I obtained a evaluate copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluate and all opinions are my very own.

The Winter People by Jen Julian

Mogsy’s Ranking: 3.5 of 5 stars

Style: Horror, Fantasy

Collection: Stand Alone

Writer: Run For It (July 21, 2026)

Size: 384 pages

Writer Data: Web site | Twitter

I used to be drawn to The Winter People by Jen Julian as a result of, actually, who can resist Appalachian gothic horror? Properly, the guide nailed the eerie and folkloric ambiance all proper, conjuring a splendidly haunted sense of place. But it surely additionally set me up for one thing far more horror-forward than what the story in the end turned out to be. As an alternative, this felt extra like a darkish faerie-type fantasy, which I didn’t essentially dislike, but it surely actually wasn’t what I had anticipated.

The story follows Vera, whose tough childhood was formed by the legends surrounding the mysterious Winter People of rural Appalachia. In accordance with the lore, they reside at Deerhaven, a hidden lodge the place unusual, otherworldly visitors collect every winter. Determined to go away the wreckage of her life behind, a younger Vera units out to seek out Deerhaven for herself and encounters its enigmatic antlered host, Mr. Oslin. He affords her a place as a housekeeper, serving the lodge’s uncommon residents below a strict algorithm. Regardless of the dangers, Vera accepts the contract in change for a single want, utilizing it to flee her poisonous mom by securing a house of her personal. Within the course of, she is given a brand new title by the Winter People and, in the course of her service, turns into often known as Moth.

A few years later, Vera returns to her hometown, now an grownup with a husband and a teenage daughter, on the pretense of being on a household trip. In fact, having labored many seasons at Deerhaven in her youth, she finds it inconceivable to shake the maintain that Deerhaven nonetheless has on her, unable to withstand its name. Whereas she secretly searches for a method again to the place that when consumed her life, reminiscences of her time there resurface, revealing friendships and rivalries amongst life-changing occasions that in the end led to her being forged out perpetually.

With out query, the novel’s deep, pensive temper was its biggest energy. The creator creates a world that feels genuinely outdated and rooted in uncanny historical past and native mythology. Deerhaven itself, when it’s first launched, seems like a sort of place that instantly awakens the creativeness. It’s closely paying homage to a faerie realm, the place its denizens are whimsically unusual and sometimes harmful. Persevering with the similarities, the foundations governing the lodge are additionally many and delectably ominous, however I liked discovering all of the quirky creatures and weird customs that make this hidden world really feel so distinctive.

That mentioned, as soon as the story settled into its rhythm, I spotted this wasn’t actually a horror novel within the conventional sense, even when the ambiance within the early chapters made it appear that method. However, apart from a handful of unsettling moments, a lot of the guide truly reads extra like a mix of magical or supernatural fiction, with nearly all of it unfolding via the primary character’s reminiscences of working at Deerhaven as Moth. These sections have been actually fascinating, however they weren’t what I anticipated after the extra unsettling intro, and I discovered myself consistently hoping for the horror parts to grow to be extra distinguished once more. It additionally didn’t assist that my curiosity ranges fluctuated as we went backwards and forwards between the flashback storyline and the present-day one, which slowed the pacing.

However ultimately, whereas it won’t have been the sort of guide I anticipated, I nonetheless loved The Winter People for what it was. I feel followers of gothic fantasy or tales steeped in Appalachian folklore will recognize this, and heck, possibly even readers of fairy tale-inspired tales will discover sufficient right here to interact them. Backside line, put together your self for an eerie, folklore-rich darkish fantasy as an alternative of a straight-up horror novel, and also you’ll be setting your self up for a significantly better expertise.