Book Review: Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

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Dead of Winter
The Arcana Chronicles #3
Author: Kresley Cole
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Released: January 6th 2015
Review Source: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.

Heartbreaking decisions
Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, The Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.

Uncertain victory
Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a frozen and perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on The Lovers and the vast army they command. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them once and for all may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.

Two heroes returned

There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first?

In Poison Princess and Endless Knight we’ve been exposed to a lot of things. Jackson (swoons), the apocalypse, drastic changes of life after the end, Evie’s Arcana powers and Death. But that was only the beginning.

Dead of Winter doesn’t waste a single minute before it’s diving into the deep end. Then again, why would it wait? Jackson was captured and was in the hands of potentially the two most sadistic people left in the world. If Evie doesn’t get to him in time, who knows what could happen...

Jack may survive and all may be well, but it seems too perfect for things to stay like that. Matthew knows the future, and through the incoherent jumbles he usually speaks, the news he has to offer isn’t the best. Together Jack, Evie and Aric have to ride together to complete a mission together, or it might be Evie who finds herself the next Arcana to fall.

Dead of Winter was....interesting. Whilst I impatiently waited for this book I’d gone and conjured all types of things in my head yet when I started reading Dead of Winter I couldn’t have been more off the mark. There were a lot of things I didn’t expect, however they were all welcome surprises. I could get enough of the twists and turns Dead of Winter had to offer.

Personally, one of my favourite things was Jackson (surprise, surprise). I felt like his character started blossoming here, we saw his potential. Him being such a closed book so far it was heart warming and exciting to watch Jack show this whole new side, not just with his easy love confessions for Evie, but himself as a person. In Dead of Winter we get to see Jackson as a true leader, as a person who truly cares for others. Same goes for Selena. I wasn’t sure on her character, purely because of how she was with Evie, but I’ve grown to love her in this novel.

As for the love triangle we got a glimpse of in the previous book, we saw become slightly more dominant, however, though I knew who I wanted Evie to be with *cough* Jackson *cough*, I had not a single clue now things were going to plan out. It's clear that all three characters have issues and some self discovery to be had. Jackson with his...well, everything, and Evie evolving into her powers more. As for Aric, he's still quite unknown. We know how he feels for Evie, but as an individual, his book is locked shut. I'm loving how everything isn't as I'd guess.

I laughed, I cried and the end almost made me have a break down. But I can easily say that this book is battling for the best book of the year.