Starred Review from Booklist

I'm thrilled to pieces to announce that Booklist gave Odd & True an absolutely beautiful starred review!

Here's an excerpt from the review:

★ “In chapters alternating between the sisters’ perspectives, Tru recounts their magic- and monster-filled journey eastward, while Od reveals the grim reality behind her fantastic stories about their family and her disappearance. As the sisters tell their respective tales and, sometimes painfully, sift fact from fiction, Winters gradually pulls back layers of the truth, revealing a story deeper and darker than any garden-variety monster-killing quest could be . . . Thought-provoking, atmospheric, and utterly bewitching.”

—Booklist

Thank you, Booklist!

Just a little over a month left until Odd & True hits shelves around the world. Look for giveaways, a blog tour, and other treats in the coming weeks!

 

Odd & True arrives

Sept. 12, 2017, from Abrams.

PRE-ORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble

Powell's • IndieBound
 BAM • Amazon UK

 Book Depository • Indigo

Starred Review from Kirkus!

I just learned that Kirkus gave The Steep and Thorny Way a prestigious starred review! Here's what they had to say about the novel:

★  “A fast-paced read with multiple twists, the novel delivers a history lesson wrapped inside a murder mystery and ghost story. Winters deftly captures the many injustices faced by marginalized people in the years following World War I as well as a glimmer of hope for the better America to come. A riveting story of survival, determination, love, and friendship.”

—Kirkus, starred review

Kirkus stars are “awarded to books of exceptional merit,” according to their website, Kirkus.com. Kirkus is also known for being extremely tough on books, so I'm thrilled beyond words that they bestowed this honor upon The Steep and Thorny Way. This review gives me great hope for the novel, which Amulet Books will release March 8, 2016 (three months from today!).

PREORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Powell's • IndieBound •
 BAM •  Amazon UK • Book Depository • Indigo

THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY Is Now Up on NetGalley

Reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and anyone else who typically receives advance copies of books: My March 2016 YA novel, The Steep and Thorny Way, is now available to request on NetGalley. Request it here.

Here's what you'll find in the novel . . .

A reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet

A 1920s setting that includes moonshine, outlaws, and the KKK's takeover of Oregon

A biracial teenage protagonist

A murder

An unexpected friendship

A boy who's dealing with the challenges of being gay in 1923 America

Prejudice

The occult

Love

Hate

A dark and lovely forest

A ghost

Last night I read through the novel for the final time before the book heads off to print, and I actually cried. I love this book so much, but it's time for me to let it go and send these characters off into the world.

Amulet Books will release The Steep and Thorny Way March 8, 2016.

Advance Praise

“Cat Winters proves herself the master of YA historical fiction in this richly woven, theatrical tale of haints, friendship, and a time period we don't dare forget.”

—Megan Shepherd, author of The Madman's Daughter series

“Haunting, visceral, and atmospheric, Cat Winters's The Steep and Thorny Way is a fantastic read from one of the best in the genre.”

—Renée Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn

“A tale of secrets, murder, intolerance, friendship, and restless spirits, seen through the eyes of the vibrant, truth-seeking, pistol-slinging Hanalee. Marvelous.”
—April Genevieve Tucholke, author of Wink, Poppy, Midnight

“ . . . these two unlikely protagonists forge a lifesaving bond of discovery and friendship that uncovers the ignorance and hatred of this troubling time in America’s history. . . . The historical accuracy provides a powerful sense of realism.”

—ALAN Picks

PREORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Powell's • IndieBound •
 BAM •  Amazon UK • Book Depository • Indigo

USA TODAY's Review of THE UNINVITED

I woke up this morning to discover a rave review of The Uninvited on USA Today's Happy Ever After—an amazing way to start a Monday. Here's an excerpt of the review:

“Read this book. I refuse to give any spoilers or hints to spoilers. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with Cat Winters' The Uninvited . . . exquisite and magical . . . This story is a gem with so many facets that uphold the tenets of the Gothic genre, the sensibilities of a romance, and the illuminative window to the past of a historical piece.”

You can read the full review at USA Today.

ORDER ONLINE: 

~ Signed Copies from Powell's ~

HarperCollins • Amazon • Barnes & Noble •  
Powell's • IndieBound • Amazon UK •  
Book Depository • BAM • Indigo

Also available in ebook, audiobook, and library-bound editions.

Highlighted VOYA Review of IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS

I'm thrilled beyond words to announce that VOYA Magazine has given In the Shadow of Blackbirds its fourth starred review! VOYA, which stands for Voices of Youth Advocates, is the leading library journal for YA librarians, and it has its own unique rating system. Unlike other trade review publications, they technically give highlighted reviews instead of starred reviews, and they rank a book's popularity on a scale of 1P to 5P, with 5P meaning "Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday." I actually just learned all of this info after I received the In the Shadow of Blackbirds review, and I'm extremely honored that the magazine gave the book a highlighted review and such high rankings.

Here's an excerpt:

“All of the historical elements—fascination with séances, women working long days in factories, young men severely disfigured by the war—are rolled naturally into Mary Shelley's quest to discover Stephen's fate. Romance fans will love Stephen's ghostly visits to Mary Shelley... Mystery lovers will enjoy the satisfactory resolution of the puzzle. Of particular interest is Winters's treatment of the condition of 'shell shock,' which becomes relevant each time there is a war. Recommend this title to fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners.”

—VOYA Magazine, Diane Colson 4Q 5P J S

For more trade reviews, please visit my Reviews page.

Blogger Love for IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS (Thank You, Bloggers!)

My lovely UK publicist put together this amazing compilation of In the Shadow of Blackbirds blogger reviews. Blogger love for this book has been incredible, and I'm extremely grateful for everyone who's been helping me spread the word about the novel.

BLOGGERS ♥ IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS!!

See below a list of quotes and links to full reviews that have hit the blogosphere so far . . . with many more still to come.

‘I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to see the future that lies ahead of Cat Winters and her debut: awards, critical acclaim, translations to more languages than I can name (and I can name a lot of languages). If you squint at the cover, you can already see the shiny William C. Morris medal in the top left corner, possibly even a Printz.’ Full review from The Nocturnal Library here

‘It is creepy and sad and amazing and so perfect.’ Preview post from: Carina and full review here

‘Cat Winters is a very promising debut author and one I have added not only to my favourite list but my auto buy list.’ Full review from Read, Write and Read Some More here

‘In the Shadow of Blackbirds is more of an experience than it is a book. It’s haunting, emotional and wonderfully written, but it’s also educational and thought-provoking. Some striking photographs from this historical period feature throughout, adding an extra special touch to this remarkable debut novel.’ Full review from A Realm of Fiction here

‘I was completely  lost in this story and read the whole book in two days. It is definitely one I want to hand out to people and insist they read. I absolutely loved this book and I was quite taken with how wonderful it truly is. Definitely a  dark horse that needs to be explored further.’ Full review from Serendipity Reviews here

‘I will definitely be checking out more by the author and will recommend this book, with its haunting images and brilliant storyline to every reader.’ Full review from Read-a-raptor here

‘It scared me to the point that at times I wanted to put it down & come back to it later...however much I wanted to I couldn’t, it has me wanting to read on even when it spooked me.’ Full review from The YA Bookshelf here

‘A gripping, emotional, and heartbreaking read. I can say without a doubt that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of my favourite standalone books of the year so far.’ Full review from The Page Turner here

‘Mary Shelley Black is a great narrator.’ Full review from Book Angel Booktopia here

‘This novel is one that will stay with you for days and one that I can imagine myself re-reading again at a later date. It is a novel with a strong heroine that many feminists would be proud to read about. But truly it is simply Cat Winters and her amazing talent that should draw people to this book. I just really don’t think you should be missing out on this hauntingly brilliant book.’ Full review from The Daydreamers Thoughts here

‘In the Shadow of Blackbirds completely surpassed all of my expectations – Cat Winters’ debut is absolutely magnificent.’ Full review from The Aussie Zombie here

‘IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is haunting, thrilling and very emotional.’ Full review from Kate Ormand’s blog here

‘The world building was haunting along with those photographs attached to the book which enriches the spookiness of the story.’ Full review from Pages from my Thoughts here

‘This book will definitely win the hearts of fans of YA historical novels like The Diviners or The Masque of the Red Death.’ Full review from Daydreaming Bookworm here

In the Shadow of Blackbirds, Cat Winters * 978-1419705304* Amulet

An added bit of news for readers of this post: an In the Shadow of Blackbirds audiobook will be available from Recorded Books later this year! 

