Review – The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-0316417341
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars
“When Ekata’s brother is finally named heir, there will be nothing to keep her at home in Kylma Above with her murderous family. Not her books or science experiments, not her family’s icy castle atop a frozen lake, not even the tantalizingly close Kylma Below, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom that provides her family with magic. But just as escape is within reach, her parents and twelve siblings fall under a strange sleeping sickness.
In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother’s warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without—and within—her own ministry. Nothing has prepared Ekata for diplomacy, for war, for love…or for a crown she has never wanted. If Kylma Above is to survive, Ekata must seize her family’s power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield it.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone fantasy. I received an ARC of this through Amazon Vine for review.
Story (4/5): Ekata is excited to go to University and finally leave her cut-throat family behind. Then one night Ekata is awoken to find her whole family in a coma and Ekata is granted the title of Duke. Now she needs to navigate the complicated politics of her land while protecting her kingdom and not getting killed.
There are some Sleeping Beauty vibes to this, but the twist around this is pretty big. A lot of the politics have to do with the Kylma Below, a mysterious kingdom located beneath the frozen lake that Kylma above stands on. I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. This is very heavy on political intrigue (which normally isn’t my favorite) but for some reason I didn’t mind at all because it’s so wrapped up in mystery.
Characters (4/5): I engaged with Ekata right away and was really pulling for her the whole time. Her character was really well done, as was the young woman she chooses as her Bride. The other side characters could have used a bit more development.
Setting (4/5): The whole story is set in an amazing fantasy kingdom. Kylma Above is a magical ice palace perched on a sheet of ice. My favorite part of the story was Kylma Below, which is located below the ice sheet underwater. I wish we had spent more time down in Kylma Below, that region is really only touched on in the story and it’s one of the most interesting parts of the book.
Writing Style (4/5): This book was very well written and engaging. I thought it was well paced and that the descriptions and plot were generally well done. The ending did feel a bit rushed and too twisty turny, but aside from that I had trouble putting this down and raced right through it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a solid fantasy read that I really enjoyed. It is pretty politically heavy (which I normally don’t love) but the mystery surrounding the curse really drew me in. The setting was intriguing as well. The story has Sleeping Beauty vibes to it but also has some very unique elements of its own.
