Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fascinating fantasy high in discussion-worthy sex content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In WINTERKEEP, Queen Bitterblue's envoy to Winterkeep, the land across the sea, is missing and she wants to know what happened. The last communication she received from her men was that she should "look into zilfium." Zilfium is a mined fuel Winterkeep sells to the rest of their continent. Slowly Bitterblue figures out that they've been stealing the resource from her silver mines and makes an impulsive decision to cross the sea, find her men, and demand justice for her stolen resources. On the voyage, Bitterblue succumbs to a rogue wave and falls overboard when no one is looking. She's rescued by telepathic silbercows and eventually humans in an airship -- the wrong humans in an airship. Bitterblue wakes up in a strange locked room and discovers she's been kidnapped. Fortunately she's locked in the attic of two prominent politicians who have a nosy and cunning teen daughter named Lovisa.
Is It Any Good?
Author Kristin Cashore is known for the eccentric worlds she creates, but this is one of the most fun. With the kidnappings of people hidden who-knows-where, sneaky telepathic foxes running all about, and airships everywhere, there's no shortage of wonder. Winterkeep even begins with a tale from the perspective of a giant sea creature whose reluctance to remove herself from her small aquatic world and help others mirrors the main character's own struggle. Still, it's hard to rate this fantasy with a complex female hero and wild embellishments such as a singing sea monster because it's just too fascinating to dwell on its many flaws.
Lovisa, the main character, will remind you in many ways of other female heroes from the Graceling Realm. She's clawing her way out of a traumatic upbringing and trying to see herself as a person worth loving who has something to offer the world. Here's where Winterkeep falters, dwelling on her missteps, which are mostly sex scenes. After the third awkward encounter you'll desperately want to get back to Bitterblue and her sweet romantic story. Readers who were sorry when Giddon was rejected by Katsa in Graceling will be rooting for him here. It seems like this storyline wraps up too early, but there are still many mysteries to solve that require the help of sea creatures, a Graceling spy, an airship, and some wily foxes. Truly fascinating until the end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about all the sex in Winterkeep. It's a lot of sex for a book aimed at teens. What do you think the sexual encounters say about Lovisa, the main character? How do they show who she is and what she's suffered in life? How does Lovisa's view of sex and relationships change in the course of the book?
The violence is milder here, but jarring in its implications. What does Monsea gain by developing new weapons? What does it lose? Do they really have a choice in how they move forward?
Have you read the whole Graceling Realm series? What do you like about it? Would you read about another character? Bitterblue's half-sister Hava or the woman graced with finding lost things? Who else would make a compelling female hero?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Activism , Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Ocean Creatures , Wild Animals ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books
- Publication date : January 19, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 528
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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