The Winter Place by Alexander Yates

There is a middle world between life and death, and Tess must navigate it to save her brother in this heart-wrenching story infused with the fractured and fantastical realms of Finnish mysticism.

Axel and Tess are bewildered when a stranger shows up in their backyard accompanied by a giant brown bear, but before they can investigate the bizarre encounter, something more harrowing happens: their father is killed in a freak car accident.

Now orphaned, Tess and Axel are shipped off to Finland to live with grandparents who they’ve never met, and are stunned to discover that the mysterious stranger with the bear has found them again. More stunning—they come to understand that this man isn’t really a man…he’s a keeper of souls. And the bear isn’t really a bear…it’s a ghost. Their mother’s ghost. Wandering, endlessly, searching for their father.

Then the Keeper invites Axel, who is fighting his symptoms of muscular dystrophy, to join the path of the dead—and when Axel disappears into the deep snow, Tess knows she must find a way to follow. There are mysteries connected to this peculiar man, this keeper, and if she can untangle them, she might not only save Axel, but also bring her parents peace. @goodreads

MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 




This book was so amazing. I first saw the cover and new I had to have it and when I read the blurb it sounded really good. And let me tell you it was good. Now, if your looking for some big ole action book, this is not it. This is about a boy and girl that have to go through some tough things, ghosts and random other creepy weirdness that I just loved!

Tess and her little brother Axel have to go live in Finland with grandparents they never knew existed after their father dies. They had already lost their mother many years ago, the one grandfather they had that lived in Florida couldn't take them for his own reasons. So, their landlady Mrs. Ridgeland lets them say with her a couple of nights for the funeral and getting ready to travel. "People in this book are not what they seem!"

So the kids go to live with Jaana (grandmother) and Otso (grandfather) in a tiny little flat in Finland, but they only stay there for a few days before they go off for a little vacation at the grandparents cabin in another part of Finland that the grandparents called The Winter Place.



Axel seems to have visions.... or are they visions.. what is really going on? He has seen a bear in their yard looking in their window even before their dad died. Then Axel and Tess run into a man that is the bears keeper. What is strange, is that the man and bear show up at The Winter Place.....



The bear isn't a threat to anyone, but she is something else. God, I want to do spoilers!

So there is a world that is for the dead and Axel can see this world. He also has a freaking haunted wheelchair that follows him around...YES..a wheelchair. I'm not going to tell you why.



Axel has been warned not to keep walking into the land of the dead but he doesn't listen, he has his reasons. He goes to a house in the woods... he's sees all kinds of ghosts in the woods, but he is on a mission.





Some really messed up things happen that result in learning about another keeper, a death and another almost death. I just loved it, but it is for younger people so think about that when you go to read it. I read everything so I don't care :)

The characters are very well developed and I enjoyed all of them. I think this was a well put together book and the creep factor with the world of the living and the world of the dead makes a very good story line!

I would love to just go and visit.. not encounter not land of the dead though! Just take in some normal Winter scenery! :)



GOODREADS REVIEW:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1412076909

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Place-Alexander-Yates/dp/1481419811/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446580876&sr=8-1&keywords=the+winter+place