Now, fantasy isn’t always my cup of tea but I am still always on the look out for one that will blow me away entirely and I’m so pleased to say that The Winter Duke did that within the very first chapter!

Everything about this book was utterly delightful - the world building, the romance, the betrayal...everything was just *chefs kiss* style wonderful. Not to mention the outstanding characters, even the ones I hated (because they were evil) I still loved (because they were evil) and the entire book was so well written, everything tied together so well and yet I was still left wanting more pages just because I didn’t want the story to end, I wanted to stay with the characters and immersed in the world forever.

This was another cover request for me but it turned out to be an enchanting and intriguing story with complex world-building and a sapphic romance. Highly recommended.

I was provided with an eARC by the publishers in exchange of an honest review.

4.5
What can I say about this standalone novel? I loved it!

Queer fantasy done well makes my heart happy.
In this world, titles were not gendered. Duke and prince could be worn by a female no problem. And queer relationships were not in any way frowned upon. The main character marries another girl and no one has issues with this. Her wife is also a woman of colour and supports her through everything. I really liked that.

The politics was interesting and it didn’t dwell on the family she hated too much. Sure they were important but we didn’t need to know everything of their history like a dictionary entry.
Overall, really lovely writing style and I’d love to see more from this author!
I even really enjoyed the twist and that our mc had to use her wits and clearly had anxiety and potentially was neurodiverse.

The only way it could have been better is if we got more content of our budding romance. But I loved that it was more emotional than sexual, especially as our characters are 16 and they grew to care for each other before anything happened between them.

I have decided to DNF The Winter Duke with a neutral rating, as I got halfway and found myself feeling sure that this book would not exceed average for me. There was nothing explicitly wrong with it, and I didn’t dislike it - I was simply not enthused with the story. The characters fell flat, the world building was two dimensional, and the plot just didn’t keep me coming back to it.

I’m sure I’ll finish this at some point in the future, at which point I’ll update my thoughts, but for now I am just saying that I found this book to be uninspiringly average.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A mystical and ethereal tale that contains many twists adn turns paired with a feisty heroine.
A good read.

Truly gutted I didn't reas this sooner! I knew it was a feminist fantasy but I had no idea it had a sapphich romance! I loved the world building and the mystery but the slow burn really made it for me!

disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

rep: sapphic (lesbian, I think) m/c, sapphic li, f/f romance, non-binary side character

The Winter Duke follows Ekata, who comes from the ruling family of Kylma Above - an icy city known for its connection to Kylma Below, who provide her family with magic. When her entire family fall under a strange sleeping sickness, Ekata is forced into the role of Grand Duke, a role she never wanted, and a role she is not prepared for. Ekata is forced into a world of danger, magic, and intrigue and she must do her best to come out of it alive.

Give me a snarky ruler and her charming wife trying to navigate a political and magical mess ANY DAY.

The Winter Duke is a solid political fantasy, and while I enjoyed it immensely, it could have been so much better. Ekata was a brilliant main character - she was witty, intelligent, stubborn, and impulsive but she was completely out of her depth. She's an extremely flawed and complex character and I really enjoyed her character arc throughout the novel, and how she came to understand and learn how to effectively wield her power, I just wished it happened a little sooner and we had more of that Ekata. Inkar was a favourite character of mine and in my personal opinion, a character that was massively underutilized. Their romance was top notch though, I loved every single one of their scenes.

The Winter Duke is a very plot and character-driven book, and so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I am a huge fan of books which focus on politics and political intrigue, so it wasn't an issue for me. I enjoyed the plot, but there was so much more potential for the story, but I had a lot of fun reading this book so not too much of an issue! I loved the setting and it was extremely atmospheric.

The Winter Duke is a must read for those looking for a good YA political fantasy, and for those who like sapphic fantasy too.

The Winter Duke was an odd read for me - there were some things I liked a lot about it, and then there were other things that I felt fell flat. Conceptually, it was a very interesting read - Ekata doesn't think she's anywhere near becoming Grand Duke when her siblings all want the position and are more capable to taking matters into their own hands, and yet wakes up one day in charge of the whole city because the rest of her family has been sent into a deep sleep. However, the execution didn't quite reach what I was hoping it to.

The strongest part of the book for me was the way the author conveyed the sense of intrigue and the way Ekata couldn't completely trust anyone. The book really hinged on the politics at play, both because Ekata had to navigate them and because they were the main reason that she was in the situation she was in. The advisors were squirrely, and also quite annoying, and there were different influences trying to push and pull Ekata in different directions. This level of intrigue was also perhaps the weakest part of the book, as there were so many twists and reveals contributing to the stakes that the plot fell apart a little bit. The plot points themselves were not particularly memorable, but the tone will certainly appeal to fans of court intrigue.

The world building was mostly centered on the politics of the city, but there was also a magical element to it. The magic and Kylma Below were revealed to the reader at the same time as Ekata began finding out what was going on, which helped keep the stakes up and prevented infodumping. The use of magic, which I won't explain as that's a little spoilery, was limited but this resulted in it being more impactful when it was used. I also really liked how many characters were not cishet in a way that just slotted right in with the rest of the world, and there was absolutely no pushback when Ekata chose a woman to marry. In general, though there was a lot of emphasis on the machinations of court and the way it was harsher than the cold, there was also a level of detail that made the world it was set in well developed.

In some ways, Ekata was a multifaceted character, but that wasn't always a good thing. There were a couple moments when it felt like I wasn't actually reading about the same person, because she could be a little bit obstinate and harsh in ways that didn't necessarily fit with the rest of her actions. She didn't necessarily do a huge amount, because she was a self professed scientist and not a politician; this was understandable, as not everyone is suited to making political decisions and investigating who is behind sending your entire family to sleep. However, this felt like a bit of an odd character choice considering that's exactly what the book is supposed to be about. She does grow into her role, especially towards the end of the book, but the short timeframe means it's hard for her to do much of that.

Despite what I may have said so far, this isn't a bad book. I think it will appeal a lot more to people who like slower plots that focus on the details, and Russian inspire settings. The sapphic romance is also very good, and that's an element that I think a lot of people would enjoy. I found The Winter Duke an enjoyable read while I was reading in, and though I didn't find it astounding, I think it definitely has potential to be enjoyed by the right audience.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Titan Books for sending me a digital copy of this book for review! It was released earlier this year, in October. I went into this book not knowing much about it, but just based on the title I thought it would a great read for December. I also guessed from the synopsis that there would be sapphic representation, which there was, so I was very happy about that.

The Winter Duke is a YA fantasy book following Ekata, who suddenly gets thrust into power when her family falls under a curse. She is part of a ruthless family where her family members would not hesitate to murder each other. Her home of Kylma Above is small compared to nearby kingdoms, but it is situated on top of Kylma Below, the only known source of magic – and only Ekata’s father can access it. Ekata plans on leaving for university, but during the event to find a bride for her brother she finds herself in power when none of her family can be woken up.

Because of this, Ekata suddenly becomes the new Duke as the position always has to be held by a member of her family. With no political experience, Ekata doesn’t know who to trust, and she immediately faces threats from foreigners and council members alike. She also ends up with one of her brother’s potential brides, a woman she knows nothing about. Everyone seems to be working against her – but can she manage as Duke while also trying to find out what happened to her family?

I enjoyed reading about the wintry fantasy setting – I loved imagining how all the locations and clothes would look. I found it intriguing that magic in this world only comes from Kylma Below, an underwater nation that has a complicated relationship with the world Above. Ekata has to try and figure out the motives of all the ministers on her council, as well as other prominent characters, while also trying to figure out who cursed her family and how to cure them. I liked Ekata’s character towards the end when she finally stood up for herself.

I loved the LGBTQ+ representation – it still isn’t common to see f/f relationships in fantasy books so I’m always happy to see more. Some of my favourite scenes in this book were when Ekata and Iktar were getting to know each other. The title of Duke itself seems to be gender neutral, and there are also characters referred to with they/them pronouns! I thought this inclusion was great, because a lot of fantasy books are unnecessarily filled with homophobia, racism and enforced gender roles.

