Cat Winters Appreciation Post

You know, recently, I realized that I don’t talk about my favorite authors on here enough – or the books that actually make it on to my favorites shelf from the post. Yes, a book or author might make an appearance in a tag every once and while, but usually with the tags, it’s looking for a very specific book category or it just ends up with me fangirling about one of the four books: TLC, SOC, Geekerella, or Daughter of the Pirate King. But honestly, I have read more books than that, and all the books that I read before creating this blog seem to get forgotten.

That’s why I’m bringing you this post today. Cat Winters has been a favorite author of mine for a while, but I almost never talk about her because I haven’t read a recent book of hers and her books never seem to fall into the tags. Yet she is a supremely talented author that I think everyone should know about.

Here’s a few reasons why you NEED to check out her books:

The Pretty Writing

That’s right, Winters, has a haunting, creepy prose that enthralled me in the two books that I have read of hers. It’s not overly flowery, but it has enough to keep you going, goodness, she sure can create a mood. Here are a few quotes to prove my point:

“And all the while Stephen started at me as if I were something magical. Not the ugly way other people sometimes stare at me, like he was meeting someone in a foreign country who spoke his language when no one else could. That’s how it’s been between us ever since. We understand each other, even when we astound each other.”  (In the Shadow of Blackbirds)

“. . . his mouth tasted of the divine sweetness of icing on a cake when the sugar isn’t overdone. The taste of love before any pain gets in the way.” (In the Shadow of Blackbirds)

“But this is not the fantastical land of liberty that people portray in stories. The melting pot does nothing but scald and blister right now.” (The Uninvited)

The Setting

All of Cat Winters’ books are Historical Fiction with a slight tinge of the paranormal…or are there is one? Ghosty Goodness/Paranoramlness in YA format, basically. It always has you guessing whether or not there are ghosts, creatures, or if everything is just plain ole normalcy. However, she comes up with literally the coolest settings. In The Uninvited and In the Shadow of Blackbirds, it is in the early 1900s America where the Spanish Influenza is going strong. There are people dying everywhere, frightened to leave their houses, and with the World War I going on, even more craziness. The Uninvited also had include some really good Jazz Age mentions as well. She created this spooky, haunting vibe with fantastic historical facts and infusion. I felt like I was back in time, and it’s literally one of the best settings I’ve ever read. There was no ghosts that were jumping out every two pages, but I still had this creeped out feeling because of her way with words and the setting she created. Literally this is my favorite time period for books because of her and Simone St. James.

In her other books that I have not read yet, there are even cooler settings as well:

The Cure for Dreaming focuses on a suffragist (woman independent fighter) in 1900 Oregon who ends up getting into trouble with a hypnotist; The Steep & Thorny Way focuses on 1923 Oregon dealing with racial tensions and a biracial MC looking to solve a murder; Yesternight is in 1925 Oregon where a woman psychologist fights for her space in a male-dominated world while also exploring a mystery brought to her by a seven-year-old math genius; and Odd & True deals with a sister monster hunting duo in 1900 after a beast ravaging the Mid-Atlantic states. Um, is it just me or do not all of these sound AMAZING? Odd & True is the only one not out yet, and I’m seriously counting down the days until that one is out in August. PLEASE GET HERE SOONER.

Fierce Heroines

As you can see from most of the descriptions, there are some fierce ladies in these books. Mary Shelley is a fantastic inventor in In the Shadows, and Ivy was a great leader and fights for her own freedom in The Uninvited. Both of them branch out on their own and make their own paths in a time where women are still fighting for equality. This is their story, and trust me, there is no man saving the day for them. And I’m assuming with these other summaries? All super fierce heroines as well.

Big Plot Twists

In the two books I read (plus her short story in an anthology), there were some major plot twists. I literally did not see the two big twists that came about in either of the stories. I literally just kept blinking at The Uninvited, going, REALLY? How did I miss that? I was also shocked by the ending of In the Shadow, and truthfully, I only gave the four stars because I totally thought I had called it but was so wrong. XD (And one other reason but still). Winters has a way of surprising you in the craziest yet believable ways, and I love that she can do it still because how many books in YA still do that now?

So, have I convinced you to check out one of her books yet? I definitely got myself in the mood again to check out her work, because she is the queen of YA paranormal Historical Fiction. I haven’t found anyone like her that can do what she does.

Check out her books here:

In The Shadow of Blackbirds (4 stars from me only because of the ending)

The Uninvited (5 stars)*

Tiana’s here because she heard 5 star rating. 

The Cure for Dreaming

The Steep & Thorny Way

Yesternight*

Odd & True

asterisk = adult novels, the rest are YA

Are you interested? What book seems the most intriguing to you? Would you like to see more of these posts? Let’s discuss in the comments below!