A review by inkdrinkermal
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content warning: Graphic & upsetting description of toddler death, violence and gore throughout but especially heavy towards the end, frank discussion of sexual assault, rape, and child rape, kidnapping, drug overdose, drug and alcohol abuse

The good: The characters were lovable and flawed, but grew throughout the story. The settings were memorable and well described. The plot was twisty and exciting - I looked forward to reading. The issues brought up throughout the novel felt informed by reality, and that was confirmed by the author's note at the end. 

The bad: I figured out who the bad guy was well before it was revealed, but it was still exciting to see how it unraveled. 

The ugly: Some of the especially upsetting content (like the description of the toddler death) felt unnecessary to the story. The gore in the final confrontation was very descriptive and made me a little queasy. I hope as time passes, the memories of these parts of the book fades, and I'm left with the overall story, which was very good. 
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