UK cover

As recently as March 1, I believe I may have said that: “When I’m writing, I often don’t like reading in the same genre, particularly the precise subgenre of epic fantasy…”

The qualifying phrase is my out, because Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore has not only arrived on my TBR table but is clearly fantasy. I would argue, however, that it is not epic fantasy and therefore I am not departing from my writing regime — because, dear readers, I not only fully intend to read it but to do so soon. In fact, I must do so…

“ ‘Must’,” you may cry, “what is this ‘must’ you speak of?” A not unreasonable plaint given my recent words, but the reason is simply this: on 1 April I hope to interview Kristin on Supernatural Underground for the “Magic Systems in Fantasy” post series.

While I could undertake such an interview on the strength of having read Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue, I still feel that it will be a more satisfying interview for all involved if I’ve read Winterkeep as well.

USA

Besides, there is the beginning of a tradition to consider since I interviewed Kristin in 2012 as well, when Bitterblue was published – which you can read here.

Otherwise, it’s also tradition for me to include the back cover synopsis, so here goes:

Something is rotten in the heart of Winterkeep…

Four years after the events of Bitterblue, a new land has been discovered to the east: Torla, and the closest nation to Monsea is Winterkeep. 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 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 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.”

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? And like there’s a lot going on – so naturally I’m keen to read, and to find out more about the magic that informs this book in the Graceling Realm series.