Second Starred Review

I was thrilled and stunned when Publishers Weekly honored In the Shadow of Blackbirds with a starred review, so I was doubly amazed when a second such review showed up, this time from Booklist:

★ “A scattering of period photos, including eerie examples of spirit photography, further the sense of time and place, but the main event here is Winters’s unconventional and unflinching look at one of the darkest patches of American history. More than anything, this is a story of the breaking point between sanity and madness, delivered in a straightforward and welcoming teen voice.”

—Booklist, starred review

The Atlantic Wire also featured In the Shadow of Blackbirds in their recent article "The Spring Book Preview, Y.A. Edition." Here's what they had to say about the novel:

"One of the creepiest (in a good way) covers of the season! What's inside, historical Y.A. set at the time of the Spanish influenza, is equally haunting."

Thanks so much to all the reviewers who are helping to give In the Shadow of Blackbirds a fighting chance in the world!

Publishers Weekly's Starred Review of "Deliciously Creepy" IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS!

I've already been sharing the news at Twitter, Facebook, and BlackbirdsNovel.com, so please forgive me if you already heard my announcement earlier today: Publishers Weekly gave In the Shadow of Blackbirds a starred review!

If you're wondering what a starred review even means—and why authors make such a big deal out of them when only one star appears next to the review—here's a quick answer from a newbie author still working on understanding the full meaning herself:

Major review publications like Kirkus and Publishers Weekly place a single star next to the reviews of the books they particularly liked. Whether a starred review for In the Shadow of Blackbirds will help its sales after its April 2 release date remains to be seen, but I'm thrilled to pieces that the book received such an honor!

Here's a quote from the review:

"Winters’s masterful debut novel is an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery...
Deliciously creepy."

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

For the full review, please visit publishersweekly.com.

In other news, the In the Shadow of Blackbirds trailer reveal tour and giveaway is still going strong. Click here for the latest stops. The actual book trailer reveal will take place this Thursday (Valentine's Day) at The Mod Podge Bookshelf.

KIRKUS Review

I'm thrilled to announce that the first major In the Shadow of Blackbirds review came in...and it's a good one!

"Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity. Vintage photographs contribute to the authenticity of the atmospheric and nicely paced storytelling."

—Kirkus Reviews

The full review is located at kirkusreviews.com, although it's currently available through subscription only. I believe it will be available to everyone after the publication of the March 1 printed issue.

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Advance Reading Copy Requests

In the Shadow of Blackbirds advance reading copies (ARCs) are currently in production, which means my historical ghost tale will be heading out to early readers soon (approximately mid November). If you are a book blogger, reviewer, librarian, bookseller, or anyone else who typically receives ARCs, please fill out my ARC request form. I will forward all requests to my marketing contact at Amulet Books/ABRAMS. The novel will also eventually be available via Netgalley.

If you don't fall into any of the above categories (or even if you do), I'll be providing opportunities to win ARCs, as well as swag, at two of my stops during my Halloween week blog tour.  Check out last week's blog tour post for details.

Advance praise for In the Shadow of Blackbirds:

“Cat Winters deftly captures the darkness and the light of human nature with In the Shadow of Blackbirds. I swear, I can smell the smoke from the flashlamps and taste the electricity in the air—and Mary Shelley Black's dark and startling story lingers long after the final page.”

    —Saundra Mitchell

      Edgar-Nominated Author of Shadowed Summer
and The Vespertine Series

Advance Praise for IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS

My agent sent me on a hunt for author cover blurbs this week, and two generous authors responded immediately, saying they were interested. I'm finding the young adult writing community to be extremely kind and supportive, and I'm so thankful for everyone's help.

Saundra Mitchell, who was nominated for an Edgar Award for her YA ghost story, Shadowed Summer, already sent me the following advance praise for In the Shadow of Blackbirds:
__________________________________________________________________

"Cat Winters deftly captures the darkness and the light of human nature with In the Shadow of Blackbirds. I swear, I can smell the smoke from the flash lamps and taste the electricity in the air—and the heroine, Mary Shelley Black's, dark and startling story lingers long after the final page."

     —Saundra Mitchell

__________________________________________________________________

Thank you, thank you, Saundra!!! I'm a fan of Shadowed Summer, so hearing such words from a talent I admire means a great deal. Saundra's next novel is The Vespertine, an otherworldly YA historical that debuts in March.