Follower Appreciation: Bundle of Books Giveaway #1

WinterHaven Books would like to take a moment to thank our followers for continuing to visit our blog despite us taking a little break these past months to focus on family and friends. As a token of our appreciation, we'll be hosting weekly giveaways of some of the books we've been lucky to come across. Be sure to check back next week to see if there is a bundle of books you'd like to win and curl up with this winter! 

Thank you to all of our followers and bloggie friends!!

Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win and let us know what book you're interested in reading. Because of the number of books we'll be shipping, this giveaway is open to US Residents only. 

This week we are giving away the following ARC edition books:

Soundless by Richelle Mead (ARC edition)

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy MicGinis (ARC edition)

Destined for Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (ARC edition)

Mirrored by Alex Flynn (ARC edition) 

Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski (ARC edition)

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (ARC edition)

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin (ARC edition)

Zodiac by Romina Russell (ARC edition)

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Review and Giveaway: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Published: November 1, 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

My Thoughts
“Once they met, the rest of it, the love between them, was inevitable..”

“She smiles so big that I know that whatever happens will be worth it.”

Love.. love.. love.
The Sun is Also a Star is another great example that Nicola Yoon has found her place in YA fiction. This is the first book I’ve read in a while, and all avid readers know how frustrating it is not to be able to enjoy your hobby. So thank you Yoon for penning a beautiful, simple, captivating story about a boy and a girl whose lives change after a chance meeting. It’s nice to know that with the right story, I can fall into my happy place, travel with fictional characters and simply enjoy their journey.

In this novel, we meet Natasha Kingsley who sees the world through a scientific lens of observable facts. There’s no room in her life for fate, destiny, and the possibility of falling love. If it can’t be seen, measured, quantified… then it just doesn’t exist. However, when she meets a funny, poetic, Korean boy the day she and her family are to be deported back to Jamaica, she wonders how she miscalculated so much.

Daniel Bae is a hopeless romantic that loves to write poetry. However, growing up in a Korean household where his parents have already decided his future, where he’s to go to Yale and be a doctor, he’s not quite sure how to navigate around the expectations he has no desire to fulfill. Then he meets Natasha, and as they spend a New York day together, new possibilities begin to take shape for him.

I truly enjoyed this novel. I knew after the first few pages that it was going to be an experience I wouldn’t soon forget. The story is not complicated, dramatic or over the top. It’s sincere and heartfelt. There are moments and passages that made me just stop and think about life and the choices we make. I love books that make me contemplate beyond the lines.

One thing I enjoy about Yoon’s writing is her creative narrative. Not only do we get the dual POV of Natasha and Daniel, but we also get insight into secondary and tertiary characters that you don’t realize play a crucial role in the main characters’ lives. We also get some fun insight into topics that balance love and science. Somehow, Yoon makes it all fit into a story that just flows.

Lastly, the ending was spot on! Yoon was bold in her decisions and I loved that! Not everything ends perfectly and sometimes things happen for a reason.

Overall, Yoon’s managed to impress me with her consistently in writing amazing stories with characters that have staying power. So glad I’m able to add another fave YA author to my list.

5 Snowflakes

If this sounds like a story you would enjoy, enter through Rafflecopter for a chance to win an ARC edition of The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Also, I would love to hear why you think you'd enjoy this story. 

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Adult Coloring Book: Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Coloring Classic

Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Coloring Classic
Illustrated by Chellie Carrol

Published: August 30, 2016
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon  |  Penguin Random House

Dracula is one of horror's most classic stories, and now it is a hauntingly detailed coloring book. Intricate linework combines with iconic quotations and scenes to create a chilling book that will inspire creativity while taking you on a journey of terror, thrills, and romance. Featuring a richly foiled cover.

My Thoughts
With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to spotlight another Coloring Classic by the lovely people at Random House. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to sample their new line of adult coloring books because I’ve had an amazing time with this collection. Recently, I received a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This Coloring Classic was designed and illustrated by the talented Chellie Carrol.

As you journey through the pages, you can see her unique style of bringing this horror novel to life. She combined carefully selected quotes, tranquil landscapes, as well as, chilling scenes to give us the full gamut of Bram Stroker’s vivid imagination.

As daunting and eerie as this story can be, I really liked how Carrol incorporated some beautiful scenes you can easily get lost it before experiencing the gothic horror of this story. I enjoyed adding color to the beautiful landscapes and oceanside views. I breezed through these pages rather quickly and enjoyed every moment of it.

However, Dracula’s Coloring Classic wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse into his resting place. I couldn’t quite decide what colors I wanted to use for his lair, but I knew it had to be bold and dramatic.

