Hello everyone! I hope you are all staying warm. It is absolutely freezing where I live and I hate the snow, truthfully. The book I am about to review, however, felt appropriate considering the weather. As a longtime Marvel fan, Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier is one of my favorite characters (in the comics and movies alike). I am making an exception as this is a young adult book. I couldn’t say no to one of my favorites. Let’s talk about The Winter Soldier: Cold Front.

Content Warning: Violence, Semi-Graphic Depictions of Injury, Medical Abuse, Discussions of Self-Harm

In 1941, sixteen-year-old James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes is itching to enlist in the army but keeps getting stopped by a certain commander. One day, a mysterious man calling himself Mr. Yesterday approaches Bucky enrollment in a top secret training program with the British Special Operations Executive. Bucky takes the opportunity without a second thought, only to realize he is in way over his head as he faces down assassins, spies, and double agents. Decades later, Bucky Barnes is dead and the Winter Soldier has taken his place. When a mission in Soviet Russia reunites the Winter Soldier with someone from his past, he finds himself in a fight to complete Bucky’s mission and remember the person who he once was.

I did not expect this book to be nearly as gripping as it was but I was hooked. I loved how Mackenzi Lee based this novel off of the original comics, rather than the Marvel movies. Speaking of movies, this was a cinematic read and it played out in my head like a movie. Even though this book is for young adults, it doesn’t necessarily hide from the more disturbing aspects of the Winter Soldier comics. I felt that there was a good balance between the two storylines and they both ended up tying together in a satisfying way. If you are a Marvel fan then definitely check out The Winter Soldier: Cold Front. (Side note: I am fairly certain the Mackenzi Lee has two other Marvel books out there so I might give those a shot in the future.)