Thursday, August 6, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: The Uninvited by Cat Winters

This is a book review for The Uninvited by Cat Winters. I received this ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date is August 11, 2015.

Set during the fear and panic of the Great Influenza of 1918, twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.  But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains.  For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On an October evening in 1918 she she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother in the Great War. Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

Let me say this: this was my first Cat Winters novel, but it will not be my last. The atmosphere in this story was amazing. I was able to picture everything so clearly: the horse drawn carriages on the road, the sick and the dying stuck in their homes, even the ghosts that Ivy sees sometimes. Cat Winters knows how to write historical fiction. I absolutely love historical fiction, but I have read very few books in this era. World War I is being fought overseas and everyone is running scared. Because of the draft, many men are going to war whether they want to or not. But what was even scarier was all the prejudice and bigotry happening towards Germans in the States. I am not sure how much of that bigotry is true or not, but it wouldn't surprise me. German music is forbidden, you are shunned if you do business with a German and Americans are legally able to kill Germans with no provocation. There was so much paranoia and suspicion. In addition to all of that, there is a new epidemic going around of the flu that is killing people. 

Ivy is very sheltered and isolated before she decides to leave her home. She is such an awesome character. This is a woman who had never been on her own, yet she didn't hesitate to attempt to make amends with the brother of the man her family killed. And she didn't hesitate to drive a Red Cross van across town to pick up the sick and dying and take them for treatment. This book started out as kind of a paranormal book because she sees ghosts, but then that took a backseat to the romance. She starts a romance with someone whom you would never expect, but the chemistry is undeniable. It's actually very, very hot. The romance starts very quickly, but I get it. It's not love so much as it is about two people trying to gather comfort from each other and living their lives knowing it could all end. There was so much passion. There was a huge twist at the end. Now I am not sure if others saw this coming or not. I know I didn't. But when the twist was revealed, I got goose bumps. Looking back at it, I noticed signs. But hindsight is 20/20, I guess. This was a wonderfully haunting book.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!! It is such a chilling book. 

15 comments :

  1. I hadn't seen this one before but I have been very into historical fiction as of late. This sounds interesting - ghosts, romance and a twist! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Grace! I love a good historical fiction. This one was pretty awesome. I hope you check it out. :)

      Delete
  2. You know, for someone like me who's SUCH a huge horror fan, I don't read nearly enough horror books. It's so weird! I'm going to add this to my wish list asap. It's been way too long since I've been truly creeped up by a book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Allie, oh then you need to read this one if you like to be creeped out! :)

      Delete
  3. really? That good??? I have been dancing around this one, undecided. Ghost stories can be hit or miss with me and I had some reservations - but NO more, obviously :) Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Ramona! I hope you read it and I hope you love it. :)

      Delete
  4. I haven't read many ghost stories, but I like the idea of them - I might have to check this one out.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicole, I don't normally read ghost stories either, but this one was awesome.

      Delete
  5. Fantastic review you have me itching to read this. I love the period and the paranormal elements sounds creeptastic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimba. I do hope you read it and I hope you love it. The author did an awesome job with the paranormal aspects and the atmosphere of the time period.

      Delete
  6. YES! I should have known you'd love this ;) Seriously, SO GOOD. I did a little digging too, and apparently the German stuff was incredibly accurate. Like, it was awful! Something you don't exactly hear about in history class, huh? I think that is my favorite thing about Cat's books- they're SO accurate, scarily so, while still telling amazing fiction. I am so, so glad you loved this one too! Great review!
    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon, yes I LOVED that I was learning something new I had ever known before. After reading the book, I had the urge to read about this time period and what was going on. I think that is the sign of a great historical fiction. And I remember reading in your blog post that her other books are great too. I need to read more of her stuff for sure.

      Delete
  7. Everyone is going crazy for this novel. I might as well add it to my list, because it sounds fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have this on my watch list. The cover is as haunting as the description. I'm sure it'll be a good story:)

    ReplyDelete