secrets out there.  Emmeline just wants to know what is going on, and why she has to walk around in shame for something she didn't do.

Winterkill will have you trying to figure out what is actually going on, and who you can trust.  It's a great mystery with characters that grow throughout the book.

[tracycampbell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised to find out the the author lives in Edmonton as I do, so it was great to read a local author. This book was also a 2015 ARCA Finalist. I really enjoyed the story and found Emmeline, the main character, very likeable. Boorman's second book is scheduled for release October 16 and I look forward to meeting her at a local book-signing release event.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It lacked a sense of time or space, interesting but didn't really grab me.In a society where everyone depends on everyone else for survival, there are leaders who enforce the rules with an iron fist, Emmeline is coming into adulthood, dealing with a world that confines her and that she strains against and trying to work out what is going on. The suggestion is that it's a place like the depths of Canada with people speaking both French and English and winter is a scary prospect and literacy is rare, and I find Emmeline being educated as a healer and being illiterate doesn't work all that well for me. When Emmeline starts asking questions the answers are going to change her life forever.It's not bad but I didn't really have a sense of time or place from it.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So I have not read this type of book in a while. I think that last civilization I read was “The Forest Of Hands & Teeth” where there was a civilization out in the middle of the woods, aren’t allowed to leave, etc. So I was pretty interested in what this story has to offer.Plot: This is about a group of people who leave out in the woods following a strict amount of rules. The live under religious restriction and are forced to do whatever the “brothers” tell them too. I found this story interesting because of the way they live. And of course the one girl who rebels, breaking rules, going deeper into the forrest. The plot also dives deep into the past on how this little town got started and why. I loved following the character, learning more of the why and how’s.Rules: A lot of the rules are the keep the people in fear as well as trapped there. No one comes back from the forrest so they are forced to live there. That is until the reader learns that there is indeed more outside of the forrest.Ending: The ending leaves for more to be explored. I really like the outcome and would like to read more “beyond” the forrest should there be a second book. It also ended on a happy, cheerful note, that even though so much was exposed, there is still much to be changed.I really enjoyed this book. It certainly wasn’t what I expected but it had certain parts that had me completely immersed. Winterkill is an crafty thriller with lots of twist and turns.

[delenndax7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Winterkill: Follow the Wayward Path by Kate Boorman was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I got the book free through a First Reads giveaway on GoodReads.com. Boorman is a fantastic writer! The characters, the time, & the setting seem so real. As I kept reading the book, I kept imagining something like an Amish or Puritan society. The main character is a 16 year old woman named Emmeline. She struggles with the stigma of being "stained", of having to bare the weight or her grandmother's "waywardness" for which she was executed. Her bad foot only seems like a reminder that she's stained, not good enough, not worthy. Boorman has created a whole new vocabulary for these characters that only serves to emerse you deeper into this world. I loved it, up until the very last sentence & then it was just "done." The End....wait, I went to the author's website..OMG! Winterkill is only the beginning..there will be 2 other books in this trilolgy, yippee! So have no fear, you WILL find out what happens to our characters we've grown so attached to once this story is complete.