However, I was disappointed by this book overall. I think one of my main issues with this book is that I wasn’t very invested in what was happening. I did want to find out the nature of the curse that happened to Ekata’s family, and why she was spared, but there isn’t much focus on this in the first half so I just got bored. It is much more centred on court politics, which I usually like, but I didn’t click with it in this book – I think I just wanted more detail in the world-building and characters, because it didn’t quite feel complete. I wish there was more detail on what life was like in Kylma Above and the wider world.

I think the plot did improve in the second half of the book, mainly towards the end, because I was interested in seeing how it would all tie together. Ekata’s character got a lot stronger, and I liked seeing her relationship with Iktar develop over time. However, I do think the ending seemed quite rushed – after the beginning of the book being quite slow, it seemed to all come together very quickly and neatly. I actually didn’t dislike the ending, but I think it required a bit more of a set-up, and some extra development, especially since this is a standalone.

I have to admit that I just didn’t connect to most of the characters in this book, which did hinder my enjoyment. I did sympathise with Ekata at times – she was in a tough situation – but she did frustrate me, and I hated seeing how easily she could be manipulated. She just seemed boring and plain for most of the book, and I only really enjoyed her scenes near the end of the book when she became confident in herself. A few of the council members stood out, but a lot of the others blurred together for me. The one who stood out most for me was Iktar, and I always enjoyed the scenes she was in. I though Iktar was strong, and not afraid to speak her mind, but she was also funny and compassionate. I wish we saw more of her!

Overall, I was disappointed by The Winter Duke. I didn’t hate it, and I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book either, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I just ended up feeling bored and apathetic for the first half, and only really became interested towards the end when the characters and plot developed a bit more, but then the end seemed a bit rushed. I liked the prominence of the LGBTQ+ representation and the general fantasy setting, but I just found the execution lacking.

2.5/5 stars

The Winter Duke was a book I really wanted to read because of the beautiful cover and a plot that seems to be really interesting!
But unfortunately I did not enjoyed this book at all. I did not like the writing stye hence I read it so slowly. The character development is non existent. I hated the main character and the other felt really too one dimensional. I'm so disappointed because I was sure to love it

I was a little disappointed by the Winter Duke as my expectations were very high due to the gorgeous cover and the interesting synopsis. The Winter Duke is very similar to many other YA fantasy where the main character is a young woman who becomes a queen or is at risk due to their royal lineage. I enjoy books like this where there are lots of political intrigues and courtly politics: I love Furyborn, The Bridge Kingdom and the Throne of Glass series.

However Winter Duke fell flat with me for two reasons. Firstly the writing style was not very appealing or enjoyable for me and secondly I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. They were just too one-dimensional and not memorable.

The story was OK and it was refreshing to have the LGB element with regards to the romance but this was not enough to redeem the story overall. Ticking boxes for diversity is no replacement for good writing and appealing characters.

This was such a delightful read! There was so much mystery and intrigue, I loved it! I was sucked in immediately, and whenever I had to put the book aside because reality kicked in, I immediately wanted to pick it up again!

Thank you to Netgalley, Titan Books & Claire Eliza Bartlett for my arc of The Winter Duke in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 13th October 2020

The Winter Duke was the perfect read to begin December with. Kylma Above and Kylma below are cities encased in ice, one above sea level and one below. Ekata dreams of going below to explore and fulfil her dreams of being a scientist but as the third daughter of the current Grand Duke, that dream is unlikely to become reality. Once her brother is named heir, Ekata will instead travel to the university to further her studies. That is until her parents and all 12 of her siblings fall into a magical sleep and she is thrust into the position of Grand Duke and all the politics and warmongering she never wanted for herself.

This book is one of the best I've read this year, exactly the kind of fantasy book you need to read this winter! Full of dark intrigue, volatile magic, political warfare, competitions, a sapphic love story and a female lead who doesn't shy away from being less than perfect, isn't a Mary Sue and puts herself forward with purpose and a sense of what's right. I loved the exploration of the two cities one above and one below and how this worked into the magic. I would have liked to have seen/learned a bit more about Below but that would be my only complaint. Otherwise thoroughly enjoyable and a great way to kick start December's reading.

This had every factor to become my next favourite thing, unfortunately, it was underwhelming in its execution.

