The Winter Duke is a wonderful fantasy stand-alone and I couldn’t recommend it more! It’s fast-paced from the very first sentence on, with complicated family dynamics, court intrigues, lots and lots of betrayals and a murder or two 😂

The world-building is fascinating: a kingdom made of ice, a second kingdom below the water—and in its hands, it holds the secret to magic.

I really enjoyed the characters, too, especially Ekata, the protagonist. She’s a flawed character for sure, but I loved her for that. She makes mistakes, she’s thoughtless at times and makes rash decisions, and it takes her quite a while to find her way; but when she does, she changes things to the better and I loved that.

And the romance… can I just say how much I loved it? It was fun and easy and I just enjoyed Ekata’s and Inkar’s relationship so much! Plus, it’s f/f, there’s the fake marriage AND the “there’s only one bed” trope—there’s no way I wouldn’t have loved it!

I actually finished this a while back, but my desk time bottlenecked. Catching up with reviewing now, I can think back and recollect so many stunning images from this book, which I devoured over a few days. It has stayed with me all this time.

That cover really conveys a sense of the broody, cold beauty of the story. Bartlett's worldbuilding is trenchantly magnificent (oh those frozen roses!), and strong characterization contrasts the complexity of the world.

Teenage Ekata is the only one awake after a mysterious, clearly magical, illness strikes down the rest of her huge, obnoxiously (and lethally) competitive family. Her father, the grand duke, is also laid low, and Ekata must step up. But nobody, including her, thinks she's strong enough to hold the government. She tries her best to be her father: hard, heartless, brutal when necessary, uttering threats as her own life is threatened. Carrying them out to prove she's not all bark and no bite. But the emotional cost is exponential.

Meanwhile events must go on as scheduled to convey a semblance of normalcy, including a bride viewing, which had initially been scheduled for Ekata's older brother, the putative heir. I was interested in this choice of words, bride, as both males and females can be considered. Turns out that word choice isn't examined, but the story is so involving I never really noticed that once events began to accelerate.

Ekata chooses Inkar, a woman from another land whose personality is a contrast to Ekata's mood-swinging desperation. Watching these two slowly get to know one another, and to trust, is one of the many pleasures of this book.

Politics abound, as do assassination attempts, and don't forget the magic. Kylma Above is the land Ekata is trying to rule. Kylma Below is in a sense a mirror land undersea, where the magic Ekata's family depends on originates. Ekata has to discover the source of the magic, along with holding onto her throne. And her life.

Bartlett does a terrific job with a teenager who is smart, but knows she's way out of her depth. Meanwhile there is the Gaston-like handsome suitor who is after her (and her kingdom) and politicians who want to do away with royalty entirely, and . . . and . . . and!

The pacing rips along until the end, leaving me wondering what magic Bartlett will create next. Brava!

The Winter Duke is a fantasy novel set in an icy land in a state of uneasy truce with the magic-using water folk who dwell beneath the ice. Ekata is more interested in medicine than politics, and has spent most of her life trying to survive the plots of her various siblings, so when her entire family is cursed with a mysterious illness and she is the only one left standing, she is very much unprepared to be Grand Duke. The story is both coming-of-age story and twisty political fantasy, with a sweet friendship and budding romance between Ekata and the woman she chooses, almost at random, to be her bride.
I would have liked to see Ekata begin to claim her power earlier in the book (it was so stressful reading about everyone pushing and pulling her in awful directions!), but it was worth waiting for. And I loved the underwater kingdom.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

I was completely absorbed by The Winter Duke. From the beginning, Bartlett makes sure we know that the world Ekata grows up in is one of murder, betrayal, and suspicion. Ekata trusts practically no one, and can you blame her? Her family, and their kingdom, is built on murder, barely concealed treason, and days where you are lucky to be alive. Described as part Sleeping Beauty, Ekata is left with the responsibility to figure out if she can both figure out how to save her family and how to rule.

The Winter Duke quickly shows its fangs. And in this world of dangerous cold, blades in the middle of the night, and sweet words with cruel intentions, can Ekata do what it takes to survive? I loved the world building in The Winter Duke. Merpeople and underwater worlds are my current obsession and The Winter Duke delivers both. I first found out about The Winter Duke when someone told me it was a queer story. This has to be my second favorite part of The Winter Duke. Firstly, this world has absolutely no qualms about queer relationships, no eyelashes batted, no reservations about a queer ruling couple. That was instantly a great sign. But the queer love interest could be my favorite character. I don't want to spoil, but I feel like as soon as you meet them, you'll know what I mean.

I’ve been so pumped for this book since the cover reveal; I mean, just look at it! It’s gorgeous! And then I found out that this book is sapphic, and I was even more excited for it. This book did not disappoint; The Winter Duke was a slow-paced fantasy with wonderful worldbuilding and great characters.

Ekata is forced to take the throne after a mysterious illness strikes her parents and her 12 siblings. Ironically, she’s the only one of them who’s never wanted the throne so she has to figure out how to navigate this political world that she’s ignored for so long. However, she’s only provisional grand duke, so she still has to compete for the actual title against her former foster brother, Sigis.

My favorite part is when, since she refuses to marry Sigis, she marches into the room where all the prospective spouses from the brideshow are, and she chooses Inkar, simply because she was annoyed that she was laughing at her. Ekata immediately declares her her wife and then walks out; the gayest power move ever honestly!

Meanwhile, Ekata also has to solve the question of who cursed her family all while trying not to be assassinated. In a way, this book reminded me of Bitterblue in that she’s navigating a political world and uncovering secrets.

The worldbuilding was interesting; basically the Avenko family rules the duchy Above, and the Below is a kingdom under the lake that has magic. They’re the only ones who are in communication with the Below, so they’re the only ones who control all the magic that’s exported.

Anyways, what I loved about this book is that from the very beginning, it is made clear that this is not a heteronormative world. Numerous nonbinary side characters are mentioned, and the brideshow consists of people of all genders. Originally the brideshow was for Ekata’s brother and then Ekata picks from the same people, and it’s never questioned. And, of course, this book features a f/f ship at the forefront.

Ekata and Inkar were amazing together! Inkar pushes her past her boundaries, and they bond quickly, despite Ekata trying to keep her at arm’s length. I really loved their dynamic! Ekata is the epitome of the awkward, oblivious science nerd, and Inkar is the soft, buff jock.

My only complaint is that I was really into the first and last third of the book, but the middle third dragged a lot and not much happened, plot-wise. It is a slow-paced fantasy though, so I should have expected it.

The Winter Duke was an amazing read with normalized gay relationships, wonderful worldbuilding, and lovely characters. I definitely recommend it, especially if you want to read a sapphic fantasy!

The Winter Duke has a bit of everything. Magic, mystery, politics, betrayal, and a bit of romance.

Ekata was the daughter of the Duke of Kylma Above. Everyone in her family is willing to kill for the power to take over. But not Ekata. She wants to go to university in the south and study science. There are thirteen children, but Lyosha is expected to take over. Possible brides were sent from all over. They have to decide who helps them the most. Before anything really starts, Ekata's family is cursed. They are in a weird state, like a coma, but they keep filling with water. It doesn't take long to know it was magic and not illness. The Duke is the only one Above that could refine magic and control it. For anyone else, it is unpredictable. Farhod and Aino are the only two people Ekata trusts.

Ekata is stuck taking over until her father wakes. She is thrown straight into the politics and negotiations for Above. She has a council, but they struggle to agree on things. Many people want to break up the power so one person doesn't wield it all. Sigis was a foster brother to Ekata for a couple years and her father always favored him. Sigis has decided that he wants to rule and is pushing to marry Ekata. She quickly takes a wife, Inkar, one of the people there for the brideshow. She has no idea what she's doing, but it buys her time.

Ekata and Sigis need to compete to win the title of Duke. They need help from Below. The Duke Below invites Ekata there to visit. The people below, live underwater. They have an abundance of magic and know how to refine it. They feel like Ekata can make more deals with them than her father. They want to be treated as equals. An Avenko needs to rule Above to keep Below stable.

Thrown into a role she doesn't want, Ekata must figure out who she can trust and needs to figure out how to wake her family. She and Inkar spend time together and she finds Inkar to be loyal and fierce. Still, Ekata doesn't want to marry or rule. She tries to do her father's work and fails a lot. Her confidence is low and she starts to feel broken. Ekata has no idea how to rule, doesn't know why she's alive, and can't trust anyone anymore.

I really enjoyed this story. The world Above with Ice and Below with water felt unique. I liked that the magic was unstable, so it took awhile to figure any of it out. There is a lot of politics and mystery. I gave this book 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5. The beginning felt a bit slow, but it really picked up for me about 40% in.

Thank you to the publisher for my earc for review.

Warnings for executions, death, mention of suicide, and blood.

omfg this book

THIS BOOK

Bartlett knocked it out of the park with her debut, WE RULE THE NIGHT. I knew I could trust her from then on out, but she seriously leveled up with THE WINTER DUKE. Intrigue and sapphic kisses and underwater kingdoms - oh my! And without a speck or hint of misogyny or homophobia, which is the kind of breath of fresh air you don't even realize you were missing and now you're going to demand it all the time.

THE WINTER DUKE is the story of a family of nobles with a tradition of familicide that the protagonist and middle-daughter EKATA wants no part of. Instead of trying to murder siblings or parents, she'd rather hang with the royal alchemist and study biology and botany. Her hopes for fleeing south and going to college are dashed, however, when her entire family falls to a strange curse. The only one left awake, she's suddenly thrust into the middle of all the politics she'd ignored and the mantle of power she'd eschewed.

THIS BOOK. How do I sufficiently sing its praises? A coming-of-age story that actually feels like the protagonist is as young as she is, that acknowledges her inexperience and ignorance and the danger that imparts on everyone instead of pretending innocence and ignorance is somehow magical and better. Ekata fails and fails spectacularly - as would be expected from any unprepared 16-year-old - but she's supported and she's allowed to learn and she eventually learns to trust herself and her own decisions, wherever those might lead her.

That AND omfg INKTAR. Ekata doesn't just inherit the role of Duke when her family is cursed - she also inherits her brother's potential bride. What starts as a marriage of pure convenience beautifully grows into something *more* that I haven't seen done so well in such a long time. It is gentle and soft and understanding and occasionally prickly and sharp and the way the relationship is resolved in the end, just *chef's kiss*.

THE WINTER DUKE is a gorgeously-written story with clear and realistic characters and a twisty plot that always stayed a step ahead of me. Satisfying and hopeful and a sheer joy to read.