Book Review: Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore

Publisher’s description

The highly anticipated next book in the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Graceling Realm series, which has sold 1.3 million copies.

For the past five years, Bitterblue has reigned as Queen of Monsea, heroically rebuilding her nation after her father’s horrific rule. After learning about the land of Torla in the east, she sends envoys to the closest nation there: Winterkeep—a place where telepathic foxes bond with humans, and people fly across the sky in wondrous airships. But when the envoys never return, having drowned under suspicious circumstances, Bitterblue sets off for Winterkeep herself, along with her spy Hava and her trusted colleague Giddon. On the way, tragedy strikes again—a tragedy with devastating political and personal ramifications.

Meanwhile, in Winterkeep, Lovisa Cavenda waits and watches, a fire inside her that is always hungry. The teenage daughter of two powerful politicians, she is the key to unlocking everything—but only if she’s willing to transcend the person she’s been all her life.

Amanda’s thoughts

What a delight to get to return to this world after all these years.

We begin with meeting a treasure-collecting sea creature, perhaps the creature the humans have mythical stories about, the Keeper, and some telepathic purple silbercows, who also reside in the ocean. They set up the initial parts of the story and draw the reader in with the mystery of what is happening and what part they will play. The reader will come back to their perspective and roles throughout the story, and for me, their small sections were among my favorite parts of the book.

When two of Queen Bitterblue’s men go missing, she decides to pursue what happened herself. Along with Giddon and Hava, she travels to Winterkeep, a democratic republic home to the Keepish people, a respected academy, advanced medicines, and powerful fuels. Their initial question, what is the Keepish interest in Monsea, grows to become many questions as they meet more people and uncover more details. Every character is complicated and richly drawn, a potential enemy or ally to Bitterblue’s crew (it’s often hard to be sure which they will be). Much of the story revolves around Lovisa, a 16-year-old Keepish girl skilled in spying, eavesdropping, observing, and skulking around. When her story intersects with Bitterblue’s, things really take off, leading the reader on an adventure full of mystery and uncertainty. I don’t want to spoil any of what happens, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the existence of telepathic foxes (who can bond with humans) in this book. They play a vital role in the story and how it unfolds and one small fox must grapple with how to control the course of events and carries the heavy burden of wondering how to keep the secrets of foxkind.

Winterkeep deals with heavy themes, many of which are common to all of the Graceling stories—love, loss, grief, trauma, manipulation, and toxic families. The biggest themes, however, are environmentalism and warfare, themes that all the humans must grapple with as they trek through Winterkeep and themes that are at the heart of what the silbercows and their giant sea creature friend must do.

While this story can be read alone, reading it in context of the rest of the Graceling Realm books would be more meaningful. This particular book also has wide crossover audience appeal. Bitterblue is 23, Giddon is 31, and Hava is 20. Lovisa and friends are the teens in the story. Parents and other adult family members of various characters also play large roles in what unfolds.

This is a story of choices and survival. It is one of bullying, gaslighting, abuse, and fear. It is about government, politics, and war. But more than anything, it is about truth, strength, warmth, love, support, and healing. This is a strong addition to the series—perhaps my favorite—and I hope we see more of this expanding world.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9780803741508
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date: 01/19/2021
Series: Graceling Realm
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

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