The Winter Duke is set in the icy kingdom of Kylma, or more specifically Kylma Above. It sits on top of the icy moat, held there by the magic that only the grand duke can use. Underneath the moat lives the kingdom of Kylma Below, a mysterious underwater world that only the ones invited know.

The story follows Ekata, one of the duke's thirteenth children. She longs to escape her murderous family and become a scholar at a distant university. Her siblings have no compassion for each other, trying to kill the other ones to become the only candidate for their father's succession. That is all that she knows, trying to survive each day until she can leave everything behind.

However, one night her family falls into a deep sleep and she's the only one left. Everyone suspects her of poisoning family, and she has to hesitantly accept her Father's title.

My main issues with the book are the plot and the characters. The plot was confusing, the politics, Ekata's decisions (e.g. the wedding), and how it all ends. It came to a point where I was reading for the sake of it, I didn't understand what was happening more so towards the end.
I didn't understand the reasoning behind her family's ties to Below, and how the magic was used.

The characters could have had more depth to them, and this applies to all of them. It became irritating to see how Ekata dealt with her role, how she ran away from her responsibilities, and didn't even try to do well. I also didn't enjoy how she kept saying "I am the grand duke" or "the grand duke does this" every time she made a decision. We get it, you're the duke.

The side characters were one-dimensional. Inkar is the love interest though there's nothing to her, and I wanted there to be more romantic scenes. We barely got anything. In the end, it wasn't believable. Same for Aino, Eirhan, Sigis, so forth. The villain... don't get me started.

What I did enjoy was the atmosphere. A world made of ice where human beings can thrive, a secret kingdom underwater that few get to see. It was the main thing that kept me going.

I didn't entirely dislike The Winter Duke though it didn't wow me.

Great characters, great world building, great plot. Loved it. Especially loved the slow burn romance between the leading ladies. Definitely will look forward to more from this author.

Mystery, intrigue, plotting, drama and romance hold this book firmly within enjoyable fantasy escapism. It's good to enter a fantasy world, and I feel it's carefully constructed to bridge the gap for the reader, and let the story take-over. A book of many challenges and dangers, with a witty protagonist and a side romance story that doesn't overtake the central plot.
A creative, fantasy politically themed adventure of survival in a fairytale world when anything can happen.

I enjoyed reading this book! It was very heavy on the political intrigue, which was a really interesting way of building up and developing the world. There were times where I lost track of who was who and what exactly was going on, because there were a lot of different ministers and such, but considering that Ekata was in exactly the same position I didn’t mind so much. Whenever I was confused about what was happening, so was she, so if anything it improved the reading experience.

Speaking of Ekata, I loved her! She was in no way prepared to become the Grand Duke, and didn’t want the job in the first place. She just wanted to survive long enough to hand power back to her father once he woke up without wrecking too much havoc in the meantime that he’d execute her afterwards. This meant that she made bad decisions, but every single ‘bad’ decision that she made was understandable, and I never got the impression that she acted unreasonably. She had no idea what she was doing and it showed, and I couldn’t blame her for any of it. And her growth is great! She learns from her mistakes, and by the end of the book she’s finally savvy enough to make decisions that are right for a change. Plus at no point in the whole book is she enough of a fool to trust any of her ministers or her main rival for the title of Duke, so honestly she’s doing great.

I also really liked her love interest, Inkar. Her commentary on the food in Kylma (mostly fish) was entertaining throughout, and she was the expert in charming people that Ekata dearly needed to have on her side. I would’ve liked to see more of her and her developing relationship with Ekata. What there was was sufficient for a political fantasy with a side of romance (rather than a romance with a side of political fantasy) but even so, more of these two would’ve been more than welcomed.

There’s zero queerphobia in this book! There are multiple side characters who use they/them pronouns and this isn’t commented on. Ekata’s older brother has both men and women as potential suitors and this is presented as totally normal. Ekata chooses a wife rather than a husband and, while this does make people unhappy, it’s not because Inkar is a girl but because Inkar’s father is a longtime enemy of Kylma, and so she isn’t the greatest choice politically speaking.

The sequences in Kylma Below with the merpeople were so great, I loved them! I completely understand Ekata’s fascination with them, and her wonder at finally getting to see the world down there was both justified and believable.

