Book Review: The Uninvited

Author: Cat Winters

Publication Date: August 11, 2015

Publisher: William Morrow

From the award-winning author of In the Shadow of Blackbirdscomes a stunning new novel—a masterfully crafted story of love, loss, and second chances. Set during the fear and panic of the Great Influenza of 1918, The Uninvited is part gothic ghost-story, part psychological thriller, perfect for those who lovedThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or The Vanishing by Wendy Webb.

Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains. For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother Billy in the Great War.

Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

“The world’s about to end. I can feel it in the marrow of my bones."

“We were music. We were jazz. We were alive.”

“The head makes war, but the heart makes peace. And, thankfully, the heart ends up ruling more than not.”

“I admit, I had seen a ghost or two.”

Yet another Cat Winters book that allowed me to escape the “real world” that I live in and transport myself to an eerie, supernatural version of 1918. We are quickly introduced to Ivy Rowan, as she rises from her sickbed after recovering from the flu epidemic of 1918. She wakes to some very startling news; her father and brother have just murdered a German man and she is immediately sickened by the news. Ivy decides to quickly leave her family after the incident, realizing that her father’s uncontrollable violence cannot be contained any longer. Ivy and the other Rowan women have a strange and unique gift; the ghost of a loved one shows up before their eyes to indicate that another death is sure to happen soon. When Ivy sees the ghost of her brother Billy, lost in World War I, she fears for the simple but lovely little life that she has built for herself and she cringes to think who might be ripped from her life.

Ivy Rowan has got to be one of the most fascinating characters that I have read this year. Her character was so enamoring and I could not stop thinking about her life, her romance, her eeriness, and her supernatural ability even when I had to stop reading and put the book away. Winters can build a world so creepy, mesmerizing, and enchanting that you will feel like you are standing there in it right alongside her characters. It was her ability to make the supernatural feel so real that drew me into this story so quickly. I will continue to follow her work and will always be sure to pick up her future novels as soon as they release. This would be an absolutely fabulous book to read for Halloween! I highly recommend it, and don’t forget that this is not the only book that Winters has released; there are so many more to choose from.

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at William Morrow in exchange for my honest review***