Review of Winter

[Heidi M Simone]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Winter" by Andrew J Boyd.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Undead. Walkers. The dead. Deadheads. These terms all reference one being that most fear and are cautious about in the young adult read, Winter by Andrew J Boyd. In this devastating world, young thirteen-year-old Adam has known nothing but living with the undead. Now, he is one of them. Adam realizes that though his physical body is in a frozen state, his mind and soul are still active. This young boy reflects on his past that has led him to become an undead.

His reflections in his frozen state begin with his family’s cabin. Living in the cabin during the winter months, Adam’s days were filled with a somewhat absent mother and an abusive father. The lack of people left him talking to the frozen walkers that were scattered in the mountains. Life was rough for this preteen, however, leaving the cabin behind to enter a military compound turned Adam’s life in a different direction. His days began to be filled with several people, which was very shocking for Adam as he never had much human contact, aside from his parents, before entering this compound. Adam had both ups and downs living among these new people. These memories give Adam something to think about as he waits and longs for the afterlife to begin.

Zombie-related stories can become a bit redundant, but Andrew J Boyd has found a way to add some nuances to his book. The protagonist and storyteller, Adam, did not live a wholesome life. He lived a life with deep, sad feelings. This alone kept my attention. The fact that his mind was very much intact as he’s sharing his story, as an undead, also left me with curiosity. Though the author pushes the reader’s comfort zone by using physical abuse and even torture, it is hard to pull away. One of my favorite parts was the glimpse of how the undead entered the world. The suspense for this simple scene was perfect.

I am pleased the author included some happier moments at the compound to try to balance the despondent ones. For instance, Adam made some friends, including a special one, that helped him through some difficult moments.

Unfortunately, there are aspects of the book that could use some improvement. For instance, I found several errors throughout the book; therefore, another round of editing would be beneficial. Another aspect that needs improvement would be to clarify some of the plot. It was challenging, at times, to tell which parts were the present and which ones were a reflection of the past. It is not a spoiler to know that Adam is an undead, but I was very much confused, until the end, whether he was an undead. I believe this is because some of his present feelings were woven into the parts when he was reflecting on his past. This confusion led to distraction while reading several times, leading me to ponder the same question and rereading certain sections.

The other aspect that could use improvement is the sense of reality while living in this fictional world. Some of the happenings in Adam’s world made sense while others pushed the level of reality. For instance, there was a graphic and disturbing torture scene. These are not my favorite scenes, but that’s neither here nor there. The amount of violence laid upon one character during this torture scene seemed unrealistic that the character would survive, even though he did. I also found some of Adam’s dream sequences and even some of his choices puzzling.

Strong themes of violence, abuse, neglect, torture, suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, and the idea of there being a “Heaven” and “Hell” are woven into the text. Due to this being a world where death is prevalent, these themes made sense to include. There are also themes of companionship, friendship, and doing what’s right. The heavier themes weighed more than the happier ones.

Aside from the violence and profanity throughout the text, I would caution parents of a scene where two preteens “become one”, implying sexual intercourse. The description isn’t in full detail, but as an adult, it is easy to pick up what happened in this scene.

As stated earlier, the author does a great job of creating a story that holds no dull moments. In addition, the author was not afraid to explore sensitive subjects and create a story that wasn’t necessarily cheerful. However, the book does contain errors, confusion, and pushes reality while creating some doubt. With much consideration, I rate Winter by Andrew J Boyd 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommending this read is a bit challenging since the protagonist is young, but the themes are strong. A young adult, no younger than eighteen, could read this book. Readers would need to feel comfortable with the book’s sensitive themes. Those individuals who have had suicidal thoughts and/or have depression would need to be prepared of the content before reading the book. Overall, there is much potential in this read and for future installments.

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Winter
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[Clauson Justin]

When I saw the title of the book, I was intrigued. This is a plus for the author. The vampire storyline and Adam's story make the book a fascinating read. I cannot wait to read it.