I have loved everything Cashore has done in the Graceling realm, and I'm really looking forward to this one as well. I'm intrigued to see if this is a sort of finish to the series - wrapping up with what appears to be political intrigue - or if we're going to continue to grow with these characters. Frankly, Winterkeep was a surprise; I thought we had finished with Bitterblue.

Strangely I reread Graceling and Bitterblue last month so this preview came at the perfect time!

It was instantly gripping with brilliant dialogue as always and I can't wait to read the rest.

Thanks to Netgalley for the sneak peek.

5 years from the events of Bitterblue and we get to read from Giddon's perspective. It's very interesting hearing about this new continent and the people. I only got a teaser of it but I'm looking forward to reading more. I really enjoyed Giddon's POV and I'm excited to see where his story goes. I'm hoping for more Giddon and Bitterblue. I think anyone who is a fan of the series should pick this up.

This was a great preview, I’m so excited to read the entire thing! The beginning was attention grabbing, and wow I’ll need to reread the first three books to prepare for the rest of this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC chapter sampler.

The Graceling Realm series is one of my all time favorites. I prayed & hoped Kristin would continue to write another book/series in this world, and I was elated when I saw Winterkeep was finally announced.

What I’ve loved most about this series so far, besides its characters, is it’s incredible world building. It’s been years since I’ve read Butterblue, yet when I read this chapter sampler it seemed like only yesterday I read that book. It was so easy to jump right back into her world and story.

This chapter sampler was perfect. It set up the story and now I’m dying for more. I cannot wait to jump back into Bitterblue, Gideon, and Selie’s world!!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me a preview of Winterkeep.

To be honest, I was reluctant to dive back into the Graceling Realm because it has been years since I had last thought of the series. I was anxious that I wouldn't be as immersed or enjoy it because of my lack of connection to it, but to my surprise, it wasn't that bad.

I enjoy the politics and court shenanigans that Bitterblue and her friends have to deal with, but I quickly got lost and forgot most of the characters as soon as they were introduced. I kept flipping back thinking, "Wait, who?" I felt like it was too much at once (that might just be a me thing though). The dialogue is easy to digest. I especially liked reading from Giddon's POV because of his (possibly?) unrequited feelings for Bitterblue.

I'm excited to read more when Winterkeep comes out, but I hope the worldbuilding improves as the story progresses. I don't want to lose interest because there are too many characters to keep track of.

I'm soooo excited for this next installment in the Graceling Realm! For those who are unfamiliar, practically each book can be a stand alone. But if you love stories, do yourself a favor and start with Graceling. Bitterblue has grown into a strong queen and one that truly cares for her people. What a great preview!!! I'm sooooooo excited ALL. OVER. AGAIN!!!

Based on the excerpt that I reviewed, I definitely plan to read the full book upon it’s release.  Engaging page turner.  It looks very interesting

A powerful, jaw gripping pages!!!!! The characters. Atmosphere. I flew through these pages. The cover pulled me right in.

This is a short preview of the fourth book in the graceling series. I'm so excited to read the full book and see more of Bitterblue and Giddon. I'll certainly reread the whole series before that.

this was a fantastic excerpt. i've missed this series so much! loved the first three. can't wait for the rest of this book!

This is quite the start. But you definitely need to have read the first 3 books to have any idea what the heck is going on.
I read these years ago and I think I will need a massive reread before going into this one.

From just the excerpt I can tell that this will be another great story from Kristin Cashore. I’m a huge fan of the Graceling series and can’t wait to see where the rest of the book takes us.

In the small preview, we immediately start catching up with Giddon and some of what's been happening since Bitterblue. Things are still bad for Gracelings and seems like there's more trouble brewing.

From what I read, I was into the story. I'm a fan of the series so far and can't wait to read the rest of the book.

I cannot wait to read the complete novel! The Graceling trilogy has been one of my all time favorites for years now. I'm so excited to read Winterkeep and see how my favorites are faring. I'm so intrigued by the premise and I cannot wait to learn more about how this plot is going to progress.

I was excited to see there was a preview of Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore, as I had enjoyed the first three books in this series.

There's a fair amount of recap, which is nice since it's been a while since I was in this world. The characters seem genuine and have some humorous exchanges. I'm interested to see where Gideon's story takes us, especially with a new land introduced.

As Bitterblue was my least favorite of the first three books in the series, I'm hoping that Winterkeep will be the exciting continuation that I had hoped for. The preview certainly is promising!

I loooove this serie. Bitterblue is such a lovely character and i love to see how she grows into this amazing strong women.

Before requesting this preview (which I believed to be a complete ARC, my mistake. However, it would be great if that were clearer on NetGalley), it was my understanding that you could read the Graceling books as stand-aliens (though, you may be somewhat confused at first). Given that I read the Graceling many many years ago, and have essentially no recollection of it. I decided to give this book (preview) a try! Unfortunately, I was left confused. Understandably, this was just the beginning of the story, so it's entirely possible that it becomes easier to get a grasp on the world.

Because I couldn't remember the Graceling all that well, I thought it would be smart to re-read the novel. So, I did. As I do with many of the ARCs that I request (unknowingly signing myself up for a sequel to an already published book... but I'm decent enough to the point where I read the rest of the books in the series before reading the ARC). Anyways this review is a jumbled mess.

Overall findings:
-The preview of this book showed me, The Graceling Realm books may not be great stand alones
-I don't like the Graceling Realm

I apologize, to both myself and everyone involved, for requesting this ARC.

I read the 48 page preview and I am so excited for this book to release next month! I read the first three books years ago.

There's a small amount of recap, to remind you who is who, which was nice. The characters are already loveable, their relationships are sweet and endearing.

I really enjoy seeing this book from Gideon's perspective, I find him funny and intriguing. I'm curious to learn more about him already.

Ahoy there mateys!  "Can’t Wait Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  Each Wednesday ye get to highlight a book that ye be really looking forward to.  I don't normally do memes here on me log, but I received this young adult fantasy eARC excerpt from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I loved it and am now looking forward to readin' the full version when it be published.  The stats:

Title: winterkeep

Author: Kristin Cashore

Publisher: Dial Books

Publication Date: January 19, 2021 (hardback/ebook)

ISBN: 978-0803741508

Source: NetGalley

Well mateys.  I loved the Graceling realm when I was younger.  I reread those books over and over again.  Me reread as an adult was surprisingly not as good but I can't help but be fascinated by the world.  I was intrigued when I saw this new offering.  I wasn't sure at first if I would read it but was too curious and so got the excerpt to see what was happening.  I basically forgot it was an excerpt, got to the end, and was sad I didn't have more.

These books are said to be set up to be companion books that can be read in any order.  I disagree.  They build on each other.  A lot of what I read in book four would make a person lost if they didn't know what came before.  I did wish that this new book involved new characters but instead it deals with Bitterblue again.  However, I quickly wanted to know more about the new lands and people and plots brewing.  I will certainly be I certainly do want to know what happens next.  Arrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Dial Books!