Lastly, it was rather exciting spending some time on a couple of vampiric transformations. I’ve been a fan of the paranormal for quite some time, so bringing these pages to life with vivid, bright colors was fun and freaky all at that same time.

Overall, I know I’m not done with this coloring book. There are some additional pages that caught my interest because of their nightmarish themes that will be fun to dive into. So if you’re a fan of all things spooky and spectacular, I suggest you check out this coloring book. It’s quite the treat for Halloween!

5 Snowflakes

If you missed my previous posts or would like to see some additions I’ve added to Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet, be sure to check them out. As I continue to go through these books, I’ll be sure to keep adding to my coloring collection.

Also available in the Coloring Classic series:

Pride and Prejudice: A Coloring Classic by Jane Austen

Illustrated by Chellie Carroll

Wuthering Heights: A Coloring Classic by Emily Bronte

Illustrated by Elisabetta Stoinich

Romeo and Juliet: A Coloring Classic by William Shakespeare

Illustrated by Bethan Janine and Renia Metallinou

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8) by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8) by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

Published: July 31, 2016

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

My Thoughts
I absolutely loved this eight installment of the Harry Potter series! It made me wish I could experience this magical world from the very beginning.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is narrated as a script, and where others might find this format distracting, I did not have any issues falling into this fantastical world I’ve been missing so much.

As we reenter the world of wizards and witches, we learn that Harry Potter is struggling not only with his job at the Ministry of Magic, but also with his son Albus who feels the burden of being the son of the infamous Boy Who Lived. When Albus finds an unlikely friend in Scorpius Malfoy, they both take on an adventure to change some events of the past, but not without some devastating consequences.

From beginning to end, I felt like I reentered the world of Harry Potter that I know and love in great detail. All of the characters felt the same from Ron and Hermoine to Harry and Draco. I enjoyed meeting the next generation, and I truly hope J.K. Rowling finds a way to keep this story going for decades to come. There is so much potential to take this series in so many different directions, and I hope that happens.

Great addition to the Harry Potter series! This will always be one of my favorites. Fantastical and simply amazing.

5 Snowflakes

Adult Coloring Book: Wuthering Heights: A Coloring Classic by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights: A Coloring Classic by Emily Bronte

Adult Coloring Book illustrated by Elisabetta Stoinich
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 27, 2016

Purchase Links: Penguin Random House | Amazon

Bring to life the classic Victorian story of Wuthering Heights and the love affair of Catherine and Heathcliff in this gorgeously detailed coloring book. Intricate linework combines with iconic quotations and gothic scenes to create an evocative book that will inspire creativity and take you on a windswept journey across the Yorkshire moors.

My Thoughts:
With the recent popularity of adult coloring books, I have to say that The Coloring Classics by Random House are my favorite. I recently received a copy of Wuthering Heights, and oh my! What an amazing collection of pictures to dive into. Aside from this classic being my absolute favorite, it goes without saying that Elisabetta Stoinich did a beautiful job of bringing Emily Bronte’s story to life.

As in the novel, the illustrator did a wonderful job of using parallel elements to compare and contrast the people and scenes that ranged from whimsical and light to gothic and dark.

I really enjoyed adding color to the playful pages of young Heathcliff and Catherine. I used bright colors and defined outlines to bring out the element of how full of life these two characters were at a young age. The caption that reads, “They both promised fair to grow up as rude as savages… It was one of their chief amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there all day,” and was depicted perfectly in this scene.

There was another page I wanted to point out, which I felt captured the unrefined darkness of Thrushgrove Grange. In this page, the intricate detail of the home was balanced with the ghostly darkness of this character’s feelings. Adding sharp colors to this page, I feel did the job of portraying Catherine’s haunted moments in the story.


Of all of the pages in this book, I must admit I spent the most time with Heathcliff and Catherine’s dream scene. Theirs is a passionate tale of doomed love, and Stoinich did a brilliant job of illustrating the connection between these two characters. This page alone, I invested around three hours to truly capture the perfection of the scene and their moment together. I loved the caption that reads, “Disturbed her? No! She has disturbed me, night and day through eighteen years – incessantly – remorselessly – till yesternight; and yesternight I was tranquil. I dreamt I was sleeping the last sleep by that sleeper, with my heart stopped and my cheek frozen against hers. ~Heathcliff” At first, I felt a bit overwhelmed on how to conquer these pages, but once I started added color, the pages just came to life on their own. This is one of my favorites by far.

One last page that I added very little color to was the final scene of this book. This page has no quotes, but the minimal illustration truly captures the stormy romance of Wuthering Heights. Beautifully done!

Thank you to Random House for offering me an opportunity to sample The Coloring Classics.

5 Snowflakes