Title: The Winter Duke
Author: Claire Eliza Bartlett
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre/s and Tags: Young Adult, Fantasy, Political Mystery, LGTBQ+, Lesbian rep, queer characters, f/f romance
Content Warnings: Murder/mentions of murder and graphic violence
Publication date: March 3, 2020
Goodreads synopsis:
An enchanted tale of intrigue where a duke’s daughter is the only survivor of a magical curse.
When Ekata’s brother is finally named heir, there will be nothing to keep her at home in Kylma Above with her murderous family. Not her books or science experiments, not her family’s icy castle atop a frozen lake, not even the tantalizingly close Kylma Below, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom that provides her family with magic. But just as escape is within reach, her parents and twelve siblings fall under a strange sleeping sickness.
In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother’s warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without—and within—her own ministry. Nothing has prepared Ekata for diplomacy, for war, for love…or for a crown she has never wanted. If Kylma Above is to survive, Ekata must seize her family’s power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield it.
Part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia, with a thrilling political mystery, The Winter Duke is a spellbinding story about choosing what’s right in the face of danger.
Hi book nerds! Today is my tour stop in The Winter Duke Blog Tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. I’ll be sharing a review and my favorite quotes!
Although I wasn’t fully blown away, The Winter Duke is one entertaining read filled to the brim with political intrigue.
My thoughts on The Winter Duke
The Winter Duke is a great read for those who yearn for political intrigue. From start to finish, it was all about politics and who’s trying to kill who, or who’s betraying who, or trying to discern who exactly is the enemy and the ally. It was a game of secrets and betrayals and trying to find the right decision.
As for me, although I did like the book, I wasn’t too keen on how the story was told. I felt like it dragged on and not many exciting events or action happened (which I would have liked). The story did have some plot twists near the end, but I guess I wanted something grander especially because the synopsis excited me a lot.
I liked the characters enough, but I wasn’t too invested in them. Ekata was an okay main character. I could feel her frustration and her fear as she took on the role of the grand duke. I wish she could have done more, but I feel like that’s not her personality. Inkar is probably my favorite character in The Winter Duke. She was fierce and brave, and definitely what Ekata needs in her life. If Ekata is ice, Inkar is the fire—they complemented each other really well and I loved that.
I also loved the queer representation in this book and how sexuality is a normal thing in their fictional world. It didn’t bring any complication to the plot nor is it a problem in their society. That was a nice thing to see in a YA fantasy novel like this.
My favorite quotes from the book
Here are some of my favorite quotes from The Winter Duke:
The Winter Duke Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | iTunes | Kobo
About the Author
I am a writer and tour guide in Copenhagen, Denmark. Though I originally come from Colorado, I left the US when I was eighteen and I haven’t lived there since.
More permanent stops on my travels have included Switzerland, Wales and Denmark. The arrival of a Danish husband has somewhat cemented my living situation, but I get my travel in smaller doses these days.
I like to write fantasy, mostly, though I dabble in soft sci-fi. My short stories are more adult, my novels more YA.
I’ve studied history, archaeology, and writing. I like to take my inspiration from historical events, and the more unknown and inspiring the event, the better.
I am represented by Kurestin Armada of P.S. Literary.
To keep up with what strange things I’m researching and writing, you can sign up for my newsletter here. I send out a short newsletter once a month.
Website| Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Tour Schedule
See more reviews, interviews, guest posts, playlists, or dream casts from other bloggers included in The Winter Duke blog tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club! Click here to see the tour schedule!
Giveaways
For this blog tour, we have two giveaways for you! One Rafflecopter giveaway and an Instagram giveaway!
Rafflecopter Giveaway Prize: Win (1) of (2) finished copies of THE WINTER DUKE by Claire Eliza Bartlett (US Only) Runs from 3rd March 2020 to 18th March 2020. Enter here!
Instagram Giveaway Prize: Win (1) finished copy of THE WINTER DUKE by Claire Eliza Bartlett (US Only)
Enthralled Bookworm 