Welcome to a world where winter roses blossom on the walls of a kingdom of ice. All beautiful delights are perilous to the touch and these cold flowers unfurl with an enchanted pulse that beats to the lifeblood of the royal family in Kylma Above.
When the winter rose unfolds its lined petals, the royal family is felled by a mysterious condition that renders them all unconscious into an unending sleep...everyone that is except Ekata. While she had aspirations of a life away from her family's deceptions and the frozen court, she must now become the Grand Duke that represents Kylma Above.
From marrying a stranger in the royal brideshow originally intended for her brother, venturing into the otherworldly land of Below, and keeping an army at bay, Ekata will find that discovering who is behind her family's downfall will be the only thing that ensures her survival....and that of her kingdom.
Author Claire Eliza Bartlett was able to create a tale of high fantasy from the depths of winter that was absolutely mesmerizing to read. Like a first snowfall, readers will be whirling around to take in every element around Ekata's life and the newfound situation she has found herself in. I quite enjoyed reading the intricacies of the politics of Kylma Above the the mysterious landscape in Kylma Below. Bartlett was able to build a great pace where the elaborate nature of the book was allowed an organic space to unfold the conspiracies that surrounded Ekata and her throne. By the end of The Winter Duke, Ekata is an individual who grows into her own sense of self through the trials she undergoes, love she welcomes, and the courage to find her own voice.
Come and visit for a spell. Just be wary lest you catch a curse.
Favorite Quotes
"The stars were a riot across the sky, and the moon was a thin, sideways smile."
"Revenge was my father's vice. It seems that mine is compromise."
"Sometimes you must be brutal and unforgiving, even to people you once considered friends."
"These weren't the kinds of puzzles I liked."
"Sorry, but grand fools make grand gestures."
"We fell asleep with our foreheads touching, with our breath aligned, while the moon shone full and winter roses furled into tight buds over my window."
BOOK INFORMATION
The Winter Duke
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Release Date: March 3rd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer, Magic, Retellings, Romance
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.
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Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Winter_Duke.html?id=TxFoxwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
AUTHOR INFORMATION
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.
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TOUR SCHEDULE
Prize: Win (1) of (2) finished copies of
The Winter Duke
by Claire Eliza Bartlett
(US Only)
Starts: 3rd March 2020
Ends: 18th March 2020
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