Shelf Awareness--Winterkeep

YA Review: Winterkeep

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore (Dial Books, 528p., ages 12-up, 9780803741508)

Kristin Cashore returns to her Graceling Realm series after eight years with a wonderful installment rife with political intrigue and tantalizing romance.

When Queen Bitterblue of Monsea learns that two of her emissaries have died under suspicious circumstances, she's heartbroken. Apparently, merchants from Winterkeep have been stealing Monsea's zilfium--a powerful fuel--and it appears they've murdered her men to keep their secret. Bitterblue, along with her devoted adviser, Giddon, and Hava, her half-sister and spy, immediately sails to the Winterkeep capital, Ledra. As Bitterblue's ship approaches Ledra, she's swept overboard, unnoticed by her companions. Bitterblue is "rescued"--then immediately imprisoned and starved by persons unknown. Lovisa Cavenda, the daughter of two highly placed politicians in the Winterkeep government, is perfectly situated to dig into several important mysteries: Where is the zilfium going? And who has Bitterblue? While the devastated Giddon and Hava, believing their queen is dead, dedicate themselves to finishing Bitterblue's work--finding the corruption being hidden by Ledra's elite--Lovisa must decide if she's willing to do what it takes to become a (reluctant) hero of Winterkeep.

Cashore's fourth Graceling novel features two strong, but very different, female protagonists. Bitterblue, determined to uplift her "broken" country--stunted and traumatized from her father's reign of fear--jumps into danger headfirst, while Lovisa, also raised by an abusive parent, is slower to challenge her demons. But confront them she does, in this gripping tale of spies, romantic tension and moral dilemmas. Readers of the previous books should race to grab copies of this magnificent addition to the series. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: When Queen Bitterblue disappears, the daughter of her adversaries gets drawn into her political intrigue in this richly spun fourth volume in the Graceling Realm series.