The Winter Folk

• Author: Jen Julian
• Genre: Horror
• Publication Date: July 21, 2026
• Publisher: Run For It

Thank you to Orbit and Run For It for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A woman returns to the mysterious lodge in the woods where she once worked…and to the inscrutable creature that bound her there, in this haunting Appalachian gothic horror from singular voice Jen Julian.

Every year, the Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge in the Appalachians, a place known only as Deerhaven. As a child, Moth heard warnings: They are heartless, wild creatures—and they got no concern of us. At twenty-one, Moth is summoned, and being desperate for a different life, she agrees to a meeting.

She falls instantly for Deerhaven’s beautiful, antlered boss, the mild-mannered Mr. Oslin. When he offers her a contract—one wish granted for a winter of services—she signs without question.

But the lodge is dangerous. Staff must follow strict rules or face dire consequences. The guests are unpredictable and savage. And yet, Moth endures, enticed by a rumor that Mr. Oslin is looking for a protège.

Decades later, after being exiled from Deerhaven for reasons she can’t recall, Moth returns to Appalachia with her husband and teenage daughter.

In the dark of those woods, she hunts for a way back to Deerhaven. She can’t shake the feeling that she must return. That something is calling her back.

Jen Julian is a new-to-me author, but I couldn’t resist this darkly fascinating gothic horror novel. I’ve read some really great books set in the Appalachians, and the type of folk horror I’ve found in these novels are completely engrossing. I was really excited for this book, and I wound up really enjoying this one. It also seemed like it was going to be about scary faerie folk, and that was spot-on.

A lot of my favorite fae stories are the ones where they aren’t prettied up and sanitized—they’re feral and powerful and a bit scary, I first came across this in The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and have been hooked ever since. Except these are called the Winter Folk, and seem to have a totally different set of skills and regulations than they do across the pond. I found them to be equally intriguing and was interested in learning more about them in this book. Most often featured are Mr. Oslin, the host of Deerhaven, and Lo, his assistant. The structure of the Winter Folk’s society was really interesting to learn about, and this book offers a wide range of Winter Folk that I’ve never encountered before. But one thing stays the same—they’re all dangerous. While some are quirky, others are kind of scary.

To start with, we meet Moth, a young woman who lives in poverty with an unreliable mother. Her mother warns her about the Winter Folk, but the strained relationship between them led her not to listen to her mother’s warnings. Moth wasn’t a difficult character for me to empathize—she lives in a place being gentrified as vacation homes proliferate lakeside. I truly felt for her and wished the best for her, but she’s a headstrong and stubborn woman, so I was able to identify with her on that level.

The story jumps between Moth’s young adult years at Deerhaven, and her present visit to her hometown of Little Gunning with her husband and daughter, and each timeline shows a really different version of Moth. Her first year at Deerhaven was a tough one, but her wish was granted at the end of it. I wasn’t surprised to see Moth’s wishes, since she was often the parental figure as opposed to her mother, who got caught up in one failed scheme after another. Her mother isn’t a likable character at all, and I could see the draw of getting away from her mother.

Side characters, such as Moth’s mother, Dozer, Birch, Crow, Mr. Oslin, and Lo are all well-rounded, and while I would have loved to learn more of their stories, I thought it was done really well, since they all felt realistic to me and each character had their own personality and motivation. Moth herself was the character most heavily built up, but I was sad that she struggled to develop close friendships other than Birch and Crow. The setting was fantastic. It varies between the mountains of Appalachia and Deerhaven, a resort lodge for the Winter Folk, keeping things intriguing and fresh. It’s got a truly gothic and eerie vibe, making the story highly atmospheric.

In addition to managing her mother’s chaos when in Little Gunning, Moth also gets involved in some time-consuming situations each winter at Deerhaven. I really enjoyed getting to know not just Moth and Birch and Crow, but also the visitors who stay at Deerhaven. There are some regulars that were entertaining, and others who were trouble, but it was all written beautifully. The language is simple yet incredibly descriptive without slipping into purple prose.

Overall, this was an outstanding read. Rather than flying through it, I found myself really taking time with the story so I could absorb the info and basically place myself into the story right alongside Moth. The dual timeline threw me off a little bit, because I struggled to connect with Moth as an adult, along with her husband and daughter especially. She doesn’t seem to be as invested in her marriage as she was in her years at Deerhaven, and the relationship between Moth and her daughter Cassie was strained. She seemed to have no insight into her daughter’s personality and her interests, other than drawing, which Cassie does on everything she owns. There was a lot of tension in the present timeline. The pacing was great, until the end when things happen very quickly, and leading to a rushed conclusion. However, I loved how Julian writes and tells a story, and will be eagerly awaiting future books from her.

Bottom line: An outstanding take on Appalachian folklore involving their version of fae, and a family in crisis trying to unravel the past and improve their future.

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