The Winter Sea
By: Susanna Kearsley
Published: 2008
# of pages: 527

Official description:  It is 2008 and Carrie McClelland can't hit the right note for her next novel, but an unplanned detour in Scotland, and a stop at the castle that inspired Count Dracula, sets her on a different path; a path that took her back in time exactly 300 years, to that same castle, and to a rebellion doomed to failure. Alternating between the contemporary setting and the past, The Winter Sea takes us at every turn into little known worlds; historical footnotes writ large, a history of Scotland and the Jacobite rebellion of 1708 and the possibility of genetic memory. Historical fiction at its best and Susanna Kearsley at hers, The Winter Sea evokes the writing of Thomas Raddall, Daphne Du Maurier, and Mary Stewart.

My opinion:  Wow! I didn't think I'd like this book much when I started it, but I ended up loving it. It's 2 books in one, and I love the way the author wove them together. I especially enjoyed the character of Sophia and the historical story line.  The time period of the historical story was neat.  I haven't read many books set in historic Scotland and although I've heard things about the Stewarts and the Union, I didn't know much, so this book was very educational for me.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Well written, enjoyable characters, "what happens next?", I want to go to Scotland and see Slains Castle!

Other reviews:
Bookfoolery and Babble

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