Aptly titled, this was an interesting, albeit unsettling, story to read. The writing is lyrical, dreamlike in quality and who can argue that Aspen, Colorado in December is not a great setting for a story? While it was the premise that attracted me (and yes, the cover art is gorgeous!), I found the delivery and plot development to be slow, and even a little underwhelming and confusing at times. Against the backdrop of snow covered mountains and holiday festivities, this story really portrays darker aspects of a high-flying world of entertainment and fashion - drug addiction, abuse, manipulation, jealousy and greed. If you are looking for a festive romance/love story.... this isn't it.

As far as characters go, I found Michelle to be fascinating. I like to get into the psychology/inner workings of a troubled character and the author really delivers with Michelle. Enigmatic on the outside, struggling/shattering on the inside, Michelle is a very conflicted persona, portraying externally as young, fragile and waif-like while providing glimpses into wisdom and worldly understanding beyond her mere 22-years. It is only towards the end that we really discover the person behind the facade and learn the reasons for her downward-spiraling self-destructive behaviour. I found the other characters serve their purpose in propelling the story forward, but for me, that is all they did. They lack the more fulsome character development I would have loved to see with this story.

I received an unedited proof copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )