Kristin Cashore makes a triumphant return to the Graceling Realm with ‘Winterkeep’

There’s nothing quite as comforting or rewarding as a good book. I discovered my favorite book series in 2009. My mother was working with a company called Full Cast Audio, a studio that produces audiobooks of children’s novels. At the time, the company was recording Graceling by Kristin Cashore and my mother graciously brought a copy home for me.

Graceling sat on my bookshelf for several years before I picked it up again, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Cashore’s premiere novel focuses on Katsa, a young woman with incredible powers. Katsa is a Graceling, a person born with two different colored eyes who excels at a particular skill. Some are graced with mind reading or sword fighting, while others are graced with something more mild, like baking or bird calling.

Katsa’s grace is killing. In a world where Gracelings become property of the king the moment they are discovered, Katsa is a monarch’s greatest weapon.

To put it bluntly, the book was simply enthralling, with a plot that features espionage, romance, detailed fight scenes, and expansive world-building. Thankfully, by the time I finished Graceling, I discovered that Cashore had come out with a companion novel, Fire. Set in a new land inhabited by monsters — exceptionally alluring creatures with the power to invade and control minds — Lady Fire is the last human monster. With a sensitive and empathetic heart, Fire is often overwhelmed by the sheer force of her power and the memories of her late father, who used his hypnotizing beauty for his own gain. With tensions rising between bordering nations, Fire is tasked with using her mind-altering abilities to stop a civil war that could collapse an already unstable political situation.

Featuring a secondary character from Graceling as the protagonist, Bitterblue is the series’ third installment. Since the plot of Bitterblue includes spoilers from Graceling, I won’t go too much into the plot. Set eight years after the events of Graceling, the third book is told from the perspective of Queen Bitterblue of Monsea, a nation ravaged by the previous ruler’s brutal reign. Kept in the dark by her own advisors, the young queen sets out to discover the truth about her past once and for all.

The fascinating connection between Fire and the other books is not obvious at first, but becomes evident by the end of Bitterblue. Together, the three novels spin a spellbinding tale. Not only does each title focuses on a different, complex heroine, but they feature explicitly LGBT characters and characters of color, as well as grounded storylines about overcoming trauma and finding love in unexpected places.

Winterkeep, the latest Graceling Realm book, is surprising and excellent

I cannot recommend them enough, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when Kristin Cashore announced that a new Graceling Realm novel was forthcoming. Bitterblue was published in 2012, so in the ensuing years I just assumed that Cashore had put the series in her rearview mirror. However, the fourth novel in the series, titled Winterkeep, was recently released, on January 19. I couldn’t click “pre-order” fast enough, and the new story did not disappoint!

Winterkeep features familiar faces from Graceling and Bitterblue, story elements from Fire, as well as a new setting and new characters. Five years after the events of Bitterblue, a new land has been discovered across the sea. Winterkeep is a technologically advanced democratic republic where airships dot the skyline and humans can communicate with telepathic animals. This novel introduces readers to Lovisa Cavenda, the daughter of two powerful politicians who has more than a few secrets. Unlike the previous novels in the series, Winterkeep is told from five different perspectives, including that of a mischievous telepathic fox!

But wait, there’s more! As told by Publishers Weekly, a fifth installment is in the works. The outlet reports that Kristin Cashore spent two weeks aboard a ship in the Arctic Ocean to do research for the book that will follow Winterkeep. I have been blessed by this renaissance and wait with bated breath until the next book arrives.

The entire Graceling Realm series, including Winterkeep, can be purchased on Amazon.

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