Anna [Bran. San. Stan]'s Reviews > The Winter King

It’s been a while since a romantasy had me so emotionally invested, so heart-wrenchingly on the edge of my proverbial seat that wresting myself away from it for stupid things like sleep and adulting was immensely hard. So if you’re looking for a beautiful, immersive, well-written romantasy that will have you in its grasp and also works as a stand-alone, look no further.

Khamsin, giftname Storm because of her elemental magic, is the fourth daughter of the Summer King; she is loathed and ostracized by her father and the court to the extent that not many people know she even exists. Only her brother Falcon, her three sisters, whose giftnames are Spring, Summer, and Autumn, and her nursemaid Tildavera care about her. Why? Because in addition to her temper, which thanks to her weathermagic is echoed by the sky, the King holds her responsible for the Queen’s death. And no, it was not childbirth itself that killed her, which is an often used trope, but a combination of Khamsin’s elemental magic and her mother’s own poor constitution – which did commence after Khamsin’s birth.

Then everything changes. Falcon travels to the neighboring realm of Wintercraig, ostensibly to negotiate trade; the result of his actions, however, is war between the two nations. Based on how Falcon’s character is presented initially, it was hard for me to reconcile the loving brother with the atrocities he commits – but later on it becomes clear that Khamsin just didn’t see her brother clearly, so don’t get too hung up on that.

The action continues three years later, with King Wynter Atrialan, an extremely powerful weathermage, traveling to Summerlea to demand one of the Summer King’s daughters as a price for peace. And the King, who is a colossal douchebag, decides to use the opportunity to rid himself of the unwanted daughter – preferably without Wynter knowing who exactly he is marrying.

Here we come to one occasion which took me out of the story because I had problems getting past it. In his scheme to rid himself of his fourth daughter, the Summer King intends for Wynter to wed and bed Kham right way, allegedly so that he will only realize AFTER the consummation he didn’t marry one of the King’s beloved Season princesses and therefore won’t be able to annul the wedding. That reasoning seems very Shakespearean to me – and not in a good way: It suggests a woman in a darkened bedroom is interchangeable. (Looking at you, All’s Well That Ends Well.) And the worst part is, through a combination of olfactory misdirection and a lust-inducing drug the plan actually works; they have sex, blinded by lust. I had a hard time reconciling myself with that bit of questionable, ill-conceived skullduggery. Why couldn’t he have noticed and chosen to accept the marriage because he has unknowingly been bewitched by her at their first incognito meeting?

And speaking of their first unofficial meeting – unofficial because Khamsin is in the guise of a servant –, I still feel really ambivalent about this encounter: While I loved that they meet like this and that Wynter is immediately and inexplicably drawn to her, he ends up pushing her against a wall, groping her breast and kissing her, which is supposed to be okay because he can smell her arousal. A part of me found this a bit rapey while another part quite enjoyed getting some action in the fun department. I can’t decide. If you do decide it bothers you, please don’t let it stop you! There is no more non-con, borderline or otherwise. (The wedding night and all other sexy times are completely consensual.)

This first encounter notwithstanding, I loved both of our MCs so much: behind a stoic, assertive, sometimes glacially cold Wynter with the Ice Heart hides a man capable of great love and tenderness – and headstrong, fierce, and proud Khamsin was a perfect match for him. (I also loved the fact that Wynter affectionately calls Khamsin “Summerlass”, which reminded me of Jamie calling Claire “Sassenach”, and anything that reminds me of those two is good in my book.)

As for their relationship arc, I found the fact that they have sex from the beginning, rather refreshing; lust was instantaneous, but love had to be earned.

"He was the Winter King, her enemy, a man feared for his killing coldness, yet when he'd touched her, she had not frozen. She'd burned."

Naturally, that journey from lust to love is fraught with obstacles and all but smooth; my emotions were sent on a proverbial roller coaster, which made the ending even sweeter. I only wish that Wynter had trusted Khamsin more sooner – it was really hard seeing both Wynter and Khamsin let their personal baggage interfere with their feelings and actions.

The world building was well done – elemental magic is always such a cool power, even more so when it serves to further the plot, as it does here. It also fit that the realm of Wyntercraig is inspired by Norse mythology, which I always love. The chosen names were aptly telling; my favorite being Lady Villani, who is one letter swap away from “villain” – which she really was. (Only General Furze has a very unfortunate name, unintentionally I’m sure: “Furze” means “farts” (plural) in German.)

Apart from the big deception explained above, there were other minor occasions on a much smaller scale which broke my immersion – such as the viewpoints mixing and thus causing some confusion on my part. And as much as I generally felt the prose was wonderful, one metaphor really killed the mood for me. I mean who likens breasts to “plump little pigeons”? I fucking hate pigeons.

I realize I’m being much too nit-picky and will stop before I dissuade you from reading this – because despite it all, I loved this book and I really want more people to read it. The fact that I was sorely tempted to give this 5 stars despite any (minor) issues should tell you enough. So again, read this if you love spicy romantasy (yes, there is plenty of explicit sex), characters to love and loathe, solid world-building, and a gripping plot.

PS: There is a second book in this world with different MCs, but you can totally read The Winter King as a standalone I’m not sure if there’ll ever be a third book, but I sure hope so! I will definitely read more from this author!