A review by claudiamacpherson
Winterkeep, by Kristin Cashore

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Queen Bitterblue is on her way to Winterkeep, a distant nation that was only recently discovered by the Monseans, when she is thrown overboard. She is rescued by mysterious sea creatures, only to find herself held captive. Meanwhile, Giddon, Hava, and the rest of the Monsean crew reach Winterkeep, heartbroken at the loss of their queen. There, they encounter the bitter antagonism between Winterkeep’s two primary political parties over the issue of zilfium, an important fuel that could potentially boost the economy but cause environmental devastation. Lovisa is the daughter of two of the most prominent politicians in each party, but she is not so sure that either side has it right. Politics, family, magic, and loyalty: Winterkeep has it all. 

Kristin Cashore’s Graceling has been one of my favorite fantasy books since I read it back in 2012 or so, and I have avidly consumed every other book she has published since then. I love how she has continued to expand on the Graceling realm, adding new characters, countries, and magical creatures. The worldbuilding was definitely my favorite aspect of this book; Cashore always comes up with the most unique and interesting creatures and powers. I absolutely adored the blue foxes (I would die for Ad), as well as the silbercows and the legends of the mysterious “Keeper.” I thought that the story was less engaging than Cashore’s other Graceling  novels, because the pace of the plot was sacrificed to make way for a lot of new worldbuilding. The politics, while fairly relevant to real, modern issues, were also less enjoyable to read about. I also felt that the romance in this book wasn’t as compelling as some of Cashore’s other pairings.
SpoilerBitterblue and Giddon are a perfectly fine couple, but just didn’t have the same spark that I’m used to seeing in Cashore’s writing. Maybe it was the friends-to-lovers trope (which I usually don’t mind… as long as it’s done well), or the age gap (which I, personally, strongly dislike, though I know it doesn’t bother lots of people). Whatever it was, I just didn’t care as much about the two of them ending up together. Now Lovisa and Nev, on the other hand… I hope we get another installment just so I can see those two fall in love, because they clearly should!

Side note: I saw someone mention how they appreciated the way Cashore started including explicit descriptions of each character’s skin color as soon as you meet them, and after that I couldn’t help but notice it! It never felt awkwardly tacked on and flowed nicely with the story while also making sure that the diversity of skin color was clear and obvious to everyone.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):
SpoilerHappy! And even better, definitely room for another sequel!

 
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