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Winterkeep

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Winterkeep

By: Kristin Cashore
Narrated by: Emma Powell
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Summary

A new land has been discovered to the east. Winterkeep is a land of miracles, a democratic republic run by people who like each other, where people speak to telepathic sea creatures, adopt telepathic foxes as pets, and fly across the sky in ships attached to balloons. 

But when Bitterblue's envoys to Winterkeep drown under suspicious circumstances, she and Giddon and her half-sister, Hava, set off to discover the truth - putting both Bitterblue's life and Giddon's heart to the test when Bitterblue is kidnapped. Giddon believes she has drowned, leaving him and Hava to solve the mystery of what's wrong in Winterkeep.

Lovisa Cavenda is the teenage daughter of a powerful Scholar and Industrialist (the opposing governing parties) with a fire inside her that is always hungry, always just nearly about to make something happen. She is the key to everything, but only if she can figure out what's going on before anyone else, and only if she's willing to transcend the person she's been all her life.

©2020 Kristin Cashore (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt
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It was great to have all my old favourite characters back plus some new ones, and to expand the world from the original books. Intrigue, tragedy and mythical sea creatures, what's not to love! I love the way Kristin writes emotion and inner monologue.

Loved it, such an original idea.

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I hesitated to buy this, having very much enjoyed the previous books in this series as a YA reader. Now a little older, I wondered whether this would have the same charm. It absolutely did.

Actually, I would say that this is almost aimed at that older YA / no longer YA reader, given the dark themes and non-avoidance of sex as a plot driver / character motivation. (As other reviews have noted, the sex in the story is tasteful and minimal - this is not a steamy novel).

Otherwise, the story, pace, and characterisations were fabulous, and I thought the narrator performance was perfectly matched to Kristin Cashore's style.

worthy successor

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I seem to remember reading, I think it was after the 2nd book was published ("Fire", which is chronologically the 1st book in the Realms universe) that Kashore was planning on writing just a trilogy. I'm glad she didn't as this book continues the series rather nicely. It's been 8+ years since the 3rd book was published; I hope it's shorter to the next one.

Following the theme of the other books, we are presented with a new heroine, this time just 16 years old, and faced with a huge moral dilemma for one so young. In "Fire", the story deals with the heroine in the aftermath of her moral dilemma. Here, the heroine has to work through it, and face the consequences of her decision. Like all the previous heroines, she has the burden of a disturbed childhood. The links with the previous novels are limited to Bitterblue and Giddon (a minor character in previous novels, but much more important in this one). Katsa and Po do not make an apperance, but are briefly mentioned. A welcome inclusion is the development of the character of Hava, Bitterblue's half-sister. We left her in the 3rd book as a very frightened and reclusive child/early teens. Here she is much more assured and openly involves herself in the world around her, and its intrigues.

Emma Powell does a nice job bringing out each character. Overall, a very welcome addition to the Graceling Realms universe. I hope I haven't given spoilers for potential readers with this review - my apologies if I have.

A good 4th book

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continuing the story of Bitterblue. whilst I would love to hear more about Fire and Katsa from the first two books this narrative is still pretty engrossing

a good story well told

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I am so sad to have come to the end of this wonderful series. This book was so exciting and keeps you wondering at every turn. I really struggled to stop listening. I want to warn potential readers that this series contains a lot of upsetting, violent things. I also think the sex in this book was too much and unnecessary, but still done subtly and not over the top. I enjoyed the narrator's different accents and quiet reading style. Really a great read if you like strong female characters, romantic love stories with happy endings and lots of mysteries.

Thrilling to the end

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