Week 7 Review: The Winter Duke

From Goodreads:

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.

The Winter Duke is an enchanted tale of intrigue by Claire Eliza Bartlett, author of the acclaimed feminist fantasy We Rule the Night.

My Review:
Wow, absolutely loved reading this book! The idea of a Kylma Above and a Kylma Below-a kingdom of merfolk, basically, that harvest magic, that in the Above, only the Duke Above can really use, is such a fantastic idea!

And the whole plot where Ekata inherits the title, and has to take the power, even though she didn't want it, and oh yeah, they were both scientists, reminded me a lot of Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas. Which was great, because I loved that book!

I really enjoyed watching Ekata deal with the politics because she wasn't trained on this, and she's thrown into the deep end. Plus she has to deal with the machinations of her own court, as well as deal with the Court Below. 

There was a lot going on, from the trials to officially become the duke, leaning about the magic, finding out what happened to her family, dealing with her new wife who seems to be better at the position then herself, and trying to keep from marrying Sigis. And it was a heck of a ride and I really enjoyed how it all wrapped up! I had such a great time reading it!

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait to read more by Claire Eliza Barlett! 

Author: Claire Eliza Bartlett 
Read: February 13th, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2022 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book! 
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: March 3rd 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars