As seen on my blog: 
 I finished this book almost 3 days ago now, and I've yet to spend a night since, NOT thinking about it. Of not going over and over in my head the subtle terrors. 
 Mind of Winter 
 was a punch to the senses, with THE most agonizing build-up. I use the word agonizing in a positive light, but sometimes it really did become too much. This book started off like a screeching kettle, and no one pulled the plug, ever, not until you arrived at the end, and there was no tea to be made from it, only nightmares. 
 Holly Judge wakes up late from a drunken stupor on Christmas morning, to find that something exists in the far corners of her mind, a nagging thought; a truth that she can't quite get a grasp on. Her husband leaves the house in a blur, to pick up out-of-town guests, so she's left with her adopted teenage daughter, Tatiana, and there is much Christmas dinner prepping to do! Holly attempts to begin her day, trying desperately to enlist the help of Tatiana, who seems to have grown even more hormonal overnight. Holly brushes it off as teenage angst, Tatiana is 15 now, it is to be expected. But something is off..something is definitely off...right? Tatiana begins to behave sporadically, a freak snow storm builds steadily outside, Holly remembers now.... 
 Anxiety is an understatement. I was flat out in DISTRESS while reading 
 Mind of Winter 
 . The narrative takes place over the course of about 6-8 hours, and not one second of it is spent in quiet, whispered words, or calm, soothing thoughts. It's GO GO GO! Build tension, build tension, BAM! I'm broken. Laura Kasischke is definitely a talented writer, and has chosen the right genre for her craft. 
 Mind of Winter 
 is best left going into completely blind. You need to avoid anticipating the twists, and any small tid-bit of information that could be deemed foreshadowing. The mystery could have been solved early on, I knew that once I got to the conclusion. But that was the beauty of this book, it didn't give you a chance to stop for a second, and pick up on "clues". You couldn't HELP but read frantically, holding on the your heart for fear of it exploding. 
 Yes, 
 Mind of Winter 
 was a psychological ride like no other, but, sadly, it was a little too much for me. I like my thrillers to have a slow, sweet build; my anxiety dial turned down a bit more. But that's not to say that this narrative won't get you where you want to be hit. The back story in 
 Mind of Winter 
 was intensely fascinating, and eye-opening. There were spreads of information about foreign orphanages that MUST have been steeped in truth. 
 I'm interested in experiencing this book through audio, it may very well throw a whole new spin on it. 
 Recommended for fans of: Edgar Allen Poe, Psychological Thrillers, Mystery.