Kristin Cashore

"Queen Bitterblue of Monsea must head to the nation of Winterkeep after her envoys drown in suspicious circumstances, and somewhere there, Lovisa Cavenda waits and watches while tragedy with devastating political and personal ramification strikes"--

Winterkeep

Cassidy Nolan

“We’re all hoping you’ll come back with us,” she said. “Won’t you tell us that you will?”

Then a small, sticky hand tucked itself inside hers, and Lovisa had her answer.

And there she was. His Bitterblue, his queen. Standing right there, looking right back at him. Giddon’s eyes blurred. He fell to his knees and began to cry. Bitterblue wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He held her, sobbing into her stomach, loving the silbercows, loving their stories. She was real. She was solid. She smelled like soap and she was stroking his hair and her voice was saying soft, comforting words.

Somehow or other, Bitterblue had missed the moment when she should have started guarding herself against loving Giddon. She couldn’t backtrack now. She loved him already. It was too late.

What was wrong was that Giddon was realizing, with a bright white clarity he’d never had before, that a person did not keep notes like that from a friend, carrying them around like something precious, like a treasure, for no reason. It wasn’t normal, it wasn’t a routine thing to do, and Giddon had never wanted to be Bitterblue’s confidant and counselor as she searched for a husband. He’d loved her. He’d wanted to 

 her husband. And he’d never said a word, never even tried. Why? Because he was a coward. And now she was dead. She’d died not knowing how cherished she was. He’d done every part of it wrong and now she was dead.

I’m going to ask the Council to send me someplace new,

Some corner of the earth where no one’s heard of us. Or maybe I’ll go home. To my real home, I mean. King Randa has accused me of treason. If he catches me on my lands, he’ll execute me. Should I go home?

girl his life will be ruined and you don’t even know his name!!

In her own bed, the face and the voice, the body of her sweet guard wouldn’t leave her alone. What would happen to him when the fox told Ferla about the kissing?

And she continued down the stairs, planning to get to the attic early to visit Viri. Then the guard would arrive, so that if her mother or the fox arrived too, she could pretend she was there to meet him. Ferla wouldn’t like it, but Viri wouldn’t be punished for it.

“Come home for dinner and say hello to them yourself,” said Ferla, speaking with the kind of friendly challenge she accorded to her students and her colleagues, and her daughter when they were in public. This was why Lovisa always came to class early. She wanted the sense of belonging bestowed by her public mother.

And the key she was using to decipher Saf’s letter was certainly “Sparks,” Saf’s nickname for Bitterblue back when they’d loved each other. So maybe they still loved each other. Which was fine.

“I’m quite hungry,” said Giddon, who wasn’t really.

“Yes, all right, you’ve both made your points,” said Bitterblue, pretending to be annoyed. “Go away, Froggatt.”

“Have a lovely night, Lady Queen,” said Froggatt, giving Giddon one last, pointed glance of disapproval.

“Did you see that look?” Giddon said after Froggatt had gone. “When I took his side about dinner!”

Florence

** spoiler alert **
           As soon as I learned Kristin Cashore had written another book, I felt the urge to read it. 
I had troubles at the beginning to fully focus on the story and to get in the story. Maybe because English is not my mother tongue. 
However, after meeting the various characters, which were all intriguing in their own ways, I quickly became addicted to the universe, Kristin Cashore had once again created. The characters always feel real without being shallow and show different aspects of themselves. Lovisa, despite being 16, is a young strong woman, who reminded me of Bitterblue in her eponymous book. She shows some strong character traits, which can sometimes be too severe, too tough, but at the same time, she shows sensibility and the love she feels for her brothers. I love the way she is written, we have been able to follow her train of thoughts, what she was thinking of all these mysteries. And she is strong, but not perfect. Learning about her parents' betrayal and fully comprehending the abuse she and her brothers had been under, it was a difficult situation for her of course. And she had some moments of weakness, but she overcame those, thinking of her brothers and her uncle. 
I also loved spending time with Bitterblue again and learning more about Hava and Giddon. I admit that I was uneasy at the beginning of Winterkeep when Kristin Cashore made allusions to the romance between Bitterblue and Giddon. However, after reading Bitterblue's thoughts and reactions to Giddon and about their memories, I had to change my mind. I was even rooting for them. 
At the end of the book, I wanted to know the end but at the same time, I really - really - did not want to leave their universe. I wanted to keep following Lovisa, keep learning about Winterkeep and the other nations...

The highly anticipated next book in the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Graceling Realm series, which has sold 1.7 million copies. For the past five years, Bitterblue has reigned as Queen of Monsea, heroically rebuilding her nation after her father's horrific rule. After learning about the land of Torla in the east, she sends envoys to the closest nation there: Winterkeep--a place where telepathic foxes bond with humans, and people fly across the sky in wondrous airships. But when the envoys never return, having drowned under suspicious circumstances, Bitterblue sets off for Winterkeep herself, along with her spy Hava and her trusted colleague Giddon. On the way, tragedy strikes again--a tragedy with devastating political and personal ramifications. Meanwhile, in Winterkeep, Lovisa Cavenda waits and watches, a fire inside her that is always hungry. The teenage daughter of two powerful politicians, she is the key to unlocking everything--but only if she's willing to transcend the person she's been all her life. The Graceling Realm books are a companion series, not direct sequels, so they can be enjoyed in any order.

Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm expands yet again, with a dizzying speed from the first three installations. Still, the land of Torla is interesting, and the insights gained from a young Keepish woman on the nature of politics and money makes up for its abrupt involvement in the series. Cashore’s writing always knows more than it tells the reader, and I have always loved that. Winterkeep was no exception and this was expanded on by the multiple points of view. The book was enjoyable, easy to read, and held interesting people and places.

Emily McMeans

Lauryn Jackson

Compared to the other novels in this series, Winterkeep was much harder for me to indulge in. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, Lovisa. However, I did love the continuance of Bitterblue's story and even more so the development of the Graceling realm world. The foxes were literally the cutest thing in this entire series and I seriously hope we hear more of them.

Kate B-L

I can't believe it's over, the series that has taken over my shelf (and my life) has come to a close (at least for now). I thoroughly enjoyed this book, far more than Bitterblue. It was fun to read, funny at times, and for me, was the perfect book to end on.

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Enjoyable return to the Graceling realm, featuring new characters, new terrain, mystical sea monsters, Kitsune-esque magical foxes, and the return of beloved characters Bitterblue and Giddon. This is an ecofiction-centered story that really needs a history with the other books in the series in order to connect with Bitterblue's struggles and understand what's at stake with the political, social and environmental issues that Cashore weaves into her narrative. Recommended for fantasy readers who enjoy a grand mixture of light and dark, and uncovering the unpleasant secrets that can destroy illusions of friendship and family, ages 14 and up.

Sophia 

I love that one of my favorite pre-teen series continues all the way in 2021. 6th/7th grade me was so happy reading this. I greatly enjoyed how the book expanded the existing world + characters + storyline. 
LGBTQ REP!!

Aleena Korell

3 1/2 stars. Worth a read if you liked the original Graceling series-- but it sort of felt like a standalone, and if Bitterblue and Giddon had been replaced with brand new characters it wouldn't have affected much of the plot or story at all. Rather simplistic and more "juvenile" sounding language than I remembered from the previous books in the series-- a couple of which I really loved. 

Bitterblue was fine but relatively passive/absent for a good chunk of the book in lieu of a new protagonist, Lovisa, who was interesting when she was plotting & sneaking but not when she was having sex with a bunch of people. It was sometimes hard to believe that Giddon was 31 years old with the way he spoke/acted in this one. Also I'm pretty sure he cried about something or other in every single one of his chapters (not indicating crying is bad, or unmanly, or any such nonsense. It was just a LOT of crying). 

Favorite character was Adventure the blue telepathic fox, Hava a close second.

A new land has been discovered to the east. Winterkeep is a land of miracles, a democratic republic run by people who like each other, where people speak to telepathic sea creatures, adopt telepathic foxes as pets, and fly across the sky in ships attached to balloons. But when Bitterblue's envoys to Winterkeep drown under suspicious circumstances, she and Giddon and her half-sister, Hava, set off to discover the truth--putting both Bitterblue's life and Giddon's heart to the test when Bitterblue is kidnapped. Giddon believes she has drowned, leaving him and Hava to solve the mystery of what's wrong in Winterkeep.Lovisa Cavenda is the teenage daughter of a powerful Scholar and Industrialist (the opposing governing parties) with a fire inside her that is always hungry, always just nearly about to make something happen. She is the key to everything, but only if she can figure out what's going on before anyone else, and only if she's willing to transcend the person she's been all her life.

Elska Bee

Kristin Cashore really knows how to rip out my heart, tear it to pieces, piece it back together, and put it back better than it was. And then she serves tea and cake.

I really don't know how to even begin to talk about this book. I loved it, that is all I can manage.

A new land has been discovered to the east. Winterkeep is a land of miracles, a democratic republic run by people who like each other, where people speak to telepathic sea creatures, adopt telepathic foxes as pets, and fly across the sky in ships attached to balloons. But when Bitterblue's envoys to Winterkeep drown under suspicious circumstances, she and Giddon and her half-sister, Hava, set off to discover the truth--putting both Bitterblue's life and Giddon's heart to the test when Bitterblue is kidnapped. Giddon believes she has drowned, leaving him and Hava to solve the mystery of what's wrong in Winterkeep. Lovisa Cavenda is the teenage daughter of a powerful Scholar and Industrialist (the opposing governing parties) with a fire inside her that is always hungry, always just nearly about to make something happen. She is the key to everything, but only if she can figure out what's going on before anyone else, and only if she's willing to transcend the person she's been all her life.

Kimberly

This was one of my most anticipated releases. I adore the Graceling Realm novels. The fact that I waited so long to read it is shameful but when it first came out I was intimidated. I was fearful that I would be disappointed. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed this book but not as much as the others. 

Some positive items: We meet a new set of characters and visit a new land while still having some familiar faces being involved. The characters are multifaceted and diverse. I don't remember having a such a diverse list of characters in her previous books so it was refreshing to see that in this one. I vibe with Kristin's writing and this book was no exception. She does a fantastic job weaving politics and relationships with the world building. The creativity in creating the atmosphere and structure of the land satisfied my curiosity. There were more descriptors for the characters too then previously which helped me visual the characters and the scene. 

Some not so positive items: In the beginning of the book I was a bit bored and apathetic. You are just introduced to a brand new world and set of characters and it's all building up. The dual timeline/pov is what I think through me off. The previous books were mostly one pov. It's not a bad thing, it's interesting to see Cashore's writing evolve but I wasn't connecting with it. Additionally, one of the characters uses sex as a tactic and a manipulation method which despite understanding why and seeing how it is integral to the character development and plot, it rubbed me the wrong way. However, I kept going on and in true Kristin Cashore fashion the story picked up. For me it started to pick up about the midway point and I was eager to find out what was going to happen next. I flew through the second half of the book and felt that things were tied up neatly. 

Kristin Cashore is still an auto buy author for me and this book was quite enjoyable. I am hoping book 5 will drop sooner than later. I don't know if I can wait another decade for a new book.

Nikki Sojkowski

After how gorgeous the rest of this series is, I was pretty let down by Winterkeep. Giddon, who was an asshole in Graceling and was redeemed in Bitterblue, seemed to have lost all character progress at the beginning of Winterkeep and a lot of gestures that seemed selfless previously felt more like entitled possessiveness and grooming in this sequel. I almost DNF’d this book around 30% in and while I’m glad I got some closure on this series there were definitely cringe moments further in as well (not all from Giddon, I would like to clarify that this is a more generic problem with the book). There were several oddly unpolished, clunky sections of dialogue that I found shocking, given where Cashore is in her career. While some scenes are diamonds in the rough, but I’m definitely glad I didn’t purchase this book and will not be re-reading it like I do with Graceling, Fire, or Bitterblue.

Cori McCarthy

First of all, I want to thank Penguinteen for sending me this ARC through Netgalley! This was one of my most anticipated books of next year, and I am so excited I got to read it a little early!

Magical World-Building. Fierce Characters. Epic Romance. This book gives you all this and more! Winterkeep was such a magical read, and probably my favorite out of all four books in the Graceling Realm series! It was fast-paced with so many new characters that I found it hard to put this book down. I will try to keep this review short because I don't want to accidentally spoil anything! 

Let's start off with the world-building! One thing that I love about all Cashore's book's is that her world-building is always so in-depth and fantastical. She manages to transport the reader into the story, and creates these magical world you never want to leave. Winterkeep was exactly that! Winterkeep is a magical place with so many new magical creatures, and by the end of the book, all I wanted was to remain in this world Cashore created. 

In this book, we got to see some old characters, but I loved getting to know the new characters as well! I loved Bitterblue in her book, and getting to see her and Giddon in this book was amazing! I loved getting Giddon's POV and getting to see a side of him that we didn't get to see in Bitterblue. Also, Lovisa is an amazing new addition to this series! She is strong, independent, curious, and always does what she believes is right. 

In the end, this is a series everyone needs to read. Plus, have you guys seen those new covers for the series?! I need to buy them ASAP! But anyways, make sure to get Winterkeep when it hits shelves on January 19, 2021, because this is a book you will not want to miss!

Final Rating: 5/5 Stars

Winterkeep

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