Salome has feared winter ever since she nearly drowned in the pond behind her grandparents' house. She's haunted by the voices she heard in the woods that day and the strange monster who pulled her from the pond. Years of therapy and medication hasn't helped, and every time it snows Salome feels as if winter has finally come to kill her.

When she's left to take care of her grandparents' property, Salome learns that there are many secrets hidden in the woods behind her grandparents' house, like the beautiful, mysterious Nevin who makes her feel like there's finally someone who believes her. Nevin makes her feel like she's special, but then so does Colton, the boy she's had a crush on forever. And then there's Gareth who mysteriously shows up to rescue her whenever she's in danger.

But the danger that haunts her is real and it will kill if she doesn't find a way to stop it.

THE WINTER PEOPLE by Rebekah L. Purdy introduces a misfit teen girl to the magical world of the fey and the magical world of first love. Salome's fear of winter and her lack of connections outside her immediate family have made her feel isolated and alone in the world. While I like the concept of THE WINTER PEOPLE, magic, curses, romance, and a winter out to kill a person, I didn't fall in love with the story. The story stayed a little too closely to the fairy tale mold for me...an ordinary girl with unknown special abilities, a new and exciting magical world, handsome and mysterious men who vie for her favor...I wanted there to be a break in the story, some unexpected twist that veered sharply away from the traditional.

I didn't connect with Salome's character and because of that I didn't feel the story deeply. I like that she does try to conquer her fear. She refuses to risk her grandparents' health because of her own fear of winter. She puts her grandparents' needs first. That is a true burst of courage from her which I appreciate.

The plot is driven by romance, which I'll admit is not my favorite sub-genre for young adult. I find the search for happily ever after at this age to be a little disconcerting and I think that is why THE WINTER PEOPLE might not have been the book for me.

THE WINTER PEOPLE is a young adult romance that has a young girl searching for who she is and where she belongs. For fans of romance with cursed princes, lots of heartache, and a little magic, THE WINTER PEOPLE could be the perfect book for you.