Release Date: 4th October 2018
Pages: 256
Publisher: Chicken House Books
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: I won an ARC of this book at YALC.

Synopsis

Mila and her sisters live with their brother Oskar in a small forest cabin in the snow. One night, a fur-clad stranger arrives seeking shelter for himself and his men. But by the next morning, they’ve gone – taking Oskar with them. Fearful for his safety, Mila and her sisters set out to bring Oskar back – even it means going north, crossing frozen wild-lands to find a way past an eternal winter.

Review

This is the eagerly anticipated new book from Kiran Milwood Hargrave, author of the stunning The Girl of Ink and Stars. I started reading this as soon as I received a copy and I read it in a single train journey, it’s a magical absorbing tale and one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.

The story follows a family who live in an everlasting winter. The scene is set beautifully and the icy landscape is lushly described in the book. I could almost feel the icy winds and see the frozen forest that Mila and her family live. The story definitely felt reminiscent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and if anything that made me love this book even more.

Much like her previous books, this world is full of magic and Mila and her sister Sanna go on an adventure in search of their brother Oskar. They are inherently different but they do what they must in order to protect their family. The plot is imaginative and exciting and I honestly loved every second of it.

At its heart The Way Past Winter is about family and in particular the relationship between sisters – one brave and determined to find her brother and the other desperate to protect the only family she has left. This really is an imaginative tale that is at times both heart warming and at times bittersweet. This book is definitely the perfect book to cuddle up with on a cold winter night. This magical tale is absolutely worth the wait and fans of The Girl of Ink and Stars are going to adore this spectacular book.