Winterkeep, by Kristin Cashore, is the fourth book set in the Graceling realms, and is releasing today, January 19th. It’s been almost nine years since the last book in the series came out. In reviewing a book deep into a series like this one, I’m reviewing for two groups of people: those who have read and liked the rest of the series, and those who haven’t checked it out yet. (Those of you out there who read Graceling and didn’t like it are cool too! But I’m assuming you’re pretty sure this isn’t your cup of tea). The first group is probably worried, as I was, that Winterkeep wouldn’t hold up. There’s been a lot of YA series necromancy lately, and it hasn’t always been good. The second group might be wondering if they need to read three other books for this one to make sense.
Fortunately, I have one unified recommendation for everyone: this book is worth a read!
Set some time after the events of Bitterblue, Winterkeep (like Fire before it) takes place in a new land, with lots of new characters, but some familiar ones. The Kingdom of Winterkeep is much more technologically advanced than Monsea, the land the main character Bitterblue is queen of, and this allows the book to largely stand alone. While this might be frustrating for some loyal readers who want to see more of their favorite characters, it’s a tough balance: bringing old characters whose story arc has resolved in for a cameo risks reducing someone who was dynamic and interesting to a cardboard cutout. In choosing only a few old characters to keep, and ones who didn’t reach happy endings, Cashore is able to give them all a full character arc. It also means there’s not much that needs to be filled in from the past, and I think Cashore did a good job weaving in some explanation for anyone who is reading a Graceling book for the first time.
With that explanation of where the book sits out of the way, here’s a quick synopsis. After learning two of her envoys to Winterkeep have died at sea, and that it might not have been an accident, Queen Bitterblue of Monsea sets out for a personal voyage to Winterkeep. On the other continent, plotting and politics are afoot: the Keepish parliament is deadlocked in a political battle over industrialization, others besides the envoys have gone missing, and Lovisa, a POV character new to the series, is caught up in the intrigue. Her parents are, oddly, the heads of the bitterly opposed political parties, and everything going on seems to be swirling around them. Lovisa is intensely curious about what her parents are doing– but can she snoop without getting caught?
Winterkeep is a somewhat rare mashup of genres that I absolutely adore: it’s fantasy, but with all of the crucial aspects of a real mystery novel. Another recent book, Gideon the Ninth, had a similar blend, and ever since I’ve been on the lookout for more books like it (I’ve found a couple others, as well, if you want recommendations). I think there’s something really cool about a mystery story structure in a fantasy world: the investigation the characters undertake reveal things about the world through a close-up lens that would otherwise feel forced. In Winterkeep, for example, Lovisa’s curiosity is a perfect vehicle to get the reader a really good look at the intrigue that’s going on, and some of the clues are hidden in places that wouldn’t make sense in the real world (sentient animals, for example). The great double-twist on this is the characters all, at the end of the book, are empowered by what they learned solving mysteries to try to make the world a better place.
This deeper exploration was great, because I love the world of Winterkeep. While it was initially a little confusing as a long-time reader to leave Monsea and the Seven Kingdoms behind, Winterkeep is in many ways a more interesting place. The blend of science and magic is really cool! This was present a little bit in the earlier Graceling books, in the ways some characters were pushing the boundaries of medieval medicine and architecture, but Winterkeep is much more advanced. At the same time, though, there are magics unique to Winterkeep– particularly, sentient animals that can communicate telepathically, although humans are somewhat blind to their true nature.
The last thing I loved about the book is the balance it strikes between dark subjects, like childhood trauma, and a fierce, infectious hopefulness. Readers of Bitterblue will remember that Bitterblue had an alarmingly difficult childhood, and Lovisa hasn’t had it easy either. Both cope with this in very specific, realistic ways– one of Lovisa’s, in particular, really moved me. Neither character is weak or helpless, and anyone who underestimates them discovers their mistake before too long, and both have found meaningful ways forward by the end of the book.
No book is perfect, and there are a couple things that did jar me out of the world a little bit. Some of the aspects of Keepish culture are a little bit too contrived and cute for me, and though they present interesting obstacles to characters, I found myself thinking, “Okay, but how did this even come to be?” If you’re looking for a mystery with good twists, or a fantasy novel with a cool world and good characters, or are intrigued by the idea of both, I strongly recommend you give this a try, whether or not you’ve read any of the other books. If you like it a lot, you can check the others out without too much being spoiled, and after Graceling, I think it’s the second-strongest book in the series.
And if you liked the other Graceling books, what are you still doing reading this?? Go request a copy of Winterkeep!
The TL;DR
What: Winterkeep, by Kristin Cashore
Who should read it: Fans of the Graceling Realms books, or fantasy readers intrigued by offbeat fantasy with some mystery
Why they should read it: Strong female leads, great twists, awesome world-building, and a hopeful ending
Well, the short answer is you let them have their cake, and eat it too (not necessarily at the same time). In Cool for the Summer, the main character Lara has been pining after football star Chase for years, and the book starts with him asking her on a date! Mission accomplished! Book over! Right? Well, no. In the main timeline of the book, Lara and Chase do date– but the summer before, Lara found summer love, Grease-style, at the beach with Jasmine. The book is basically two romances in one, as both relationships develop in their own timeline.
