BOOKS | Review: The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

 Name: The Winter Duke

Author: Claire Eliza Bartlett

Publisher: Titan Books

Date published: October 2020

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance, retellings

Pages: 383

Rating: 4/5

All Ekata wants is to stay alive - and the chance to prove herself as a scholar. Once Ekata’s brother is finally named heir to the dukedom of Kylma Above, there will be nothing to keep her at home with her murderous family. Not her books or her 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, and no one can find a cure.

In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother’s captivating warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without - and within - her 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 magic and power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield them both.

- From Goodreads.

The Winter Duke reminded me of The Goblin Emperor in the way that it was about a character thrust into a powerful position when they had not been expecting it and certainly had not been prepared for it, but were determined to do their duty and learn to do the role they had suddenly acquired. The characters and worldbuilding were different of course, but I liked the similar elements.

Speaking of worldbuilding, this world was so fascinating and unique, with wonderful descriptions. I liked the concept of the kingdom Above and Below, and the magic and different people who lived in each place, it was intriguing to learn about it all as the story unfolded.

There were some moments in the story that felt like they could have explored the emotion more and gone into more depth. These moments did not connect as much as they could have. For example, the romance between Ekata and Inkar was good but did not quite connect with me. I quite enjoyed it but did not fall in love with it, not in a way that had me turning the pages desperate for more interactions between them.

My feelings over Ekata as a character were conflicted. I really did feel for her and wanted her to do well and sympathised with her struggle, I just think her growth and character development could have been written better to be more satisfying.

The ending of the story could also have been a little more satisfying for me. The political intrigue and mystery elements of the plot were very fascinating and I mostly enjoyed reading it and trying to work out who had done what, however some of the details and answers to the mystery could have been explained better and in the end I was still a little confused.

Overall I enjoyed the reading experience and was excited to get to the end to find out what happened, there were just a few places in the story where it did not live up to the potential or did not quite hit the mark so I could not fall in love with it completely. 

BOOKS | Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

 Name: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Date published: First published 2013, this edition published 2014

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, romance, dystopia, horror

Pages: 419

Rating: 5/5

 

Coldtown was dangerous, Tana knew. A glamorous cage, a prison for the damned and anyone who wanted to party with them.
Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. And once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself. 

- From Goodreads.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a different and fresh take on vampires that I found intriguing and thrilling to read about, and at some points it was even quite scary and intense. Holly Black certainly made vampires her own in a complex and fascinating way.

I really enjoyed the writing style, it flowed smoothly and I found it easy to read, and it made the story quite addictive as I did not want to put it down. 

The plot was a wild rollercoaster with an incredible amount of twists and turns. Holly Black books are never predictable and this was no exception. I had no idea what was going to happen and was quite nervous to find out how it would all end.

As usual with Holly Black books, the characters are all complex and fascinating, even the characters you truly detest. Everyone was interesting and felt like you might find them in the real world. My favourite characters were Tana and Gavriel, who I felt were both very well written, had backstories that were compelling, and you could understand and root for them, even when they had to do awful and horrible things. Their romance was perfectly done and all of their moments together were captivating and I loved the way their relationship was built up.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book if you are looking for a unique and modern vampire story with a riveting plot and engaging characters, and if you enjoyed Holly Black's other books, this still has her excellent writing style and unpredicatable twists, even though it is one of her earlier books.

BOOKS | Review: Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar

Name: Midnight in Everwood

Author: M.A. Kuzniar

Publisher: HQ

Date published: October 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, historical, romance, retellings

Pages: 348

Rating: 5/5

 

There’s nothing Marietta Stelle loves more than ballet, but after Christmas, her dreams will be over as she is obligated to take her place in Edwardian society. While she is chafing against such suffocating traditions, a mysterious man purchases the neighbouring townhouse. Dr Drosselmeier is a charming but calculating figure who wins over the rest of the Stelle family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms.
When Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance, she discovers it carries a magic all of its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, she is transported to a snowy forest, where she encounters danger at every turn: ice giants, shadow goblins and the shrieking mist all lurk amidst the firs and frozen waterfalls and ice cliffs. After being rescued by the butterscotch-eyed captain of the king’s guard, she is escorted to the frozen sugar palace. At once, Marietta is enchanted by this glittering world of glamorous gowns, gingerbread houses, miniature reindeer and the most delicious confectionary.
But all is not as it seems and Marietta is soon trapped in the sumptuous palace by the sadistic King Gelum, who claims her as his own. She is confined to a gilded prison with his other pets; Dellara, whose words are as sharp as her teeth, and Pirlipata, a princess from another land. Marietta must forge an alliance with the two women to carve a way free from this sugar-coated but treacherous world and back home to follow her dreams. Yet in a hedonistic world brimming with rebellion and a forbidden romance that risks everything, such a path will never be easy.
- From Goodreads.

Midnight in Everwood was a perfect winter fairy tale, and an incredibly inventive retelling of The Nutcracker. I enjoyed every moment of reading it and wanted more, not wanting it to end.

The descriptions were so magical and whimsical, so detailed in such a lovely imaginative way. All the settings, the clothes, the characters, it was all so delightful to read. The parts in the magical world, in Everwood, were my favourite, but even the set up in the real world and the descriptions of the society, how difficult it was to navigate, was interesting to read and well written.

Marietta was an enchanting main character, I loved how she was full of imagination and spirit and found ways to be brave even in the most terrifying circumstances. I liked that she tried to be aware of when she had privilege and when she made a mistake or spoke badly she tried to make things right. Her passion for dancing was wonderful to read and I admired how she was determined to prioritise her love for dance and make it a part of her life.

I also loved the friendships Marietta developed with other women in the book. Dellara and Pirlipata were such fascinating characters and the bond she had with them by the end of the book was so heartwarming and had me quite emotional.

There was also a romance in the story that I absolutely adored. Everything about the way Marietta and her love interest interacted was written so perfectly and it was so clear how much they came to love and care for each other. The way they spoke to each other and the way Marietta thought about their relationship was written so nicely it just made me so happy to read.

This was just such a magical adventure, I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a heartwarming fairy tale to read over winter, it just has the perfect atmosphere.