Winterset Hollow: A Novel

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Actually, I was, uh . . . I was just wondering . . . is this Runny?” he squeaked while pointing to a line sketch of a rather fancy-looking rabbit on the front of the laminated menu just under the diner’s name, Millie’s Place.

And yet, they’re also extraordinarily charismatic, with motives that extend beyond a mere love of killing. Some, in fact, resent it entirely. Their behaviours, masochistic in practice, are underpinned by complex, albeit jilted, moral justifications. The tale is very literary and dense at times, but even in the beginning, I clung onto each word, because they began to take on a life of their own in my mind. Though the start is "slow" as far as action is concerned, the information gleaned there is essential in setting the mood. The atmosphere starts as "uncomfortable", and gradually ramps up to "Okay, this is starting to creep me out" before the real action even begins. When a story gets under my skin like that--where I am unable to think about anything EXCEPT what could possibly come next--I know I've found an instant favorite. Before I was half way through, the characters, the motivations, actions, atmosphere--even the writing itself--had captured my undivided attention, and I knew this was a book that I would be re-reading for years to come.

Jonathan does a fantastic job of setting up the arrival to the island and really brings this book within a book alive. In fact, he has written an almost complete book within a book, which itself was a marvel. I personally could handle a separate companion release of this fairy tale, it is so well done.

I hate you both so much. And for the record, whist cards are just regular playing cards, so who’s the smart guy now, smart guy?” After finishing their meal and meeting up with a group of fellow fans who have similarly come to celebrate “Barley Day,” the focal holiday of the animal community of Addington’s novel, the group takes a boat ride to the famed author’s private island, where, upon exploring the grounds of the estate, they discover that there may have been more truth to their literary idol’s magnum opus than previously suspected. Winterset Hollow” by Jonathan Edward Durham truly sets the bar high for a brilliantly written horror novel that has so many layers of great storytelling that it took me on an incredible ride from beginning to end. To be fair, this is definitely a slow-burn kind of novel at first but once you get past the building up of this incredible story, it’s beyond worth it and so intense because it’s pretty insane that something like this could ever happen. Eamon continued, “And look, just because they’re all staring at their shoes and clearly horribly uncomfortable in their own skin doesn’t mean they’re my people.”The prose is absorbing because it’s very elegiac and flowery at times, which contrasts in an exciting way with the visceral nature of the violence in the story. For example, passages like this are common: “It was a strange and weighty affectation as if they were eating their last meal before heading off to war and they were still hiding their conscriptions from their families.” Why you should buy this: I mean, if my earlier comments didn’t grab you, I don’t know how else I can tell you how amazing this book is! This made me squirm with nervousness and fright, had me on the seat of the chair at moments and made me bawl my eyes out several times. This book is not only a book that I enjoyed reading, but it’s easily cemented itself as one of my all-time favorite books and I’ll be getting a physical copy to treasure and a physical copy to be able to share this stunning story with my son when he’s old enough. It's disturbing and entertaining, but it also the most heart-rending portrayal of friendship, revenge, and sacrifice I have read in a long time. The ending gave me / still gives me chills, and I actually cried. It is not a super fast-paced book, but I read it in one sitting because I just couldn't look away, and then I read it a 2nd time going slower. The theme of friendship in this book is just outstanding, I am getting emotional just thinking about it right now. Barley Day is, after all, a day of feasting, hunting, and extravagant celebrations. But this time, the anthropomorphised animals of Addington’s tale – Flaxwell Frog, Bing Bear, Finn Fox, and Runny Rabbit (amongst others) – are out for revenge, r evolting against their own author, and its readership.

This is the point where the book and I diverged. I should've known I should stop immediately, but I was curious. I should've let my curiosity die but I let it linger, dying slowly and painfully, dragging the rest of me along for the worst ride ever. so he learned some years ago to be content to let his life unwind at its own pace and his nature evolve as it saw fit. It was a maddening current, but it had carried him this far, and while it hadn’t brought him to the place he wished to be yet, it had taken him out into the world and for that, if nothing else, he was thankful.” The animal characters were perfect. They were so detailed with a sadness and a darkness that pulled at my heart strings and My heart genuinely aches for them. Eamon is our main character and while he tends to seem apart from the rest of the cast, I feel like he has many relatable characteristics. I, for one, adore him and kind of just want to give him a hug. But then you’ve got this complex group of characters, and each of them only adds to the tale. The animals especially delighted me to no end. Runny is a personal favorite because of his intensity and hidden layers. You be nice! It’s only a ferry ride. It’s not like you’re spending the weekend with any of them,” she said.Mark took a resigned breath and forced a pitiful smile, returning the gentleman’s greeting in the words of his people, the largely unaffected. “Sup.” Winterset Hollow was one of those timeless, inimitable books that was simple and pure and patently entertaining on the surface, but so much more underneath. It spoke about life and loss and struggle, fear and bravery and sacrifice in a way that was so approachable it was almost easy to miss, and it immediately wormed its way under Eamon's skin and stayed there like good, strong ink from the day he first opened the cover.” The novel shows how often things are not the way they appear and that you shouldn’t always take things at face value. Even though, at first, it seems as if the animals had a good life, the ugly truth is soon revealed. They found their way to the front door of the mansion where Runny the rabbit, a character from the book, let them inside to dry off...

Good morrow, fellow Hollowheads!” he barked, stepping away from the rail with a leather-bound copy of Addington’s opus under his arm. “Hast thou come to share the feast of Barley with this party of wayward souls?” Winterset Hollow tells the story of a community of animals and about every person this story has touched. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.timeless, inimitable books that was simple and pure and patently entertaining on the surface, but so much more underneath. It spoke about life and loss and struggle, fear and bravery and sacrifice in a way that was so approachable it was almost easy to miss, and it immediately wormed its way under Eamon’s skin and stayed there like good, strong ink from the day he first opened the cover.” While we are on the subject of the author’s strengths, I must make particular note of his effective and extensive use of foreshadowing: there are almost too many instances of subtle hints to later actions or reveals to count, making a second (or even third) read all the more rewarding. Some of these surprises are rather plainly telegraphed by the atmosphere or general genre expectations; others remain invisible to casual readers while revealing themselves ahead of time to the especially attentive, and one or two have the potential to catch even the keenest of audience members completely off guard, but all of these reveals make sense after the fact—the pieces of this puzzle fall perfectly into place by the end, leaving readers with yet another vista to admire and examine. From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, comes a sweeping romance about the sustained power of chance encounters.