Something that wasn’t so great was how many characters were insisting for most of the book that Ekata would have to marry the book’s main villain, Sigis. When the idea is mentioned that her brother, the actual heir, could’ve married him, it’s quickly dismissed with a reminder that Sigis isn’t interested in men. However nobody seems to care that Ekata is also not interested in men, nobody even asks for her opinion on the matter. This aspect was likely intentional, as you’re not supposed to like the people who are deciding that this is what Ekata should do, but Ekata’s narration never notes the double standard either.

All in all, The Winter Duke is a solid standalone fantasy that’s filled with political maneuvering and does a great job of having queer characters that are allowed to exist without having to have their existence justified or explained. The romance is very much a subplot, so if that’s your main draw then you may not enjoy this one, but otherwise I would recommend it!

I loved this book. It's an intriguing and entertaining story, full of political intrigue and and turns.
The world building is excellent as the storytelling and the character development.
The plot is tightly knitted and it kept me hooked till the end.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Everything about this book sounded like it was going to be exactly my kind of thing (sign me up for any and all f/f fairy tale political fantasy!) and it really hit the spot!

Content warnings: Family illness and death; violence and injury (not too graphic); vomiting; parental emotional abuse.

When sixteen-year-old Ekata wakes up to find that her entire backstabbing royal family has been cursed into unconsciousness, she’s forced into the role of Grand Duke of Kylma Above, a tiny, icy duchy set above the magical underwater world of Kylma Below. She grew up in constant fear for her life, with her twelve siblings plotting to murder each other and shorten the path to the throne, but she never wanted to rule, and was looking forward to escaping to university to study medicine. Now she has to avoid being forced to marry the boorish other potential heir, try to solve the curse on her family, and keep Kylma Above from falling apart. It’s part mystery, part coming of age story, and part political fantasy, and it comes together into a compelling, clever read.

I do have to say, I’m a little bit confused by this book being blurbed as a reworking of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’, as it seems to draw very minorly from the former, and not at all from the latter. The ruling family is put to sleep, and the castle is overrun with roses, but life goes on around the sleepers, and they themselves are somewhat sidelined, so while I see the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ influences, it’s a bit of a stretch. The only things it has in common with ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ is there being a lot of siblings, and the presence of an underworld, but neither of these aspects are used in remotely the same way. I would say it’s about as relevant as calling this a reworking of ‘The Little Mermaid’ because there are people who live in the sea! While I absolutely loved this book’s originality, I am slightly disappointed I didn’t get the retelling of ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ I would have loved to have read – it’s one of my favourite fairy tales. Don’t go into this expecting a retelling or even a reworking, despite the blurb; it’s wholly its own kind of thing. But that’s a good thing!

One of my favourite things to read about in fantasy is someone who was never destined to rule being suddenly flung onto the throne and having to work out how to manage a kingdom in turmoil. I mentioned in my review for Queen of Coin and Whispers that so often there isn’t enough actual politics in books that claim to be ‘political fantasy’; while it doesn’t quite have the complexity of Queen, I thought that The Winter Duke did an amazing job of showing the actual hard work behind rulership and the difficulties of navigating personalities in an unhappy court. Ekata, who had always kept her head down and avoided any politics, has a really interesting journey as she tries to hold authority by mimicking her father, only to find out that actually, he may not be the role model she thought he was. Her frustration with the bureaucracy of the court is clear, but what made this work really well is that you can also sense the court’s frustration with her! Where a simpler book might have made a big deal of the conflict between what Ekata wants to do for herself and what she needs to do for her duchy, The Winter Duke goes further; there’s a conflict between the autocracy Ekata needs to wield to keep Kylma Above in line, and its effects, which may push its people into outright rebellion. I hugely enjoyed her interactions with her advisors, and her character growth throughout the book as she learns to rely on herself is great. However, though the politicking and personal alliances are on point, I found the actual workings of the kingdom to be a little bit confusing – the only aspect of the state really discussed in any depth is the sale of magic to other kingdoms, but I felt a little adrift as to how the economy functioned. Compared to something like Queen of Coin and Whispers, which clearly showed how each facet of the kingdom tied into other issues, this felt a little thin on the statecraft – but that’s a personal preference, and not a particular flaw of the book if you’re not someone who nerds out about fantasy agriculture and economics…

My other favourite thing about this book (there were a few!) was the vividness of Kylma Below, the underwater world filled with magic and mer-people (but not how you’re thinking). I loved seeing this world, and looked forward to all of Ekata’s trips underwater. It’s always a good thing with me to have a heroine who is interested in learning, and I loved Ekata’s enthusiasm for Kylma Below, because I felt it too – I do wish, though, that her passion had played more of a role in the politics, as although the two duchies are supposed to be deeply intertwined, they ended up feeling like every separate sections of Ekata’s life. I would happily have swapped a couple of the scenes of Sigis’s bullying and blustering (which do get a little repetitive – we get it, he’s a dick) for more exploration of how Kylma Above and Kylma Below work together, or even just scenes in the underwater court. (I also somehow managed to believe going into this that it was going to be a romance with a merperson, but I think that’s on me.)

Although the romance isn’t quite what I expected, it’s a powerful element of the book. Ekata’s trying desperately to avoid being forced to marry the odious Sigis, so she selects (almost at random) one of her eldest brother’s potential brides to marry, a girl named Inkar whose sense of humour Ekata had previously admired. There’s a lot of mistrust between them at first; Ekata’s been conditioned by her family to think that any kindness must be a trick, that any closeness will hide an attempt on her life. Watching her fall in love with Inkar is also watching her heal from her traumatic upbringing, and it brings a warmth to this icy story that I really enjoyed. As I say, the book doesn’t spend too much time on drama around their romance – certainly not as much as you might expect from YA fantasy! – but their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the book. It’s also fantastic to have a queer-norm world – the potential brides for both Ekata and her brother are of all genders, and though Ekata is a lesbian (judging from a couple of comments – she isn’t labelled on page), it’s never made an issue of either way. There are multiple non-binary side characters too!

I had a great time reading this, and I think if it hadn’t been for the blurb building misleading expectations about the fairy tale aspects, it could easily have been a five star read. The end in particular is really satisfying – not at all where I thought it was going to go, which is refreshing. It’s a fun, fast-paced, and clever read that will suit fans of court fantasy right down to the ground. Add in a great f/f romance, and this is one I’ll be recommending for ages. Four and a half out of five cats!

Ekata is one of thirteen siblings and distant heir to the throne. She does not long for this powerful seat like the rest of her family and dreams of dissections, anatomy, and laboratory experiments instead. Her dreams are to escape the icy confines of their castle home and attend university to further her studies and her passions. This becomes impossible when, one morning, she becomes the only member of her family to awaken. Every other member is held under a magical curse none can break. Ekata is the last remnant of her family's name and now she now must rule, no matter how unwelcome the prospect to her people, her council, and herself.

I adored how this initially used many well-known fairy tale plot devices and combined them into something entirely new. The cursed family reminded me of Sleeping Beauty, only here the princess is the only soul awake and left to save herself. I also wondered if the roses, which adorn the front cover, overrun the castle grounds, and feature throughout the text, referenced the rose from Beauty and the Beast. That single rose becomes increasingly wilted as the Beast's curse neared its end. These roses react to the ruling family's predicament in a similar way, here.

I also appreciated the majestic beauty of the icy setting and the exploration into just how the magic that allowed for its longevity worked. Bartlett explored the icy climate with a deft pen, which allowed me to feel as though it permeated my own environment, whilst reading about it.

What failed to appeal to me in quite the same way as these aspects was the plot trajectory. I was intrigued by the mystery and longed to learn more about the throne politics. Whilst both remained the primary focus, there were far too many pages dedicated to Etaka's worry and inability to come to a conclusion than there was in attempts to overcome them and move forwards. It felt like a vast central section of the book featured no forward plot progression and whilst the politics were still of interest, I became more interested in other aspects I wished would overtake this focus, when so little was achieved by it. The trials that featured were one such inclusion I would have liked to have seen an increased spotlight on.

I heartily wish I had enjoyed this sapphic fantasy more, but did appreciate how the romance never overtook the political focus and how the atmospheric qualities remained throughout.