The Winter Place by Alexander

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 448

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Released: 22nd of October 2015

When a mysterious stranger and his brown bear show up on the same day that Axel and Tess's father dies in an accident, Axel fears he might be going crazy, especially as only he can see them. However, the strange duo are quickly forgotten when Axel and Tess are shipped off to Finland to stay with grandparents that they've never met. But when they arrive in Finland, Axel is stunned when the stranger and his bear reappear. More incredibly, the stranger tells him that his parents are lost and need help. 

Desperate to see his father again, and actually meet his mother, Axel follows the man and his bear, disappearing deep into the frozen wilds of northern Finland. When Tess realises that her brother has vanished she's distraught. And so begins the frantic search across snow and ice into the dark forest. But as the hours creep by and with no sign of Axel, Tess begins to wonder if her brother has ventured onto a path that she cannot follow. 

What I Have to Say 

This book got better and better as it went on. It's not the kind of book that I was in love with from the start, but by the end of it I was sad to finish it. It was a very urbanized fairy tale, with the enemy for the most of it being a wheelchair. Which really worked when you found out what it actually was and how the mythology worked.  

The Finland setting was really interesting as it's a country that I don't know Learning about the mythology of other places is one of my favourite things about books like this, so I was glad there was so much of it. 

The reader is kept in suspense for most of the book and I did feel it was drawn out a bit, especially towards the start. But on a whole, I enjoyed it a lot.