My review appears in my October Wrap up https://youtu.be/2wyPVXckrxQ at 2:43
Overall, I loved the premise, the setting of above and below was clever (if a little underdeveloped). I love how lesbianism is accepted and not a big dramatic conversation.
I think the shortfalls were in Ekata's behaviour (why does she act like her father for so long if she doesn't/others don't approve of his ruling??), and I wish that Inkar had been a more developed character rather than a sort of selfless-servitude caricature.

The Winter Duke was everything that was promised by that stunning cover and the blurb, and it was beautifully executed from start to finish. I don't usually go for court intrigue fantasy like this, but I am so glad that I have this time, because the plot was so well crafted that it kept me guessing until the very end and it was one of those books that I couldn't put down, because I needed to know what happened next and to try and unravel the puzzle.
The world that Bartlett created in the Winter Duke was perfect for the story, and had the kind of atmosphere that steals your breath and leaves you feeling as though you're right there. The descriptions were vivid and alluring, and drew me in like a moth to the flame.
The characters were wonderfully human, and it was impossible not to become invested in their stories and relationships, even if the character wasn't likeable. The blossoming relationship between Ekata and Inkar was perfect, and a joy to read, and both had very unique voices that complemented one another in circumstances that were set against them from start to finish.
A stunning book, that I would absolutely recommend.

One of my favourite covers and favourite reads of 2020!

This was engrossing from start to finish and I was sorry to turn the last page. An excellent court intrigue-centred YA fantasy, filled with dramatic betrayals and subtle double-dealing. I also found it really satisfying how all the players in the game had a wide range of motives that made everything just that much more believable. Alliances are only temporary - the path to each goal may meet, but they will always diverge eventually. I was suspicious of everyone and I'm pleased to report that the source of the curse was completely unexpected!

I really liked the protagonist Ekata. She's essentially a nerdy sixteen-year-old middle child, who keeps mostly to herself and her books, and the only interest she takes in politics is to avoid being murdered by her cutthroat family. The way Ekata is plunged into the viper's next of the royal court (akin to being dropped into the freezing waters of the moat and Kylma Below) was utterly convincing. Her development was great to follow and kept me rooting for her – it helped that I really enjoyed her narration and sense of humour!

The writing is lovely and really helps to build the icy world of Kylma Above and the dangerous depths of Kylma Below. There wasn’t much focused on other places, but we hear enough about them through foreign delegates and anecdotes that this world doesn’t feel half-baked. I also appreciated the condemnations of sexism, xenophobia and nationalism through Sigis’ character. What an unpleasant man.

2020 has seen a streak of great sapphic stories and this did not disappoint on that front. The romance itself wasn’t the main focus, but it’s still integral to the plotline and I found it to be a very sweet slow-burn. There are several queer folk in powerful roles and none of their stories hinge on their being queer, nor does their identity ever seem to be a point of contention. Ekata’s older brother Lyosha is bisexual or pansexual, one of the court ministers is non-binary, Ekata is a lesbian and I think Inkar is too.

Pick this up if you’re looking for a compelling court intrigue with high stakes, wintry magic (plus sort-of merfolk!) and queer rep.

First of all, two words: Cover. Love. Am I right? 🙂

I said not so long ago that I was going to steer clear from court intrigue but… I mean, the setting really pulled me in. I was the bee, the book was sweet lemonade. Or beer. You know. Anyhow… I can never resist a cold, wintry setting, inspired by Russian inspired themes (Romanovs, of course!). I always imagine grandeur, and tragedy, cruel yet romantic… hmm…

Yes, The Winter Duke most certainly delivers on the setting. Kylma Above and Kylma Below. Two worlds existing opposite each other, tied together by magic and a bloodline, separated only by a thick sheet of ice.

Anyway, Kylma Above is your above-land monarchy. Imagine the ice hotels up north in Scandinavia where everything is made of ice… I mean everything. So, yeah, this plus this ‘thing’ with icy roses. So lots and lots of icy roses. Nice, right? Why roses, I have no idea, but they sure do make a pretty sight. Fun fact, the word ‘kylma’ is quite close to the Estonian word ‘külm’ meaning cold 🙂

Kylma Below is pretty much an ocean, a body of vast water, right underneath Kylma Above. The people living there, I suppose, could be your merfolk and what not but also any other watery creature your imagination can conjure up. They definitely came across rather harsh yet fair yet cunning?

In a nutshell, an icy as heck nutshell, Kylma Above has this girl who’s mega interested in the Kylma Below biology-wise and because it’s all so awe-inspiring and she’s full of intrigue. This girl is Ekata and as she’s one of the duke’s 13 kids. And the only one to remain on 2 feet after an illness takes the rest of the family. So, yeah. Chaos ensues. Ekata is now duke, married to her brother’s intended, facing threats of all sorts. Talk about being thrown into it.

I loved the idea. But like on a good song, the volume button was dialed down a tad low. Why? Well… Personal preferences alert here so you know what this means… Read the book yourself to find out how much you love it!

Imperfect characters, especially imperfect main characters are the real deal and you always feel like you’re following a homie on their adventure, on the way to awesomeness or whatever. But Ekata. Jesus wept. She wasn’t good at anything, other than being curious and totally ‘checked out’. She could have had at least SOMETHING going for her. True, she had this whole ‘find my feet‘ as a duke and ‘shall I or shan’t I walk in my father’s footsteps because they’re some weird boots to fill‘ and bless her, she goes through a sort of a transformation but… she didn’t ooze confidence, it was all slightly cringey. It took her an AWFUL lot of time to accept the fact that she’s duke and she can tell the ministers to go suck it… like, really! I think, the fact she stood up for herself when it came to choosing her partner was about the only thing I saluted her for. She put her foot down and shook and stirred the pot a bit, hey… political choices and consequences be damned.

It could well be that this is how we want to see Ekata. All girls don’t always have to be confident and change direction in their life in the midst half a stride… true. We’re all going through that phase of finding our voice, so perhaps I would have simply loved a more mature character.

Anywhoo… A lot of things were cool in the book, but there wasn’t entirely enough of them. Like, I could sense the moments where the characters ventured out into the cold. A cold that would freeze blood in your veins. I loved that. I loved that there was a messenger bowl used in between Kylma Above and Kylma Below. Fun concept. I loved how Abovers, going Below were treated to some magic to survive Below… and speaking of magic.

Hmmm… I was, still am unsure, what the deal with it is. It seemed to have been a normal thing Below, but Above only the Duke’s bloodline, and only the current duke could know the secret of magic and use it for grand gestures in court… but for what purpose other than simple fear? I know not. And the whole family situation was altogether confusing as heck too.. well, not confusing. It was quite clear the whole sibling rivalry (if I could call it that, ha) and it felt unnecessary. Ah well.. that’s just me.

Finally, this novel has absolutely zero gender boundaries… A girl can be a duke (formally, a duke not a duchess.. I don’t know why that is important, but hey), girls marry girls without anyone grabbing for a pitchfork and at least one character who defines as ‘they’ as opposed to he or she.

All in all, I am glad I read the book. It was totally OK and quite fitting and suitable to slightly younger audience as the implications of death and love are entirely, ahem, implied and never graphic. The Winter Duke will deliver on what is promised, expertly, without the extra sauce this particular reader thrives on (*cough*Abercrombie grim*cough*)

‘The Winter Duke’ by Claire Eliza Bartlett is an enchanting winter tale with a f/f romance, perfect for reading in colder weather.

I absolutely fell in love with the world Bartlett created. Kylma Above is a world in perpetual winter and Kylma Below is a magical underwater kingdom. It’s such an interesting concept.

The political intrigue drove the book forward and it was unpredictable, which I like. At first the main character was a bit awkward but she came out of her shell toward the end of the book and gained some much needed confidence.

I think what stood out to me in this book was the romance. I loved Inkar and Ekata together. Arranged marriage is such a fun trope in fantasy and I was so glad to see so much LGBTQIAP+ rep in this book.

In all honesty, when I first started this YA book, the opening chapter completely overwhelmed me - so much happened and Bartlett introduces such a rich world that I completely thought I wouldnt be continuing with the book … but I pushed myself to not judge by an opening and trust that the author would fill me in on all the details - and she did.

I really enjoyed the characters in The Winter Duke, Ekata was a great protagonist who I did root for - her decisions were human - sometimes reckless and other times calculated which really built her as a solid character. I enjoyed her choosing of a wife although felt the relationship part of the marriage was timid and more hinted at than actions - understandable given their age (sixteen I believe). Bartlett also includes a non-binary character who is quite important to the plot at one point so it was great to see some solid diversity in that respect.

The world was fantastic - I loved the idea of an underwater community living below an ice palace. The relationship between the two worlds is one of agreement - an exchange for the magic that the underwater dwellers can grow - I just found this totally unique and it took me by surprise!

Goodreads has this down as ‘part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia’ but I’m not completely on board with that - I think The Winter Duke was much more original. Bartlett uses russian style names and she has a very in-depth political plot running throughout the novel which although I found a little confusing, it did make sense and I really appreciated the detail involved.

Also - that cover! The US cover is a little different - I much prefer the UK choice - it reminds me of fairytales and folklore which is perfect!

This book starts of fierce! We dive right into the action, evading long introductions that usually leave me confused anyway. No waiting 60 pages to get INTO the story - a huge yes for me. We get a short intro into the royal family, and this peculiar dukedom named Kylma, Ekata and what happened before everything started to go wrong.


Ekata is a 16-year-old heiress, who suddenly becomes the Duke, after all of her selfish, murderous family has been put to sleep with a curse by someone unknown. Yes, her siblings all try to kill each other, and this is well-known. It's almost as if it's normal, but it isn't. You'd expect siblings to irritate each other, or prank each other, but not murder each other. Ekata somehow survives her murderous siblings as well as the curse. And if this sounds like a great thing to you, you couldn't be more wrong. We watch Ekata find herself, find out who did this to her family, learn who her friends and enemies are, and most of all, find a way to stay alive without destroying a whole duchy.

Inspired by Tsarist Russia, you can expect a cold, harsh environment and royalty that is equally cruel as the surroundings they are.

The world - I expected to be whisked away on an adventure somewhere I have never been before. The author does this successfully, managing to mix in political intrigue with elements of magic and fantasy we all know and love. If I were to choose, I would have liked some more magic, and less politics, but that's just my personal preference.

We are introduced to duchy Kylma Above and Below. All of the magic comes from Below, and I loved how the world of Below was depicted. Whenever we got to dive into it with Ekata, I was mesmerised, and it was definitely my favourite part of the story. I wished for more of the world, more of its creatures, more of its magic. Kylma Above, on the other hand, made me feel like I was in Disney's Anastasia or Frozen. The entire story is sort of like a mix between Ariel, Anastasia and Sleeping Beauty.

We get to know Ekata, who is a bit childish, as can be seen through her inner voice commentary. She doesn't know what she's doing, and because she's forced into these circumstances and doesn't know who to trust it makes everything worse. She stumbles from one mistake to the other, until she finally pulls herself together and finds her own way. Her character depicts the transition between what you have always known to be, and what you were taught to be, to someone who you want to be and who you really are. Unfortunately, this road isn't easy for Ekata and she goes through a lot of darkness to get to where she is in the end. She seemed childish at times but what can you expect from a 16 year old girl, who was always interested more into biology than ruling, and grew up in a family where dozens of siblings all tried to kill each other?

One of my favourite characters was Inkar. She represented the support, love and friendship Ekata needed to go through her journey. She is also different, fearlessly herself and loved by everyone. She has character, strong morals and isn't a coward. Never really went too deep into what drives her and motivates her, but I still thought she was awesome.

I do feel we didn't really go too deep into the characters, especially not the villains, so they remained annoying and superficial. Another aspect of this story was just how confusing it all got. Towards the end, I really wasn't sure who was in on what and to what extent. It was just too much for me.

If you love political fantasy, an enchanting duchy built on an ice lake, and a magical underwater kingdom, a four-step competition to win the crown, you'll love this. It's fun, exciting and a perfect winter adventure.

I enjoy YA books, they sometimes get classed as a genre itself, but there is such a huge variety within the category in tone and themes that it encompasses many genres; something that The Winter Duke does too. It's part fantasy story, with an amazing setting and magical creatures, part coming of age story where a young woman must find her place in the world, and it's part political thriller full of intrigue and mystery. It's also incredibly adult, it features a complex and layered story that doesn't talk down to its readers; and there were a few times I forgot that the protagonist was a teenager because of the level of maturity brought to the book.

The story follows the Avenko family, the rulers of the tiny kingdom of Kylma Above. Kylma Above is a frozen kingdom, with a palace made out of eternal ice on top of a frozen lake; beneath that lake lies Kylma Below, an underwater civilisation of fish people and magic. Residing above this mystical land, and having an accord with them, Kylma Above uses its position to trade magic with the outside world, granting it great prestige despite it's size.

The Avenko family, however, are a bit of a strange bunch. Raised to believe that power should be earned through cunning and strength it's perfectly normal for a new Grand Duke to take the throne by killing the previous one, along with any contenders. Despite this, other kingdoms are desperate for a better relationship with Kylma Above, and as such many have sent sons and daughters to attend a brideshow, where the next in line for the throne will be picking out his future consort.

It's here that we meet Ekata, one of the middle daughters of the Grand Duke, and possibly the only member of the Avenko family who isn't a power hungry psychopath. More interested in getting away from her family and travelling south to study at university, she's more interested in science and medicine than politics. However, when on the night of the brideshow the entire Avenko family all fall into a deep coma, except for Ekata, she finds herself forced to assume the throne.

Acting as Grand Duke, Ekata must try to discover what has effected her family and try to save them. However, she soon learns that there are bigger threats than just this mysterious ailment, as she gets drawn into a web of political intrigue. Dealing with visiting dignitaries, a council of unhappy advisers pushing for democracy, and a challenge for the throne from a rival kingdom, Ekata will be lucky to survive herself, let alone awaken her family.

One of the best things about The Winter Duke is that we as the audience get dropped into things with little world building, being left to discover much of the culture of Kylma Above, and the surrounding politics, as they come up in the narrative. At first, I was a little put off because things were happening very fast, magic was introduced with no warning, and people were talking about other kingdoms and trade agreements without explanation. But after a while I began to suspect that this might have been the point. The readers aren't given explanations in the text and are left to discover things through the narrative because that's very much the same experience that Ekata has during the book.

Ekata has spent most of her life accepting that she's not going to rule Kylma Above. Even if she had desires to do so she would need to kill her father and several of her siblings, something that it becomes quite clear she would never do. As such she's poured her attentions into her studies, focusing on academia instead of political manoeuvring and policy. So when she's suddenly thrown into being the Grand Duke she's as unaware of the intricacies of the kingdom as the reader.

Instead of us having things explained to us in large blocks of text that delve into the history of this world we have Ekata asking the questions for us, she turns to her advisers and asks them who diplomats are and what they're after because she genuinely doesn't know.She not only gets to be the protagonist, driving much of the narrative forward, but becomes an audience stand in at times, something that quickly endeared me to the character. We both got to be a little lost and unsure of this world together.

There are times when this doesn't quite work, as there are things that Ekata would definitely know, such as the society of Kylma Above, their history, and their traditions. But Claire Eliza Bartlett found another good way of avoiding just having to info dump in these moments; Inkar. Inkar is one of the perspective partners being offered up to Ekata's brother at the brideshow, but when Ekata has to take over the throne, and in order to avoid the political machinations of a rival, she picks Inkar out to be her royal consort. Inkar is thrown into being Ekata's wife (on a week's trial basis) and suddenly finds herself in the middle of a kingdom she's unfamiliar with. Inkar doesn't always know things that would be taken for granted by Ekata, and as such she can also act as an audience mouthpiece by asking questions about the city, their belief systems, and where they grow their food in an ice covered kingdom.
That being said, Inkar isn't just there to ask questions, and is one of the more interesting characters in the narrative. The twenty-fifth daughter of the jarl of another kingdom, she's proven herself to be a hardened warrior and general for her people, and brings a degree of self assured cockiness with her. Where Ekata seems to be barely getting through things, often overwhelmed and close to exhaustion, Inkar always seems to be full of energy, and almost constantly has a sly grin on her face. I loved how the two of them complimented each other, and how the scenes between them would often play out. And my god, the sexual tension.

I loved that there was no heteronormativity in this book, and that a sapphic slow-burn romance was given centre stage. The relationship that built between the two of them was easily one of my favourite parts of the entire book, and I found myself desperately hoping that Ekata would throw her advisers plans away and not try to alienate Inkar out of breaking their marriage. I wanted the two of them to end up together, and craved more of these quite scenes of the two of them learning about each other and discovering that there was something real between the two of them.

This wasn't the only place where the book had good queer representation, however, and LGBTQ+ people seemed to be incorporated well into the narrative without any big fuss being made. All of the titles seemed to be gender neutral, with Duke being the rank of the ruler regardless of gender, and their being a mix of genders represented in the brideshow, both when it was for Ekata and her older brother. There were also characters with they/them pronouns in the story who weren't treated any differently from anyone else, and some even held high ranks within the political structure of Kylma Above. The simple ease at which these things were included, their lack of impact on the story, and how none of it was highlighted as being special or out of the ordinary was brilliant, and reinforces the point that representation and inclusion needn't be a hard thing, or something that writers should be afraid of having in their works.

Claire Eliza Bartlett also does an amazing job at world building with Kylma Below, and made the handful of segments of the book dealing with them some of the best. To begin with I wasn't sure what Kylma Below was, and some of the descriptions made it sound like a sub city of some kind; leading me to suspect it would be the trope of the rich and powerful living in luxury above whilst the poor lived in an 'under' city. When I discovered it was an actual underwater kingdom full of fish people and sea creatures I was hugely excited to find out more about it.

The handful of times that we get to follow Ekata below the surface of the ice and see her discovering this alien world that had been below her feet her entire life were stunning. The world below the surface was something truly different from everything above, and I wanted to spend more time there exploring and learning more. I'd love to see Bartlett return to this world, not so much to continue with Ekata's story, but with a whole book set beneath the ice.

The Winter Duke was a book that I was unsure what to expect, the narrative and intriguing world constantly kept me on my toes, and meant that I never knew what would be coming next. The characters were diverse and had believable motivations and desires, some of whom I came to adore, and others I absolutely hated. Part of me wishes that the story could have been longer, that I could have had more time in this world and with these characters, but alas, all good things have to end.

I’ve become quite a fan of Fantasy fiction over the last few years. I loved the cover of this book and the blurb made it sound like something a bit different, YA fantasy with political overtones. I really enjoyed the book. I found the concept quite original and different from other titles out there. I loved the setting, an icy castle on a frozen lake. The author does a great job of bringing the world and characters that inhabit it to life. Ekata is a fantastic main character, feisty, string willed, reluctant to be named Duke when her family fall ill to a strange illness but she just gets on with it and tries to find a cure. Inkar, her warrior wife is also a great character. I also loved the underwater kingdom known as the Below and how important it is to the survival of Ekata’s kingdom. This is different than other fantasy novels I’ve read as I’ve not read much court politic fantasy but I enjoyed it a lot.

Firstly, huge thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m on a fantasy kick at the minute as there seems to be a lot of great ones coming out this season! In a review I read of the novel I saw that this was more on the political side of fantasy which I love and haven’t read a lot of recently.

The Winter Duke is set in an icy castle which sits upon a frozen lake, however what is colder is the way Ekata’s ruthless family. All Ekata wants is to escape to university and with her brother, Lyosha, named as the Duke’s heir she already has one foot out the door. However, on the evening of her brother’s brideshow her parents, and her twelve siblings, fall to a mysterious sleeping sickness. In a matter of hours, Ekata becomes the (provisional) Duke and marries one of her brother’s eligible brides. All Ekata wants to do is investigate and experiment to find a cure for her family (more to help her get into university than to help her family) but instead she is forced to rule and learn how to use her family’s power otherwise it will be lost to her and her family…

Ekata was a brilliant protagonist, although she was reluctant in becoming the Duke (even provisionally) she didn’t come across as whiny. It was also nice to see that gaining this title didn’t change the fact that she didn’t know how to rule, as she never prioritised it before, and we got to see her struggle with the political landscape that she has found herself in and begin to learn to navigate it. I also loved seeing her try to navigate a relationship with Inkar, her warrior wife. Whilst her Prime Minster wants Ekata to do everything she can to push her away, Ekata has different ideas. There were many moments where Inkar had me laughing out loud with her great one-liners and the way she would insult Sigis (Ekata’s rival for the title of Duke). It was the characters of the novel which made me enjoy it so much. I loved their interactions (even the arrogant and frustrating Sigis) and wanted to see them develop.

As I mentioned before, I do really enjoy court politics in fantasy novels and thought this was done really well. I particularly liked the addition of the mysterious underwater kingdom, the Below, and its importance. Whilst the kingdom was interesting, I would have liked to have seen more worldbuilding for both kingdoms. We do learn a few bits and pieces through the politics, the demands of the different ministers and the coronation trials but I would have liked to see what we learn developed further and to spend more time with the Below to see the differences between kingdoms. I enjoyed how the novel was split into parts as the days passed as this gave a clear indication of how much was happening to Ekata in such a short space of time and how everything can change so quickly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and feel that it would have benefitted from being a bit longer so the characters and the world could be developed a little more. It is a great YA fantasy and even if court politics isn’t your thing, I definitely recommend you check it out for the sapphic romance!

I really enjoyed reading this book, loved this story of a family of Royals all trying to kill each other so they can be crowned Ruler. I absolutely loved the world-building it was complex yet accessible and full of magic, fantastical. A clever, engaging fantasy with a wonderful cast of characters, interesting politics, and a great romance I thoroughly and highly recommend this book, it’s a great read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

"He who has the power makes the choice."
Like plunging into icy cold waters of northern seas, The Winter Duke takes your breath away and leaves you chilled to the core. A richly imaginative world of magic, an underwater world, and the wolves of a brutal royal court. A unique spin on a Russian esque setting with unapologetic LGBTQ+ representation and so much political intrigue. The perfect winter read for when the wind is roaring and you're tucked up away from the cold.
This is primarily a politically driven fantasy, it is thus slower-paced and has less action. Therefore if this is something you don't particularly like then maybe do some more research before picking this one up. That being said I personally think it worked really well in conjunction with the premise of the book and also its execution in terms of the writing style.
Despite being denser almost, I did really enjoy our main character Ekata's perspective. I found her motivations and allegiances to be very believable and I also was aware of her development and the way she seemed to find herself a little more over just the short time frame of this story without it being rushed.
I really enjoyed how the book itself was structured. First into days and then into smaller chapters. I found that when comparing the days you could really see the continuous growth and shifting motivations of these characters.
I do wish we had seen more of the other characters in the novel as I feel like it may have added to the intrigue of the mystery element. I didn't find the revelations to be overly shocking as I suspected most of the people within the palace. But considering this is told from Ekaterina's perspective I guess that is quite accurate to her own perceptions.
I loved seeing the world Below and the descriptions of not only the setting but also the main character's own awe and rose-tinted view of the place. It was definitely a really strong element of this book. The atmosphere and setting is really a massive selling point in my opinion. It is unique whilst not being outlandish and I enjoyed the way magic was used as something to be traded and profited off of which I hadn't really ever seen before.
The plot is very much one note with the romance as a little extra, I do think there was room to expand on the ideas featured in the story and the complex relationships with some of the conspirators. That being said considering this is a stand-alone YA fantasy I really cannot ask for much more. Were there some loose ends, sure. But do wonder if everything had tied up perfectly perhaps it would have seemed too good to be true.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and am very intrigued to check out this author's other works.
Rated: 4 Stars

This book has such an interesting concept I had to pick it up as soon as I read the blurb! It is, I believe, in the YA/teen category, as the main character is 16 and the story follows a fairly traditional YA structure, but any adult fantasy fan would also enjoy it.

Setting
Ekata Avenko is one of the thirteen children of the Duke of Kylma Above, a small duchy in the freezing north. Despite it being inhospitable, it holds great political power, as it is the only trader of magic, which it gains through its unique relationship to Kylma Below, a city of fishpeople beneath the lake’s surface. Only the duke knows the secret to wielding the magic, so that all his children are constantly trying to assassinate each other in order to become duke and gain that secret. At the time in which the story is set, political tension is high, with some ministers wanting to form a parliament to distribute the power held by the duke, and other kingdoms turning their eyes on Kylma Above in the hopes of annexing it and gaining access to its magic.

The Plot
The story starts with a brideshow, in which the eldest son of the Duke must choose a partner out of the delegates sent from other countries. Ekata, the main character and narrator, wants nothing to do with her family, and knows that after the brideshow she will be able to go south and study at a university. Unfortunately, that night she wakes to discover that she is the only member of her family that has not fallen into a strange sleep-like illness, and is now the duke of Kylma Above. She is thrown into her father’s politics and has to learn to deal with all his ministers and their agendas, as well as Sigis, her foster brother, who has his eye on the throne and on Ekata herself.

My thoughts
This book is full of potential, but I found the execution of it to be a bit lacking. I really loved the complexity of the politics, as it felt very realistic, but because the main character didn’t understand a lot of it, it is dismissed as secondary, even though it is the driving force of the plot. The book either needed to be longer to account for Ekata’s learning of politics – the story only takes place over 6 days, and for five of them she seems clueless and then suddenly finds a solution on the last one as if she were a master strategist – or there needed to be less forces at play. The plot also doesn’t advance much until the last two chapters, with Ekata going in circles trying to discover what kind of ruler she should be, who her allies are, and how to unlock the secret to magic.

The magic itself also left me confused; in theory it’s a fascinating system, and I would have loved to have it slowly unravel throughout the story, but that doesn’t really happen. Then there is the part played by Kylma Below; though they are the magic suppliers and Ekata has been curious and fascinated by their kingdom since the beginning, they only seem to crop up when it’s convenient to the narrative. It all becomes very convoluted and feels quite claustrophobic.

What I did really love was the fact that LGBTQ+ characters are incorporated into the universe without standing out as weird; there are several non-binary characters, and the people presented at the brideshow are both men and women. Inkar, the girl Ekata chooses as her wife was probably my favourite character, but I could tell that she was one of the author’s favourites too, because she seems to lack flaws and at times feels somewhat two-dimensional. The romance, like the politics, could have used a bit more time and space to develop, even if this meant setting the story over a longer period of time, rather than describing almost every minute of Ekata’s days and nights.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and a clever idea for a setting, but I just wish I could have seen more of it and that the story hadn’t got lost a bit in the middle the way it did. As far as I know, this is a standalone novel, but if there were ever a sequel, I would definitely read it to see how it develops.

A duchy of ice and snow above, a duchy of water and magic below, separated only by a lake of ice. Both dependent upon one another and both as violent as they are beautiful.

Ekata is a middle child within the Avenko royal family: a family who are intent on murdering each other to get to the throne. However, Ekata has no interest in the throne at all: her interests lie in biology rather than brokering treaties and she wants nothing more than to leave Kylma Above and attend university.

However, at the age of thirteen, Ekata wakes to find herself the only member of her family who has not been cursed into a permanent sleep. Suddenly, she is the Grand Duke and is expected to prove herself worthy to rule Kylma Above: conquering the world of politics and magic in order to find a way to wake her family and avoid death herself.

The Winter Duke spans only six days in its storyline. Nonetheless, this does not diminish the journey that Bartlett takes her readers on: there are twists at every turn and almost everyone seems like a villain; neither Ekata nor the reader knows whom they can trust.
Although this is very much Ekata’s story, there are so many characters surrounding her that there is a danger some of these may seem undeveloped. Thankfully, I didn’t feel this way at all. Bartlett brings something different to each character she introduces: from Sigis’ immediate repulsiveness; Eirhan’s deadpan nature and Inkar’s flirty charms. All the characters have their part to play and, although keeping track of all the ministers could be difficult at times, this only added to the overwhelming suffocation that Ekata must be feeling.

Ekata herself is an amazing protagonist: at just thirteen she makes a number of impulsive decisions which end disastrously – so why do we, as a reader, not get frustrated with her? Again, I feel that this is due, in part, to the dizzying number of secondary characters. The reader witnesses the sheer number of commitments that fall onto the shoulders of one who never aspired to this role: we attend unwanted proposals; hear the accusations of murdering her own family; comprehend that she is used as a pawn by her Prime Minister and constantly see Ekata’s authority undermined due to her sex. It is impossible not to empathise with her desperate need to return to her normal life.

