Winterkeep was an absolutely delightful return to the Graceling Realm. Bitterblue has been rebuilding Monsea in her tenure as Queen in the aftermath of her father's tyrannical rule, aided by a host of different advisors. When she learns of the deaths of two of her envoys to the Nation of Winterkeep, Bitterblue, along with her spy Hava and her colleague, Giddon. But a tragic accident at sea, the fate of Bitterblue's mission, nation and her own life are irrevocably altered as the young queen is thrown into a struggle for survival. Meanwhile, Lovisa Cavenda, the daughter of two Keepish politicians, watches all of the events surrounding an important zilfium vote and the Monsean delegation's arrival, but when they receive news of the queen's fate, Lovisa begins to suspect that there is a greater plot afoot set in motion by her own parents. As Lovisa uncovers a plot that could push the entire realm into war, but she must decide if she's willing to betray her family in order to do the right thing.
As I said, I really enjoyed Winterkeep. It's been forever since I've been in the Graceling Realm, and I was super concerned when I started this book that I would be completely lost, but that wasn't the case with Winterkeep. Cashore's deft writing style ushers the reader into this book in a way that gives you all of the information that you need from the outset in the first few chapters without reading like a summary. Winterkeep is one of those books you can read if you're new to the series, or if you're a veteran reader. It is all at once nostalgic and novel in a way few sequel works are. As I said, I loved being in this world again. Cashore is the consummate world-builder, and the worlds of Winterkeep and Monsea are all perfectly formed with details small and large that comes to life so vividly. The characters are all so delightful. I adored Bitterblue, Giddon, Hava and Lovisa with every fiber of my being. All characters are well developed and multi-dimensional. Giddon, in particular, was a wonderful heartthrob and I loved his relationship with Bitterblue. He must be protected at all costs. I also adore the mystical creatures like the silbercows and the telepathic blue foxes. Ad was so precious and his scenes were some of my favorites in this book. Winterkeep is a triumphant return to a classic fantasy world, one that emphasizes morality over politics, and how a commitment to doing so can require difficult sacrifices.

A thrilling conclusion to the Graceling Realm series. We follow up with Bitterblue, Queen of Monsea, where after several strenuous years of trying to right the wrongs her father inflicted on the kingdom, finds that there are spies among her court. She sets off to find her envoy whom she sent to another nation to make political allies and along the way encounters peril, danger and death.

I truly enjoyed reading about Bitterblue, her growth and her love for her kingdom. She was still a real person trying to do the best she could with a difficult situation. Not knowing exactly who she could trust and where to turn to for advice she makes the best of it despite tragedy at almost every turn.

My only regret is that there wasn't more information regarding the Keeper, her background about her truly, instead of just mentions of her in fairytales and myth throughout the novel.

So I, like many others, initially thought this book came out of the blue. But even though I know some still say it's an unnecessary addition to the series, I really did enjoy Winterkeep. Granted, it felt a little dark and gloomy at times (and given my mood lately perhaps that wasn't the best combination) so I felt like I had to slog through a bit of it. However, being back into the Graceling Realm with characters that I love has made it all worth it.

4/5 stars , if you liked the previous books you will enjoy Winterkeep.

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore is the fourth book of the Graceling Realm. This book picks up four years after the third book Bitterblue. In this book, a new land called Winterkeep has been discovered. Queen Bitterblue of Monsea sends envoys to the magical and democratic republic of Winterkeep, and she is troubled when she learns of their suspicious drowning deaths. She decides to go there herself, along with Giddon and Hava. Bitterblue gets kidnapped and is presumed drowned, so Giddon and Hava are left to find the truth. Lovisa Cavenda is the daughter of a Scholar and an Industrialist, two opposing political parties. She has no idea she is the key to solve everything. It will take great courage for her to come into herself and choose her destiny.

I am so happy there will be more Graceling books. This is one of my most favorite series. It was great to see these old favorite characters, and I definitely consider Lovisa a new favorite. I hope we see some more old characters in the next book, especially Katsa and Po.

One thing that I love about Cashore’s writing is the depth and expansiveness of the Graceling realm. Whereas Graceling itself starts off as the in your face action building fantasy world, we have now firmly settled into the nitty gritty of politics and kingdoms with technologically based democracies in Winterkeep.

Of the series, Bitterblue was originally my least favorite since I wasn’t really sold on Bitterblue as a character. My feelings about Bitterblue definitely changed in Winterkeep because we no longer are focused on the young queen trying to reclaim a kingdom that was once ruled by her rule father, King Leck. Instead, we finally see differing kingdoms and how Bitterblue’s influence is not all encompassing.

I thoroughly enjoyed our main protagonist Lovisa. Lovisa is BIPOC and queer. I’ve seen criticisms of Lovisa’s character because she uses sex to her advantage, but the conversations surrounding her lack of romantic attachments when it comes to sexual relationships is something that I haven’t seen so openly addressed in YA fantasy, which I loved. Don’t get me wrong, she is definitely impulsive and can be a bit over the top at times, but Lovisa is also a 16 year old girl who is still trying to figure out who she is.

Like Bitterblue, this story focuses a lot more on politics, but it’s off to one hell of a bang considering Bitterblue gets kidnapped. There’s lots of twists and turns as the truth behind the guilty party is revealed, which I was here for.

I love that there were more magical creatures in this book reminiscent of Fire. The telepathic blue foxes were definitely my favorite, and I really just wanted to be bonded to Adventure.

Overall, Winterkeep is a fantastic addition to the Graceling realm.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Penguin Random House for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

I read Winterkeep by Kristen Cashore. Thanks to the publisher for providing a free ARC through NetGalley. I love Kristen Cashore's books and was very excited to hear about another new book in the Graceling Realm. I read Graceling when it came out and then Fire and Bitterblue as soon as they were available. This book features Bitterblue and occurs after she has been ruling her Kingdom for a few years. We are also introduced to new countries and characters across the sea in Torla and Winterkeep as well as telepathic blue foxes who partner with humans, and underwater telepathic creatures who want to help humans as well as keep their world safe and free of pollution. A new character, Lovisa, is caught between her very twisted and dominating parents and what she believes is a correct moral choice. She struggles to make a decision to act against her parents and to think about others' feelings and lives.

One concern with the story is the treatment of sex. it is not graphic sex as found in some books, but it is mentioned frequently and characters use it for manipulation. While the situations fit the story and are part of a character's growth arc, this might make the book better suited for older YA readers.

First of all, thank you to Penguin Teen and Net Galley for an e-ARC of Winterkeep!



It has been quite some time since we last stepped foot in the Graceling Realm, so what a treat this was! Winterkeep picks up 4 years after Bitterblue. New land to the East has been discovered, and when Bitterblue, Gordon and Java set off to learn more, Bitterblue is kidnapped.

I loved the first 2 books in Graceling Realm, but if I'm honest, this has been my least favorite. It went in some pretty crazy directions, and over all it felt like it wanted to be something else entirely. Fire and Graceling will forever be my favorites of this series!

As with any continuation of a series, and especially so with one so beloved to me, I was slightly nervous going into Winterkeep, afraid that this book wouldn’t live up to my high expectations—but I was not disappointed in the least. Kristin Cashore’s writing remains as suspenseful and gripping as ever, gently pulling me into the story bit by bit until I was completely engrossed without realizing it. All the characters, both new and old, were written so well with satisfying arcs, and I was reminded of why Cashore’s books hit me so hard—the initial lack and gradual gaining of agency as the driving force of these characters’ arcs will never fail to make me emotional.

I loved the exploration of a new setting with different political issues that were still reminiscent of problems in the previous books with that ever familiar political corruption simmering underneath. The themes of this book (and series) are brilliant and all too recognizable in our own world. The varying impacts of abuse and trauma, on children and animals and kids long grown up but still learning how to cope with the lingering effects. The endless, cyclical fight to detect and stop corruption from blooming where there is power (and someone, somewhere, always has power). Both of these and more are delved into in Winterkeep, with so much nuance, grace, and care for the characters who are at the heart of it.

I enjoyed Winterkeep so much, and I am so happy we had another chance to be back in the Graceling realm. Cashore writes YA fantasy like no other, set apart from others with her classic, timeless voice and thoughtful examination of abuse and politics. I can’t wait for the next book of the series.

The Graceling Realm trilogy is one that I’ve revisited many times over the years and continue to be some of my most checked out library books. From the world building to the magic system Cashore doesn’t disappoint. I’m so glad to finally revisit this world that didn’t leave me with enough of a satisfying ending.

I found this book so exciting! The Graceling series has been a classic through the years! I loved the writing style and the action throughout the story.

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore; Dial Books, 517 pages ($19.99) Ages 14 and up.

...

In this thrilling new installment of her Graceling Realm fantasy series (eight years after publication of "Bitterblue"), Kristin Cashore gracefully expands the terrain of the "known world" east to Winterkeep, an enlightened democratic republic of brown-skinned people where humans can communicate with telepathic creatures and people travel by airship.

Young Queen Bitterblue has ruled the kingdom of Monsea for five years, trying to repair the damage done by her psychopathic father, King Leck, even as a Council of her allies seeks to curb the worst impulses of neighboring monarchs. After her two envoys drown in a shipwreck, the queen sets sail to Winterkeep with her friend, Giddon, and her spy, Hava, to investigate. But fate intervenes in a shocking way, and the stakes have never been higher as Cashore draws the reader in to her intricately crafted tale with its fascinating political intrigue, plot twists and thrilling suspense.

Brave young Lovisa Cavenda, who has made a habit of spying on her powerful parents, Ferla (Winterkeep president) and Benni (an industrialist), is a marvelous addition to Cashore's gallery of strong female characters. The novel shifts between five perspectives: Lovisa, Bitterblue, Giddon, a telepathic fox and a massive tentacled creature that dwells in the depths of the sea, somewhat resembling a giant squid.

The telepathic creatures add a fascinating dimension to this book's environmental theme as a debate rages in the bitterly divided Winterkeep parliament over whether to allow the use of a silver-mining byproduct called zilfium as a fuel despite its polluting effects. The toxic parenting on display in "Winterkeep" rivals the toxic parenting Bitterblue suffered from her father, who murdered her mother and whose "grace" was the ability to make others believe his lies.

Cashore is a wonderful storyteller, and we can only hope she will continue the saga of the Graceling realm; other fantasy series that rival her work in fascinating world-building and character development (and feature strong female characters) include French author Christelle Dabos' "The Mirror Visitor Quartet" and Jordan Ifueko's "The Raybearer."

It's been a while since I've read Graceling, but I remember loving it. And I loved this too. It's strange, I'll admit but just my kind of strange. I love Lovisa, love her journey, her self-discovery, her questioning. I love how queer this book is and in a way that is never questioned or seen as abnormal, queer is just a part of this world. So yeah, I loved it. I'm sure it has flaws, everything does, but I very much enjoyed the experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing a digital ARC in exchange for a review.

In Winterkeep, the fourth entry in Kristin Cashore’s Graceling series, the world has grown with the discovery of a new continent, Torla, and the country of Winterkeep, where gas-powered airships transport the populace and telepathic animals add an interesting twist to natural conservation. When Queen Bitterblue’s envoys to Winterkeep die under suspicious circumstances and a trade conspiracy comes to light, she sets off to Winterkeep with Hava and Council representative Giddon to investigate, but disappears before reaching her destination. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Lovisa, the daughter of the Keepish president, slowly uncovers a political plot that could change the entire world.

Winterkeep is a fantastic continuation of a series that I thought had ended as a trilogy. It expands the world and raises the stakes both for Bitterblue’s own country and the balance of power across her world. With Winterkeep, readers are thrust into a brand new country and culture, with twisty political machinations and a brand new ecosystem. The characters are engaging and the constant shifts in perspective between Bitterblue, Giddon, Lovisa, a telepathic fox, and a strange, 12-limbed sea creature who insists it is not a myth keep the plot zipping along. While having read the previous books in the series would give a reader valuable context on who various characters are, there’s enough exposition to give you the bare minimum understanding you need to move forward. I haven’t read the previous books since Bitterblue came out and in the beginning I struggled with the sense that I should remember more about the returning characters, but the weight given to new characters like Lovisa and new dynamics like Bitterblue’s friendship with Giddon kept me from getting bogged down or confused. More than anything I appreciate Cashore’s talent for telling a story so immersive that the world around me falls away while I’m reading. I’m off to reread Graceling and hope that everyone will enjoy Winterkeep as much as I did.

I did enjoy being back in the Graceling universe, liked the characters and the setup, but it felt a little longer than it needed to be. There was some suspense and a few surprises along the way, but too much casual sex, especially for the teen protagonist.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Many times I felt lost as to the point of the story. It was overly long, to the point that I was confused in putting details together. So much was unnecessary.

It added some higher fantasy elements (animals as protagonists) that threw me a bit and I never quite grew to appreciate them.

Lovisa was a new character and I struggled with her for the first half of the book. She was promiscuous and used sex in such an unhealthy way, it felt too much for YA. The sex was more detailed also. Most of the characters we know and love are into their 20’s now so their lives and choices are more adult. Lovisa was 16 and her escapades were more detailed. I was confused on where this was supposed to be labeled and not sure how well the YA genre holds.

I did end up liking the last 25% or so and that redeemed the book a bit for me. However, I never felt endeared to Lovisa and waited for Bitterblue to come back. And where were Katsa and Po? Sigh. I missed them.

All in all it was entertainment but needed to be shorter and more to the point.

Winterkeep is the 4th installment in the Graceling Realm series, with stunning new cover artwork!😍 I had to reread the first three books in preparation of what I KNEW would be an epic novel. I am a huge fan of An Ember in the Ashes series, and the graveling series had that same epic feel, characters that are so incredible well developed over the span of the books, with an incredible world building.

Taking place four years after Bitterblue, Winterkeep feels like a faster paced novel, with more mature topics. Where we are dying to find out what’s new with our favorite characters, and get to meet some interesting new ones. It is a must read addition of the Graveling Reals series, and I promise it will not disappoint.

My copies of the series are the original covers, now I have to get my hands on the new, gorgeous, colorful covers!

Big thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to this book for free! When I first requested this book, I for some reason thought this was part of another series that I had read, but my virtual teaching mom brain is mush. I actually haven’t read this but I did hear it could be read as a stand alone so I gave it a whorl. I unfortunately have to say that this book is not for me. I think that if I had read the series prior to this I may have liked it more, however there were some pretty glaringly problematic things that happen overall that don’t vibe well with me. I think it’s more of a personal problem so I don’t necessarily take star ratings off for things I don’t like (such as slut shaming, child abuse, etc) just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s a terrible book.

With that being said, I do find the story interesting and intriguing. I think that there’s a lot to unpack, the political aspects of the book were pretty fleshed out, however I think the jumping back and forth between POV, including the sea creatures kind of threw me off a bit. I think maybe I just don’t mesh well with Cashore’s writing style.

Again, because this was my mistake, I am not going to transfer my review to goodreads. I am still going to promote the books publication date as there are MANY Graceling fans, and I want to make sure I’m doing my part. So, I will leave my review here on NetGalley with a 3 star rating (as I do think the writing was a bit disjointed, the plot has a lot of missing pieces in general, and the pacing was very slow - lots of unnecessary information... like 3 pages worth of slut shaming was too much for me). Again, overall - for a Gracelings fan, I think they will enjoy this!

After reading through the first three books of the Graceling Realm series Winterkeep provides a growth that brings a sense of reality to the Graceling Realm that parallels the truths of the world we know. It feels like a more mature and educated read, reflecting. much of the changes of the past few years. This is such a great way to provide younger readers with an understanding of their importance in the world, especially with the environment and politics, things that, unfortunately, cannot be pushed aside or ignored anymore.

I know some people were worried about this book changing the memories of the previous books in the series and I would argue that it did not for me personally. In fact, I found it refreshing for the fantasy series I love so much to tackle some of these difficult issues. While fantasy is a great escape it can also be a great opportunity to tackle real-world problems in a safer environment.

While I was so excited to revisit some old characters, I felt so much connection to the newly introduced characters. Lovisa's character is one that presents so much depth and complexity despite her naivety. Lovisa's thoughts reveal the internal struggles that lead to growth and healing. Bitterblue, although previously focused on, is again a focal character in Winterkeep and her growth is evident in her actions and words. It was beautiful to see who she grew up to be, knowing her past.

It is not surprising that Kristin Cashore has created and expanded on her amazing world-building and it is especially not surprising that I loved every corner of it. There is an amazing new world with beautiful creatures to explore and understand in Winterkeep. This story is filled with adventure that is sure to keep you on your toes.

I gave the whole Graceling series a re-read in 2020, and was delighted to discover, afterwards, that Winterkeep would be coming out! I'm going to try to keep this review shorter than some of my other essays, which I think might be longer than is helpful, but here's what I loved:

-Good stable of characters I knew and loved without feeling fanservice-y. Mostly this carries forward characters from Bitterblue, but other Graceling characters come up in conversation, and a couple appear in ways that matter. I really don't like it when old favorite characters show up but as cardboard cutouts with little bearing on the plot, and that certainly didn't happen here. In particular, a sort of flat character from previous books gets a real arc here.
-Gripping plot that moves fast, and has a couple elements of mystery through the middle. To some this might make the book feel a little inconsistent, but I personally really like a little mystery in my other genres.
-As always, a vivid world full of idiosyncrasies, but ones largely in line with the rest of the Graceling Realm. I really liked the silbercows, and the Keeper stories!
-Colorful set of POVs that carry the plot from some cool angles. In particular, Lovisa's narration is very colored by her life experience in a way that felt true.

There were a couple of things that didn't quite work for me-- I thought some of the higher tech in WInterkeep was starting to play a little fast and loose with the worldbuilding. I don't necessarily hate there being a continent that's ahead technologically, but a lot of the tech felt like sideways implementations of things that exist in our world. A system of mirrors to relay messages via morse code, for example, seemed a little coy. Some of the political commentary felt a little heavy-handed as well, but that may be a matter of taste.

I wanted to give a final shout-out to the delicate balance of tone in this book, as well as in Bitterblue. Both books get much darker than the previous two Graceling Realm books, but still manage to keep a little flame of hope going. I think a lot of this is comes down to Bitterblue as a main character-- she's fierce and endlessly resilient, but not perfect. It makes sense that she's the grown-up version of the stubborn little girl that Katsa carried over that mountain pass so many years ago when I first read Graceling.

If you liked Bitterblue, this is an easy must-read-- and if you just like fantasy with vivid worldbuilding, I wouldn't miss it either.

Kristin Cashore doesn't disappoint with the 4th book in her Graceling series. Queen Bitterblue is swept overboard while sailing to a distant land to negotiate peace and trade agreements. Thinking she is dead, her friends and advisors continue with mission, but find themselves involved in solving a mystery. Deception, betrayal, mindreading animals, murder, and love are all part of this exciting novel.