2.5 stars *may change (I don't know how to rate this??? 3 stars is usually books that are very average, but I don't feel like this fits with my other 3 stars.)
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc.
The most difficult books to rate are the ones that didn't leave an impact on you. I can talk for however long about something that was terrible or something that was fantastic. Something that's just there? Yeah, I've got no words for it.
I don't love the idea of adding onto a series from years ago, but if the author has more stories to tell then who am I to stop them? I just wish that story that was being told was a bit more interesting.
Following a trend, we're looking at a new land and exploring a place call Winterkeep (cue title sequence). Don't ask me what happened in this book. I would not be able to answer that question. To be fair, I'm not a plot-driven type of reader. I rarely ever care about what happens in the story when compared to the character work, but I'd at least like to be able to name some events.
It's been a long time since the last Graceling book or since I've even thought about it, so this was a different experience for me. The writing style doesn't really click anymore.
I mean, the real problem with this book is that it simply wasn't for me. I can see why other people would read and love it, I can see why people might hate it. personally? I don't care.

This is more exciting than counting down to Christmas! I wish I had the self restraint to wait until the book came out but instead tortured myself by reading the excerpt. It threw me right back into the Graceling world and I’m intrigued to see how the new magic system in the newly discovered land ties in with the existing world and politics.

I've waited for this books for YEARS. I can't wait to read the whole book and i'm very glad to read this excerpt.

"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."

I know you've been wanting to return to the Graceling Realm too!

I was so excited when I heard there was going to be another book in the Graceling Realm. These books were my entire life growing up. They were one of the few series that got me into reading more.

When I got approved for a teaser of the new book - Winterkeep - I was thrilled, and let me tell you, this did not disappoint! This story continues with Bitterblue and we get to meet a new character, Lovisa. While the chapter teaser was amazing, it definitely has me wanting more.

I cannot wait to read the entire book!

Since only a preview section was provided, I can't review the whole story. But the start draws me right in. Familiar characters are back, although stronger and older. From the opening pages, we follow them into sticky situations where their ethics lead them to act. Characters are complicated and realistic, dialogue is natural but interesting, and emotional allegiances are sure to create a tangled web. Cashore's writing is evocative without weighing us down in description. The world builds naturally around the reader as we follow the MCs. I'm so looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

I´ve waited for this book since 2013 and now it´s almost here! Unfortunately I missed that this was only an excerpt from the book but from what i got to read, this holds the high standard of Cashore´s other books (not that I´m suprised). I cannot wait to get my hands on the real thing!

SO excited to read the whole thing! This sneak peak reminded how much I love Cashore’s writing, and it was very interesting being in Giddon’s pov. Can’t believe we’re getting another Graceling book.

I am HERE for the Giddon and Bitterblue ship. I cannot wait the ten days until this book is officially out. However, the excerpt has a lot of recap of Bitterblue that I found unnecessary. I love the cliffhangery "ending" of this excerpt, so hopefully the rest of the book is less filler and more substance!!

Well crap, I got my hopes up and dashed as I didn't realize this was only a sample. I read all the previous books in this series and was super excited to read this next installment but when I opened up my kindle and saw only a few little dots I was like, NOOOOOOOO. But alas it sets up the story and you want to keep reading so good job on the teaser.

Grrrrr. I specifically looked to see if this was just a preview when I saw it was available to download now, and I still somehow missed that it was only three chapters!

It's hard to leave a review on so short of a snapshot of a novel, but it did a great job setting up the stakes of the book and reintroducing a lot of old, beloved characters. I'm excited to see where this story goes!

Review of the chapter sampler provided by Netgalley

I must admit, I went into this book without reading any of the other Graceling books, because I heard that they were companions. Naturally, I was confused about what was going on in this sampler, but that was entirely my own doing. However, the little bit of the world and the story that I learned from this sampler had me intrigued for the other books in the series. The tidbit that I read of this world was enough for this series to work its way up on my TBR and I’m excited to learn more about this world.

Hi yes this was quite the tease. I try and avoid samplers because I get so hooked and then have to wait for the rest of the story! I did thoroughly enjoy this and can't wait to finish the story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me this sampler for an honest review!

5/5 stars. Thank you to penguin teen for sending me this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was amazing, it was fast paced and magical. The fierce characters and romance made me love this book so much and it was so hard to put down. The world building was fantastic. Winterkeep brought you into another world. It was an amazing way to end the series, and I would definitely recommend even more after reading this.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a chapter sampler, so there’s not a lot to review, but it has me wanting to go back, read Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue to help me recall the characters, then read the full book when it comes out.

I really enjoyed this excerpt of Winterkeep. It was very interesting to see some characters from the previous books grown up and some new characters interact. I was also very intrigued to see how the world the series is set in had changed since the last book Bitterblue. I will definitely be reading the rest of the book.

I am so excited for the release of Winterkeep! Thankful for this preview! I loved reading from Giddon's perspective and can't wait to see what happens next with Giddon and Bitterblue! Interested to see how the new characters' story lines play out. Loved the sneak peak and can't wait for more!

I have loved the previous books in the series so I was very excited to read this preview! I can't wait to read the whole book because this was just way too short for me. It was great to come back to the Graceling Realm series after so many years. I think I might need to reread the previous three books just for fun before I start to read Winterkeep.

Thank you Netgalley for this sneak peek.

I was super excited to get this sneak peek before the full novel is released. It has been quite a few years since I re-read the entire Graceling Realm series, though I usually re-read Fire (my favorite of the series) every year. It did take me a bit to re-acquaint myself with the characters and settings, but not long since I was fully involved by the 3rd chapter. Kristin Cashore does a great job of interweaving some of the backstory and refreshers into the story, it didn't feel like an info dump or overly repetitious, just a nice reminder of who everyone is and what they are up to. I am already super attached to Giddon and can't wait to read more. It looks like we are going to be introduced to a very cool new society in the world and I am so excited.

I wasn't sure if I should read this preview, as it's been years since I read the Graceling series, but I'm happy I did! In a few chapters, it did a great job at reintroducing the world and setting up the new conflict, without giving away too much of the story. I especially loved the established atmosphere and the political intrigue, which I'm hoping to see a lot more of in the full novel!