The Winter Duke

January 27, 2020
In this queer fairy tale reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty, Ekaterina Avenko, 16, would rather move south and study medicine than remain in her family’s ice palace and compete with her 12 murderous siblings for Kylma Above’s throne. After much begging, she persuades her father, the Grand Duke, to let her leave; his only stipulation is that she wait until after her oldest brother, heir-elect Lyosha, chooses a consort. Eligible royals assemble, but before Lyosha can select one, every Avenko excepting Ekata falls into an unawakenable sleep. To maintain stability and forestall unwanted advances from her power-hungry foster brother, Ekata ascends as Grand Duke and picks a bride—fierce, outspoken Inkar Erlyfsson—from those assembled. She hopes to help create a cure for her family’s illness, then discovers that they’ve been cursed using magic. Bartlett (We Rule the Night) delivers a feminist fantasy fraught with tension and political intrigue. Sketchy worldbuilding occasionally confuses, and not every plot twist rings true, but escalating stakes and an adrenaline-fueled pace keep the pages turning, while sharply drawn characters illustrate that there’s more than one way to lead. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kurestin Armada, P.S. Literary.

The frozen kingdom of Kylma Above and the dark watery realm of Kylma Below maintain a precarious alliance fueled by magic. Chloe Cannon provides an immersive performance of this fantasy. Ekata, middle child of the Grand Duke above, is thrust from her scientific studies onto her father's throne after her autocratic family's sudden, mysterious illness. Cannon varies tone and pacing to reveal the young woman's combination of keen intelligence, humor, and uncertainty as she adjusts to being the new ruler. Beset by ministry demands and her overbearing foster brother, King Sigis, who is portrayed with haughty inflections, Ekata develops an improbable union and irresistible chemistry with her new bride. As the tangle of political machinations unfolds between denizens above and below, a sense of urgency emerges from Ekata, compelling listeners to find out what happens. J.R.T. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine