booklovin's review against another edition
5.0
Daughter of Winter is the third book in the Fairy Queens series and also the second to last. I love this series immensely and I’ve been anticipating Daughter of Winter ever since I finished Summer Queen. It’s both exciting and scary when a series you love is close to its final ending. I love the world Argyle has created and even though I’ll always be able to return to it by rereading the books, it breaks my heart a bit that I won’t be able to return to it in new stories. There’s also all these expectations when it comes to a finale, especially when all the other novels and novellas in the series have been amazing. You want the series to have a worthy ending – an ending that will blow you away by its awesomeness. Luckily Argyle seems to be heading that way, since Daughter of Winter is a great build up to the finale. I fell completely in love with it and I am dying to read the last book. Sure, I’m still a bit scared but I know Argyle will give the series the epic closure it deserves.
Something I really like with the series is that with every new novel there’s a new perspective. It gives a lot of depth to both the overall story and the world. You get to see the ongoing conflict from different point of views and it is all greyscales, never plain black or white. And how I love that. In Daughter of Winter we get to follow Elice, the daughter of Ilyenna, the main character in Winter Queen. Elice has been living in the winter queendom all her life and she is starting to feel trapped. She wants to see the rest of the world, meet other people than her closest family and discover who she really is. Elice is an adorable character and I fell for her from the start. She reminds me so much of the Ilyenna we got see in Winter Queen. The innocence and the kindness, the courage and the strength, and of course the willingness to sacrifice everything for the ones you care about. It’s impossible not to like her.
I loved to see Ilyenna again, but it hurts so much to see how far away she’s gone from who she used to be. To see how the darkness has taken over and how little of her humanity she has left. It hurts even more with Elice as a constant reminder of what an amazing person she used to be. And still is, somewhere buried deep behind all that darkness, anger and vengefulness.
Set in the quite isolated winter queendom, the novel doesn’t offer that many new characters, besides Elice, but the ones we get to know shine all the more. The boy Elice saves from the ship-wreck being one of them. Adar might be a bit full of himself and quite a bit annoying from time to time, but he grows on me throughout the book. While most of the story is quite dark, Adar brings just the right amount of humour and lightness to the story to keep the reader from totally drowning in heartbreak and sorrow. There’s also the fact that he and Elice make quite an adorable couple. They complement each other very well.
As this is the third book in the series I know Argyle is quite a queen when it comes to world building and making sure that everything is described in a way that will make you feel like you’re truly part of the world. With that being said, she still manages to amaze me with her descriptions of the world, which is quite an accomplishment considering I already thought she did amazingly with the other two books. The way the winter queendom is described totally blew me away. It’s so stunning and so beautiful and while reading, I feel more than ever that I’m truly there. Walking around in Elice’s garden of mesmerizing ice sculptures, discovering the secrets in the many rooms of the ice palace and watching the striking aurora from one of its towers. As I dive into the story I let myself forget about the real world and for a moment the winter queendom feels just as real as my own.
Daughter of Winter is not as action packed as its predecessors, but I must say I like that. Action is great but sometimes it’s nice when the story moves along a bit slower, focusing on the characters and their relationship. Daughter of Winter still has a lot of action, especially towards the end – the second part is a thrilling, emotional roller coaster ride – but that only makes it even more logical to have a bit of a slower beginning, so that you, as a reader, really can get a feel of the new turn the story is about to take. And to clarify, by slow, I do not mean nothing happens. There’s a lot going on, it just takes another form than typical action. I think it works wonders and fits this part of the story very well.
With its breathtaking setting, captivating story and multi-layered characters Daughter of Winter blew me away and I can’t recommend it enough. It will take you on a sparkling, thrilling and emotional adventure that you will not forget in a hurry. If you’ve read the previous books in the series, you could dive right into this one and I’m positive you’ll enjoy it just as much as the others. If you haven’t read the other books though, I’d recommend you to check out Winter Queen and Summer Queen (and don’t forget the novellas!) first, since Daughter of Winter merges those two storylines together and you might feel a little bit lost without all the background story. And also, you do not want to miss out on those two gems! They are just as amazing, I promise.
Something I really like with the series is that with every new novel there’s a new perspective. It gives a lot of depth to both the overall story and the world. You get to see the ongoing conflict from different point of views and it is all greyscales, never plain black or white. And how I love that. In Daughter of Winter we get to follow Elice, the daughter of Ilyenna, the main character in Winter Queen. Elice has been living in the winter queendom all her life and she is starting to feel trapped. She wants to see the rest of the world, meet other people than her closest family and discover who she really is. Elice is an adorable character and I fell for her from the start. She reminds me so much of the Ilyenna we got see in Winter Queen. The innocence and the kindness, the courage and the strength, and of course the willingness to sacrifice everything for the ones you care about. It’s impossible not to like her.
I loved to see Ilyenna again, but it hurts so much to see how far away she’s gone from who she used to be. To see how the darkness has taken over and how little of her humanity she has left. It hurts even more with Elice as a constant reminder of what an amazing person she used to be. And still is, somewhere buried deep behind all that darkness, anger and vengefulness.
Set in the quite isolated winter queendom, the novel doesn’t offer that many new characters, besides Elice, but the ones we get to know shine all the more. The boy Elice saves from the ship-wreck being one of them. Adar might be a bit full of himself and quite a bit annoying from time to time, but he grows on me throughout the book. While most of the story is quite dark, Adar brings just the right amount of humour and lightness to the story to keep the reader from totally drowning in heartbreak and sorrow. There’s also the fact that he and Elice make quite an adorable couple. They complement each other very well.
As this is the third book in the series I know Argyle is quite a queen when it comes to world building and making sure that everything is described in a way that will make you feel like you’re truly part of the world. With that being said, she still manages to amaze me with her descriptions of the world, which is quite an accomplishment considering I already thought she did amazingly with the other two books. The way the winter queendom is described totally blew me away. It’s so stunning and so beautiful and while reading, I feel more than ever that I’m truly there. Walking around in Elice’s garden of mesmerizing ice sculptures, discovering the secrets in the many rooms of the ice palace and watching the striking aurora from one of its towers. As I dive into the story I let myself forget about the real world and for a moment the winter queendom feels just as real as my own.
Daughter of Winter is not as action packed as its predecessors, but I must say I like that. Action is great but sometimes it’s nice when the story moves along a bit slower, focusing on the characters and their relationship. Daughter of Winter still has a lot of action, especially towards the end – the second part is a thrilling, emotional roller coaster ride – but that only makes it even more logical to have a bit of a slower beginning, so that you, as a reader, really can get a feel of the new turn the story is about to take. And to clarify, by slow, I do not mean nothing happens. There’s a lot going on, it just takes another form than typical action. I think it works wonders and fits this part of the story very well.
With its breathtaking setting, captivating story and multi-layered characters Daughter of Winter blew me away and I can’t recommend it enough. It will take you on a sparkling, thrilling and emotional adventure that you will not forget in a hurry. If you’ve read the previous books in the series, you could dive right into this one and I’m positive you’ll enjoy it just as much as the others. If you haven’t read the other books though, I’d recommend you to check out Winter Queen and Summer Queen (and don’t forget the novellas!) first, since Daughter of Winter merges those two storylines together and you might feel a little bit lost without all the background story. And also, you do not want to miss out on those two gems! They are just as amazing, I promise.
knitonepugtwo's review against another edition
4.0
I received this ARC ebook in kindle format free of charge in exchange for agreeing to post my honest review of it online. I have not read any other books in the Fairy Queens series, did not even know these existed until I was about 45% through the book. Still, I was excited by the concept and eager to start reading.
At first, I felt like the world building was forced, which may or may not have to do with this being the middle of a series rather than a stand-alone novel, and I worried what I had gotten myself in to. That said, after a few pages I had no trouble following the tails of Elice, the lonely daughter of the Queen of Winter, who has the power to control the snow and ice of winter.
I've already recommended this book to my sister. And while I may not go back and read the first few in the series, I am looking forward to the next one and finding out the end of the story.
This was supposed to be one large novel and instead was broken in to two books. According to the press, the editors felt that there were two separate story arcs being addressed. Having read several heavy tomes in the fantasy/sci-fi genre I, at this point, disagree with the decision. We'll see when the next book releases if I'm on the editors side.
At first, I felt like the world building was forced, which may or may not have to do with this being the middle of a series rather than a stand-alone novel, and I worried what I had gotten myself in to. That said, after a few pages I had no trouble following the tails of Elice, the lonely daughter of the Queen of Winter, who has the power to control the snow and ice of winter.
I've already recommended this book to my sister. And while I may not go back and read the first few in the series, I am looking forward to the next one and finding out the end of the story.
This was supposed to be one large novel and instead was broken in to two books. According to the press, the editors felt that there were two separate story arcs being addressed. Having read several heavy tomes in the fantasy/sci-fi genre I, at this point, disagree with the decision. We'll see when the next book releases if I'm on the editors side.
inlibrisveritas's review
4.0
Daughter of Winter continues the saga started in the Winter Queen, but the focus has shifted from Ilyenna to her daughter Elice. One of my favorite things about this series is that we get more than one point of view and we get to see how the war waged between Summer and Winter affect all sides involved.
Elice is like her mother was in so many ways, and it was fantastic seeing that her caring nature had passed down to her daughter...especially now that we have seen what has become of Ilyenna under the influence of the Winter. She has become hard and unyielding, and her humanity is in a constant struggle to maintain itself. But Elice has that same fire and love for life that her mother did, and while there is a certain amount of nativity in Elice there is also a tremendous amount of strength. Amber's main characters always have an inner strength and a will to do what needs to be done, and that is one of the biggest draws for me when it comes to her writing. I need characters that can rescue themselves but also know when to ask for help. I loved the friendship she cultivates with Adar, and how easy he is to talk to and the respect they both have for each other even though they are from vastly different lives
The other major pull for me is her world building. She has a unique way of describing things just so. She doesn't need a long paragraph to tell you how the lights hit ice, instead she can give you two and you'll be able to see it casting light on your own walls. In Daughter of Winter we get to see a new area farther north, where the winter is constant and unforgiving, and where the Winter fairies have complete and total reign over everything. In this closer view we see how Winter is crumbling slowly in the way the world around the fairies begins to falter, and it begins to give away to a much larger problem that has been growing under the veil of constant war.
This is the second to last novel and the series and I'm really sad to see it coming closer to a close. It's been a real treat to delve into a fantasy series were good and evil, don't exist in such black and white terms. There is a ton of build up in tensions as the fairy queen's war begins to tear apart the world they are fighting so hard to control. I desperately want to see how Elice fairs in the warmer lands, and if she comes into contact with Nelay at all...and speaking of Nelay I can't wait to see how the change has settled with her now that it has been a few years.
I really can't recommend this series enough! It's perfect for those who like their fantasy on the lighter side with a character focus, but don't necessarily want to give up all world building.
Elice is like her mother was in so many ways, and it was fantastic seeing that her caring nature had passed down to her daughter...especially now that we have seen what has become of Ilyenna under the influence of the Winter. She has become hard and unyielding, and her humanity is in a constant struggle to maintain itself. But Elice has that same fire and love for life that her mother did, and while there is a certain amount of nativity in Elice there is also a tremendous amount of strength. Amber's main characters always have an inner strength and a will to do what needs to be done, and that is one of the biggest draws for me when it comes to her writing. I need characters that can rescue themselves but also know when to ask for help. I loved the friendship she cultivates with Adar, and how easy he is to talk to and the respect they both have for each other even though they are from vastly different lives
The other major pull for me is her world building. She has a unique way of describing things just so. She doesn't need a long paragraph to tell you how the lights hit ice, instead she can give you two and you'll be able to see it casting light on your own walls. In Daughter of Winter we get to see a new area farther north, where the winter is constant and unforgiving, and where the Winter fairies have complete and total reign over everything. In this closer view we see how Winter is crumbling slowly in the way the world around the fairies begins to falter, and it begins to give away to a much larger problem that has been growing under the veil of constant war.
This is the second to last novel and the series and I'm really sad to see it coming closer to a close. It's been a real treat to delve into a fantasy series were good and evil, don't exist in such black and white terms. There is a ton of build up in tensions as the fairy queen's war begins to tear apart the world they are fighting so hard to control. I desperately want to see how Elice fairs in the warmer lands, and if she comes into contact with Nelay at all...and speaking of Nelay I can't wait to see how the change has settled with her now that it has been a few years.
I really can't recommend this series enough! It's perfect for those who like their fantasy on the lighter side with a character focus, but don't necessarily want to give up all world building.
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