Review: The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Summary from Goodreads:

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.

Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she's not the only person looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself. 

My Review:

What I Liked:

Plot. I went into this novel blind, mainly because of the awesome cover. I've had the novel on my TBR for years now and just decided it was time to read it. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction but I enjoy it when it is mixed with supernatural elements. McMahon managed to fix together historical elements with paranormal and craft an intriguing/frightening story. 

Characters. There are multiple POVS, something I could have done without, but McMahon made them all unique. Each of the characters had their own voices in the story and I liked reading from all of the POVS. However, I would have liked to see more of Ruthie's or Sara's POV, they were my favorites. 

Suspense/Horror. I was not expecting the novel to be so frightening. The beginning/middle did a great job of building up suspense. Well, the ending or reveal of the twists brought horrific moments with it. McMahon did a great job crafting a chilling story that I did not see coming. 

What I Disliked:

Format. The novel goes between the 1900s and present time.  I found the switch between the two of them hard to follow. I think it would have been better to tell each time period's story in order. 

Pacing. The novel's pacing was a bit slow. I enjoyed the story but sometimes the pacing kept me from continuing to read. 

Ending. The conclusion in my opinion fell flat. I wanted a bit more from it even though the author did wrap up all of the story lines. 

I recommend checking out this strange paranormal historical fiction novel, it was an interesting and thrilling read. 

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars