Five years ago, Queen Bitterblue took over and began to pick up the pieces left behind by her father’s rule. When she learns about Torla, Bitterblue heads to Winterkeep. On the way she is kidnapped, and the rest of her envoy drowns. Believing she is dead, Hava and Giddon set off to discover the truth about Winterkeep. Meanwhile, Lovisa, a scholar’s teenage daughter, seeks out the answers to her past. A past which might hold the key to everything. Will Hava and Giddon ever figure out the truth about what happened to Bitterblue? Will Bitterblue ever escape? What is really happening in Winterkeep? The plot is fresh, engaging, and full of political intrigue magic, and mystery. The story keeps moving and engages the reader. The world is consistent and keeps true to the world of Graceling. The characters continue to grow, are well-developed. The LGBQT+ relationships are positive and are believable. Recommended for readers who have enjoyed the other books in the series will want to pick this one up.

I hadn't thought that I needed more in this universe, but apparently I did! Cashore's writing is, as always, excellent, her characters extremely well-written, and her portrayal of varying types of parental abuse and the complicated feelings that can arise is extremely effective. This is a lengthy read and much of it is full of Emotions and Politics and an environmental message which occasionally verges on preachy (plus frank discussions of sex - I remember how shocked and intrigued I was to come across even more toned-down content along these lines when reading Graceling as a teen), but the universe feels extremely whole and even the aspects that I was iffy on at first such as the telepathic foxes were used well. Recommend to fans of the original three books, as well as those who enjoyed Marchetta's Lumatere Chronicles.

AH. 4.5 stars, rounded up because I really loved this book in the end. What do you do with a book that starts off on shaky ground and then totally redeems itself?

This book was hard to get into. It's been ages since I read the first 3 books, and I am notoriously bad at names and geography and timelines and... well, all the stuff that made up the first third of this book. The beginning felt like a history lesson with a bit of plot thrown in; while it was nice to see some of the characters again, it was in turns overwhelming and exhausting trying to keep track of everyone. I do think my experience of the book would have been very different if I had read Bitterblue more recently. If you're planning to pick this one up after a long time away from the series, do yourself a favor and revisit Bitterblue first.

Of course, Bitterblue's story wasn't the only one being told. Perspectives included new and familiar humans, a very intelligent blue fox, and an endearingly misunderstood sea monster, choices that felt ridiculous at the time but were totally worth it in the end. Pieces of the puzzle were placed down without any context, but as the picture took shape, it got easier to see the connections and even guess at what was coming. I loved watching the players inch closer to one another as the narratives converged.

I found Cashore's writing style to be oddly simple at times, a complaint I don't remember at all from the first three books. Many things were told rather than shown, especially in the beginning while characters got (re)established and they didn't have very much to do yet aside from brood and reflect on why they were making certain choices. The fox was far and away my favorite perspective, perhaps in part because his voice fit Cashore's overarching style better than the rest. Also because he's a clever beastie and a very good boi.

Okay. That's a lot to say against a book that I'm giving very-nearly-5-stars. The hint of a mystery (and the fact that it's a Graceling book) kept me reading through the initial hurdles, and at some point I discovered that I just couldn't put it down. I know there have been complaints about the sheer number of story revisits that are coming out now. (Twilight, The Hunger Games, etc.) This book was NOT just some cash grab. There was so much more to know about Bitterblue's story, never mind the entirely new setting. Cashore excels at worldbuilding, and once I got over my childhood fear of geography, I loved discovering more about the new lands and cultures. I adored Lovisa's character and seeing how she grew to face her own challenges, and I would absolutely read another book about her and the people in her life. As with Cashore's other books, I simultaneously feel like I know these characters well and that I could spend so much more time with them than I was given. I also got the sense, as usual, that there was much more going on behind the scenes that could be explored further. This was a necessary and wonderful addition to the series, and I genuinely hope that we get to see more of this world in the future.

Forgot to send feedback after reading - I enjoyed this latest tale in the series and seeing Bitterblue all grown up. I would love for another book about Katsa and Po!

[Already cross posted on Goodreads; Will go live on alisoninbookland.com on January 11]


I’m always hesitant about additional books in a series that are published years later. It can sometimes feel like a money grab. These additional books in a series also sometimes do giant time jumps so we can ‘see’ our characters years later and see how they’re doing. It’s SO easy to miss the mark when tackling those kind of stories. Thankfully, Cashore wrote a series a stand alone novels where time jumps between the books is normal so Winterkeep easily fits in with the other Graceling Realm books.

Like the rest of the Graceling Realm books, this is a stand alone book that takes place in the same universe. Readers can technically read the books in whichever order they prefer (though I do personally recommend reading them in ‘order’). It’s been several years since I’ve read the books and I was able to keep up with everything fairly well with my fuzzy memory. I do wish I had read through the glossary of people at the back of the book before reading the book just to jog my memory of who some of the semi-familiar names were in connection to past books.

Cashore does YA fantasy really, really well but I do think it’s for a specific type of fantasy reader. Winterkeep clocks in at over 500 pages. I know that is a daunting length. The books are paced on the slower side and focus quite heavily on world building, characters, and politics. I personally love getting lost in this world, meeting & loving the characters, & attempting to figure out the politics. For readers who need action packed stories, they might struggle with the book.

As usual, the politics where my absolute favorite part of this book. Everything weaves together beautifully. It was like a great mystery trying to figure everything out, where loyalties lie, & who to believe. I really do love how each book in the series takes place somewhere a little different so the reader gets to see a wide variety of political landscapes.

For readers who need to know: yes, there’s there’s more sex in case that’s a turn off for you. It still mostly fades to black which keeps it in the YA category. It does feel like there’s a lot more of it (and with more people) than I remember in the other books (but I could be off with my memory). Might not be the best YA fantasy pick for some of the youngest fantasy readers.

All in all, I’m pleased that Winterkeep kept the spirit and feel of the rest of the series all these years later.

*Review will be published January 12th*

LEFT WANTING.

I’m going to say it: I was disappointed in this highly anticipated release. It left me wanting many things.

First of all, there’s no way this needed to be 500+ pages. Holy wow, it just kept going and going and going with little direct focus on and overall plot. I felt spun in circles about getting to the bottom of what Bitterblue and her friends were really trying to accomplish.

This was a very nostalgic read for me. I adore the Graceling realm and had high hopes for how this world was going to continue. Even if I was let down, it was still fun to be back and to see characters I’ve missed. I did love seeing Bitterblue again. And her new love interest was sweet and I loved how their ending came about.

I enjoyed the new characters even if there were so good and bad. I also had a hard time with some of the aspects of the multiple romances. This book mostly hung out in a young adult place, but would tend to jump up to mature young adult or border new adult, but only in regards to the love scenes. It left me wondering where it was trying to go.

Lovisa was a strong addition and had a large character arc. I appreciated her resilience against what she knew was wrong even if it was hard going against those she loved. Add in some talking foxes and it was a nice whimsical touch.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy
Language: very little
Romance: kisses/make-outs; some mild open door scenes and closed door
Violence: physical, kidnapping, drownings, explosions, arson, murder

Woe, for I am bummed.

Lets start with the good : where this book really shines is the worldbuilding. While the world had expanned a time or two in the first three books of the <i>Graceling Realm</i> series, it goes even further in <b>Winterkeep</b>. That plus the in-book passage of time, and new problems, is what keeps this series feeling fresh and, particularly in the case of coming back to a series so many years after publishing what seemed to be the final book, makes it feel less like the cash grab we so often see. But that said..

Maybe had I not just reread the first three books I wouldn't have noticed as much (though that isn't to say I would've liked it any more than I did..) but none of the recurring characters felt true to form. Giddon, in particular, felt strange as if he didn't quite fit into the shape he'd once been formed of, and Bitterblue.. I don't know. She was a harder character to like throughout the series but she was a character you could respect, to sympathize with, and yet she also felt a little untethered in this book, too. As for the new introductions? Didn't like a single one.

The plot itself felt disjointed but I'm used to Cashore stringing us along on a wild ride that only starts to make sense near the end, but this one? I don't know. Basically everything from the characters to their motivations, and how it drove the plot and their machinations, nothing really felt all that solid. I both appreciated and yet hated the inclusion of yet another twisty and toxic emotional dynamic, because it's definitely important to shed light on and have young readers educated on how it's not acceptable, but combined with the fact that I wasn't enjoying the story, or the character who took the brunt of it all? Yeah, it was tough.

I think there was potential here, for sure, and I definitely maybe had too high a set of expectations after revisiting and rediscovering my love for books one to three all over again, but.. this just didn't work for me. Not as a fan of the series or as just a reader of fantasy. I couldn't love it, could barely like it, and it seemed to take me way too long to get through. I'm sad.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't read already the <i>Graceling Realm</i> books but I would also caution fans to lower their expectations. I have no idea if this is kicking out even more books to come in this world but, despite how I feel about this one, I would still read more.

2.5

Bitterblue and her court have discovered the hints of underhanded dealings from the neighboring continent of Winterkeep, they decide a visit to the land without magic but rich with science—including a powerful and intriguing metal, zilfium. But on their voyage to go investigate for themselves, Bitterblue falls off the ship! Kristin Cashore wows with the fourth novel in her Graceling series. Winterkeep is a story of magic and mystery, of adventure and introspection, of magic and wonder.

I have not yet read the other Graceling novels, but Winterkeep did a fantastic job of introducing the characters and overarching world without feeling didactic. Although it starts a little bit slow, which I’ve come to expect from fantasy as a genre, and ends with a few open questions (book 5 anyone?), the whole novel felt wonderfully ‘put together.’ Winterkeep is also an incredibly timely book, with a fascinating undercurrent discussing war and environmentalism that reaches the surface near the novel’s conclusion.

I’m excited to dig into the rest of the Graceling series and see what else Bitterblue and her friends have to offer!

I thought this was a pretty good next book in the graceling series, nothing special, but not awful. I don’t have much to say honestly, it was simply nothing special.

*cries eternally*
This was soooooo good!

Okay something that I need to get off my chest immediately is that I'm tired of seeing people in this review section saying this is just another Midnight Sun or Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (idk if that is even the correct title) because this is not like those books at all. Cashore's used her novels numerous times to start conversations in the YA community about issues like feminism, environmentalism (happens in Winterkeep), etc. I'm not going to linger on this anymore because I'm going to switch to my mix of pure, obsessed fangirl and analyst, but this is a note to all those annoying haters.

To start Winterkeep takes place five years after Bitterblue. I know a lot of YA people are not big fans of the books after Graceling because they start to have a slower pace, hold more adult themes, etc. and to that I say THEY SURE DO.
It makes them MONUMENTALLY better.
I would highly compare Winterkeep to Bitterblue because Cashore is expanding this world to new lengths I could never have forseen before.
Lovisa, our newest character recruit, is a morally grey teen who is torn on her allegiances to Winterkeep to loved ones and most importantly to her own morals. Bitterblue, on the other hand, is just trying to protect and run her kingdom while dealing with another continent with insane technological advances (when compared to the Seven Kingdoms, the Dells, and their continent overall).
Winterkeep is another piece of growth for this world. I laughed. I cried. And I most certainly screamed my head off. There's so many emotions that coil and boil throughout this story from the entire range of characters. I liked this installment specifically because a lot of the side characters in Bitterblue come farther into the light. Enigmas like Hava become invaluable to the storyline, and I've always been curious about her character after finding out her backstory towards the end of Bitterblue.
Now I cannot say much else because then I'd spoil you all, and that would be horrific because this is an amazing book. What I can say is that I went through Winterkeep so quickly that it did not even feel like a 500+ page novel. I'm devouring the lore left and right and just trying to keep up with these marvelous foxes. Ooops I've said too much.. *wink wink*
Anyway, this book was incredible, and I know I've said this multiple times already, but I just need to say it again. Cashore steps beyond the bounds of YA to bring in environmental issues to the Graceling-verse and even a darker element to politics than seen before. She's always been an author even before the 2010's that discussed topics not yet mainstream, but she uses her fantasy books as messages about the realities of life. It's brilliant and valuable.
P.S. As a little aside, they’re some changes to this story than what happened in Bitterblue. Keep the 5 years in mind because of course nothing is the same as it once was. People growth, mature, etc.

Just like without Cashore's previous books they're some heavy triggers, and I'm going to list as many as I can recall.
TW: Animal abuse, child abuse, gaslighting (mostly parental), prisoner starvation, near drowning, sexual assault (not rape but specifically rough, cruel sexual touching without permission), suicidal thoughts, kidnapping, claustrophobia, environmental cruelty/ deterioration, and bomb warfare.

First of all, I want to thank Penguinteen for sending me this ARC through Netgalley! This was one of my most anticipated books of next year, and I am so excited I got to read it a little early!

Magical World-Building. Fierce Characters. Epic Romance. This book gives you all this and more! Winterkeep was such a magical read, and probably my favorite out of all four books in the Graceling Realm series! It was fast-paced with so many new characters that I found it hard to put this book down. I will try to keep this review short because I don't want to accidentally spoil anything!

Let's start off with the world-building! One thing that I love about all Cashore's book's is that her world-building is always so in-depth and fantastical. She manages to transport the reader into the story, and creates these magical world you never want to leave. Winterkeep was exactly that! Winterkeep is a magical place with so many new magical creatures, and by the end of the book, all I wanted was to remain in this world Cashore created.

In this book, we got to see some old characters, but I loved getting to know the new characters as well! I loved Bitterblue in her book, and getting to see her and Giddon in this book was amazing! I loved getting Giddon's POV and getting to see a side of him that we didn't get to see in Bitterblue. Also, Lovisa is an amazing new addition to this series! She is strong, independent, curious, and always does what she believes is right.

In the end, this is a series everyone needs to read. Plus, have you guys seen those new covers for the series?! I need to buy them ASAP! But anyways, make sure to get Winterkeep when it hits shelves on January 19, 2021, because this is a book you will not want to miss!

Final Rating: 5/5 Stars

The Graceling Realm series came out when I had started high school (once upon a time), and I devoured each book as it came out. It’s unforgettable worldbuilding and riveting characters just hold you in place, and you can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next. Bitterblue, I thought, marked the end of the series until Kristin announced the arrival of Winterkeep, along with a whole new re-envisioning of the series covers. To say that I was excited is a severe understatement. Even with quite a bit of time having passed since Bitterblue, I was able to pick up this story and fall within its pages as if I had never left the Graceling realm. This book was not only captivating, but intense, and as Kristin did so many  years ago, she made me fall in love with each of the characters despite some of their choices. I didn’t want this book to end. Like the others, Winterkeep does have some triggers, and if physical abuse (in regard to children) is one, I might approach this book with caution.

If you’ve never read this series, you will definitely want to pick up the original three, because while this is a new story, it does talk about some of the characters in the previous books/spoil some of the previous books. I’ll also say that after a ten year break, it’s refreshing to get to go back into the Graceling realm with fresh eyes to see if it holds up, and for me, it definitely did. But yeah, don’t spoil it for yourself!

Winterkeep takes place four years after Bitterblue, and deals with a new land to the east of Monsea, of which the closest place to them is Winterkeep. Winterkeep is a land that’s full of marvels unlike they’d seen before, where sea creatures speak to each other, people can adopt telepathic foxes as pets and fly across the sky in airships. However, something else seems to be underfoot, when Bitterblue’s envoys to Winterkeep turn up missing, she goes off in search of them with her half sister Hava and friend (and possibly more) Giddon in tow. Before she can find a clue, she’s kidnapped, leaving everyone to think she’s drowned. In Winterkeep, Lovisa is a teenaged daughter of a Scholar and Industrialist who longs to make things happen, but without a clue as to how. She’ll need to catch on before everyone else does though, especially if she wants to see change.

There’s quite a bit to unpack in the summary alone, but let’s start at the beginning. We begin in the water, where the sea monsters, and something else are observing things happen around them. It’s a fascinating way to set the scene of what’s to come, especially in regard to Winterkeep. The underlying sense of mystery waiting is what propelled me forward to turn the page, and then we start getting into the bones of this story. I’m all about the way that Kristin Cashore shifts and pivots from each character’s point of view in a pretty seamless way. I especially loved when we start getting perspective from Ad, the telepathic fox as well as Lovisa’s point of view.

Now, when you start looking at each character, what I love about Kristin Cashore is her ability to make them frustratingly loveable. Lovisa definitely falls in this category, she’s quite clever, but gets into trouble quite easily. She also looks for trouble, partially due to the circumstances surrounding her raising. While sometimes it can call for some pretty quick judgement, I encourage readers to give Lovisa some grace while reading. Of all of the characters, she’s doing the most emotional growth of most of the characters.

That isn’t to say that Bitterblue doesn’t do some of her own growth in this book as well. As I mentioned, this book is very intense (the entire series really), and deals with very heavy themes from the beginning. For Bitterblue, dealing with the past, and also allowing it to help guide her in the present is key to her survival. Both Lovisa and Bitterblue have closed themselves off emotionally, and have to figure out how to navigate those emotions when they’re faced with some very hard situations. Kristin also goes into some political drama as well, where an advanced nation is taking advantage of one more ignorant of its potential resources. There’s so many layers to uncover, and I wish I could help you go through them all. Just know, if you’re looking for a book with lots of substance, this is definitely one you’ll want on your list.

Something I loved about Kristin Cashore’s books was the fact that romance isn’t at the centre of these stories. While it does play a role, it’s minimal and keeps the focus on the characters and what they’re going through. However, if you’re a reader that doesn’t like sex in books (or in YA), it does have that. Personally, I appreciate that this story both delves into consenting sexual relationship and sexuality. It’s tastefully done, and I think is also another topic that is worthy of discussion.

If I keep going too much longer, I’m going to wind up with pages of this review, so I’ll keep it at this. This story is phenomenal. If you were looking to continue this series and worried that there’s been a lot of change, I can honestly say that I felt like I picked up right where I left off. This story is a 10/10 for me. Add it to your TBR, buy it, request it from your library, but you’ll definitely want to get this one in your hands.

Another great installment to this series. I fell right back into this world and still find more and more fascinating things along the way. It's always different to read about political things happening in a fantasy world, when there are real ones happening here too. But I liked how Cashore played everything out and didn't gum it up like sometimes politics get here in the real world.
There is probably a lot more to say about this fantastic book, but I don't want to give anything away and I am still ruminating on things that happened in this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was amazing! It has been a long time since I read Bitterblue, but I fell right back into the series. I think one could read this title without having read the previous three. I highly recommend this book. Kristin Cashore is a skilled author.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing book! Graceling is one of my favorite YA fantasy books of all time, and I was so excited to find out there was going to be a new book in the series! Winterkeep did not disappoint, and I absolutely loved how the world-building was expanded to include some new landscapes, peoples, and governing systems. Some familiar characters from other volumes in the series play major roles in this one, especially Queen Bitterblue, and there are plenty of new characters to love as well, both humans and otherwise. The sentient non-humans in the story really add to the atmosphere, and I especially loved getting to know Ferla Cavenda's fox (probably my favorite character). The plot is fast-paced and fun, and I thought the political intrigue really made the story great. I'm a huge fan of this series, and I highly recommend this new volume (in addition to the previous ones, of course)!

I was super excited to be back in the Graceling Realm and to have it expanding!

Lovisa was a compelling main character, and I felt for her. I love how jaded Lovisa was about politics - felt very 2020. But ultimately I just wanted to hug her at the end.

I was sad we didn't see more of Bitterblue. The second quarter of the book was a little slow but it really picked back half way through. I found the creatures (silvercows, blue foxes and the keeper) very interesting.

I can't say that I enjoyed it as much as Graceling, but I will read anything in this series, possibly by this author!

I LOVED this book! Ferla was such an excellent villain. Just enough good to make you feel a little sorry for her but evil enough to not feel too bad. There was something in this book to please everyone - mystery, romance, talking creatures. It has so many pieces that would provide excellent discussion fodder - is it right to look the other way if many others are engaging in something wrong, how can we ensure that when something is created it is used for good not evil, and how could family dynamics make it easier or harder to go against your own family.

This review is ALL spoilers, so if you are a fan of the series and plan to read it, go to another review.

I had the opportunity to review this book from an e-galley, thanks #NetGalley, #LibraryJournal #SchoolLibraryJournal, #DayofDialogue, #DialBooksforYoungReaders

This book left me with the same questions I had about the earlier books in the series, but more so. Who is the audience for this book? The world building is ok, but the elements, especially the political elements that drive the plot, are very simplistic -- which makes you think of middle grade fiction, as do the telepathic purple dolphins and blue foxes. And then there is the explicit and promiscuous sex. So not so middle grade. And then there is a sadism that is a feature of the series. I understand that, especially in a quest book, the children or young adults need to be on their own, but every parent in this series is a true sadist, or a homicidal maniac, or dead, often at the heads of their spouse. The story has no moral center, for any of the characters -- their motto is survival at any cost.

So, I can't see recommending it to older YAs, either. The lack of focus for the characters is the characteristic of the series -- they act both older and younger than they are supposed to be. If you want interesting role models in a medieval fantasy realm, with plenty of action and adventure, try The Girl of Fire and Thorns instead.

Recommended only for series fans. The adventure moves along, some of the ideas are interesting, and there are a few interesting characters, though the most intriguing, Nev, is not developed very far. The legend of the Keeper and its reality is also interesting, but again, presented and dropped.

You know how Graceling is the greatest fantasy of all time? You know how Bitterblue ended and you just wanted to know MORE about her? And then Kristin Cashore made all of my fondest wishes come true with this beautiful novel. I literally read every page twice because the writing is so fantastic and I wanted to prolong the whole reading experience. I really didn't want this book to end. And when I finished, I just wanted to start it all over again. A perfect combination of mystery, romance, magic and political intrigue. (no one does better political intrigue/evil characters than Cashore) With deeper themes of truth and forgiveness and environmentalism and family. And foxes. This book is all the things. I laughed out loud. I cried, Hard. Many times. All the flipping stars for this perfect book.