Sexism plays a large part in Ekata’s story, with Sigis immediately heralded as the solution to her problems due to his position as a strong man with an army. Inkar is also underestimated due to being female: before she then shatters these perceptions with her axes, her willingness to fight and her protective nature over Ekata.
However, The Winter Duke has to be commended for the gender fluidity within its pages. The brideshow is made of men and women, at least one minister is non-binary and the only romance within this novel is between two queer females. This was such a natural romance as well, slow-burning and cautious due to the politics involved but one that, when the walls of both women came down, could achieve the impossible.

The world building by Claire Eliza Bartlett in this novel is second to none. Kylma Above is impressive with its ice palaces and winter roses invading every corner. However, Kylma Below, the duchy below the ice is magical and sinister in equal measure. With fields of magic, sharks used in tribunals, and coral gardens, it wasn’t only Ekata who wanted to explore further.


Quite a few YA novels recently have included queer women smashing the patriarchy. This is the first one I have read where they smash the autocracy.
Ekata’s journey to find out what kind of ruler she will be is encapsulating and riveting. In a story where the betrayal just keeps coming, Ekata remains loyal to the end – despite the epilogue proving that this is never appreciated. The world of Kylma was immersive and the themes of politics, murder, sexism and violence are swept up by the breezy writing style to create a book that was impossible to put down.

She survived the curse. Now she must survive the throne. All Ekata wants is to stay alive--and the chance to prove herself as a scholar. Once Ekata's brother is finally named heir to the dukedom of Kylma Above, there will be nothing to keep her at home with her murderous family. Not her books or her 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, and no one can find a cure.

In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother's captivating warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without--and within--her 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 magic and power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield them both. This is an enchanting and fast-paced feminist fairytale full of intrigue from one of the finest fantasy writers working today and right from the opening page it whisks you off to a world entirely different to our own.

It's a world so richly imagined and carefully created that you can't help but be immersed; with intricate detail, the author envelops you and allows you to live alongside the characters. Speaking of the cast, each is engaging regardless of whether they are classed as a goodie or a baddie, protagonist or antagonist and central character, Ekata, who although made some very misguided decisions leapt off the page and into my heart, and I was desperate to see her change her situation around for the better and thrive. A refreshingly original queer modern fairytale, this is an exquisite read full of twisty-turny politics, unique magic and even a little romance. Many thanks to Titan Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed Claire Eliza Bartlett’s ‘The Winter Duke’. I’ve read most of it in one sitting.

‘The Winter Duke’ follows Ekata, one of the royal family members who doesn’t wish to be a rival for her siblings to become of an heir to the dukedom of Kylma Above. Instead, she wishes to escape her family’s troublesome (and bloodthirsty) relations, and become a scholar. With the passion for books and experiments, she definitely has not imagined herself in charge. But when her family falls under a sleeping sickness, she must do everything in her power to survive and protect her Kingdom.

I really enjoyed the world of ‘The Winter Duke’, with winter, snowy and freezy landscape dominating the landscape, and creating a great and dark atmosphere. The split between Kylma Above and Below, and quite interesting magical system have been the most interesting elements of the book for me, and I wished that at moments, they have been explored in greater depth.

I have also really liked genre-fluid the roles have been in ‘The Winter Duke’. While mostly surrounded by men, Ekata has been put in charge and question rather being of her capabilities than her gender. Her marriage to Inkar has also added to the story, and while it wasn’t explored in great depth – possibly because of the characters being quite young – I enjoyed Inkar’s presence and what she brought to ‘The Winter Duke’.

I also felt that the first part of ‘The Winter Duke’ was almost slow, with the action picking up towards the end of the story. While it is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in longer series, I felt like there has been something missing in the first half of ‘The Winter Duke’. But on the overall, I have enjoyed the story, and I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.

Super cool and twisted political intrigue fantasy set in a palace made out of ice.

Content warnings include: political machinations, lockdown, threats of war, character tries to coerce another into marriage, death and non-graphic violence, vomiting, staged suicide, poisoning; mentions of sibling rivalty including murder, drowning.

The Winter Duke was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020, with it’s premise of f/f romance, political intrigue and ice palace setting. And it absolutely didn’t disappoint.

I loved Ekata as the protagonist, one of the many children of a Duke, who unwittingly inherits the title when a mysterious illness suddenly befalls the rest of her family.
On the one hand she was totally unprepared, not only because she never expected to ever become this powerful, but also because she was preparing to leave the palace and the toxic dynamics of her family in favour of university – Ekata is much more interested in biology than politics. So when she suddenly has to become Duke, she didn’t magically know how to act or learned the years and years of relations and contracts she never bothered to follow before.
On the other hand, she also wasn’t completely lost. She did her best to emulate her father and mother, both intimidating figures, and to a certain extend, she isn’t that bad at it – though maybe ruling through fear isn’t the best way to go either.
I loved that juxtaposition of Ekata being both desperate and determined, willing and unwilling, and she doesn’t always do what’s best or what the reader wants her to do.
And of course, her rule doesn’t go smoothly.

The focus of the plot very much is on Ekata trying to be Duke, sometimes more and sometimes less enthusiastically. Her feelings on it are complicated, and the different parties trying to influence her even more complex. I found it not exactly easy to follow at times, but I was always intrigued and I’ve read books with similar plots that were a lot more confusing.

The plot around the most definite antagonist was chilling and quite frightening. Some of the political intrigue stuff felt frustrating, in particular in combination with how powerless Ekata felt despite being the Duke due to what amounts to her own incompetence, for which she is blamed herself, despite there never having been a reason for her to learn what it means to be the Duke.

The book isn’t thin, and yet I wished some things had been more important. I would have liked to see more of the brideshow and the foreign delegates, though it made sense that the focus was more on Ekata’s ministers.

Another thing that was super intriguing was the Below. Because there isn’t just a palace above the ice, but also a reign below, with its own duke. It was a super cool addition, but both it and the magic, while being crucial to the plot, ultimately didn’t quite reach their full potential in my opinion.

The romantic subplot was very nice. I adored Inkar, who is not only badass, charming, politically savvy, knew what she wanted and her place in the world, she was also a HORSE GIRL which I am a big fan of. She was such a great addition to the cast that was added later than I anticipated, but it made sense and she came at just the right time. The romance between Ekata and Inkar was wondefully fitting, and I loved their dynamics and how they developed. Inkar was such a delightful wildcard, and I loved her addition to the plot.

Here, too, was a potential for a completely different ending that at times I was very sure the book was leading towards, though it didn’t end up going there.
All that said, I liked the ending. It not only fit the characters but was also politically satisfying.

I loved the lack of queerphobia and how gender equality was handled – most terms and titles that for us are gendered weren’t in this world. A duke could be of any gender, as can a bride, those titles are more about function than gender. However, it was a bit inconsistent, as sometimes consort and bride where uses interchangeably, and husband/wife still existed.

The one thing that didn’t make sense to me was that noone ever asked about Ekata’s preferrences in terms of marriage partner. It was established that Sigis wasnt attracted to men, therefore a marriage to a man was never considered, but when everyone tried to pressure Ekata into marrying noone asked her which gender she was interested in marrying.

Overall I loved this book. I was captivated from page one onwards and itching to get back to it every time I was forced to put it down

I loved this story, a warring royal family who are trying to all kill each other so they can be the one crowned Grand Duke. The world building was great a whole new ice world and also a whole new underwater world. Full of magic.

The Winter Duke follows Ekata who is forced to take on the role of Grand Duke after all the members of her family are put to sleep in a magical curse, completely overwhelmed with her new role and having to fight for her position, Ekata is fighting to survive.

The book focuses heavily on politics and the backstabbing characters which I really enjoyed, I also liked the setting of the book – a kingdom made of ice and a magical underwater kingdom. I just did not like the first half of the book, there is a lack of world building and everything seems to be dragged out, there is hardly any plot development with the focus mainly on the characters and their actions/dialogue. This would have been fine but the book just felt dull, the writing style and the main character made the book boring and hard to read. In the first half, so many things were happening and yet things/the plot never went anywhere and it felt like the main character was doing the same things over and over again.

The second half was way better, things pick up and there is a better balance of having a plotline and also focusing on the characters, I still did not like the writing style but I liked Ekata more. I enjoyed the relationship/romance between Ekata and Inkar more in the second half as they interacted more, I felt like the first half did not focus on them that much and I wished there was more interactions between them. The book takes place over a week, this is why things seem dragged out and the romance is not developed that much. The second half was better with the political aspect, because more answers and questions came about and Ekata became more confident and started playing a role in it too.

The book did get better in the second half but I felt like it was too late in the book for me to like the book, things got better and then the book ended without really having a big climax to the story.

2/5

3.5 stars!

This was such an interesting read and I enjoyed the premise and world but felt the execution wasn't quite as strong as it could've been.

Positives:

• I loved the writing style, it was descriptive in the right places and fast-paced and dialogue-centric in other parts.
• Interesting characters and world, it felt like a fairytale and also at times rather dystopian (?) even though it was predominately fantasy-based. The concept of Above/Below worlds was really cool too.
• Great f/f pairing. Although they weren't centric I really enjoyed the slow build of the dynamic, especially given the time span of the book is only a little over a week.

Criticisms:

• The pacing had issues; the beginning was a solid 4/5 stars but then the story kept becoming slow during the middle of the book. I think the author created a solid world and cast of characters but couldn't keep track of the secondary characters. I spent a lot of the book being unsure as to which political figure I was reading about, tbh.
• Again, just the general execution of the story could've been handled better. It felt like a confident balance of genres - political, fantasy, romance - but then couldn't grasp its own world in other times.