#winternight trilogy

[animezinglife]

“She bent forward to breathe into his ear: 'Never give me orders.' 'Command me, then,' he whispered back."

- The Winter of the Witch, Katherine Arden

[rosiethorns88]

We just had our first decent cold front in Florida this past week, and the cravings for my wintery read list sky rocketed. I still haven't found a genre I love more than a strong-headed MC going toe-to-toe with and 'conquering' a demon of legend. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden top this list for me. 

Here, Morozko and Vasya are finally catching each other at the peak of their own character arcs and very slow burn dance, while the world is burning around them.

Highly recommend the audiobook for Kathleen Gati's immersive narration! Prints of this available in my bio link!

[ghostofharrenhals]

The relationship between Medved and Konstantin was made for all the gothic enjoyers of the world. From their first encounter, Medved manipulates Konstantin. Every time they interact, the pages sing with an odd, unsettling sensuality. Medved constantly feeds into his ego& desire for power and in doing so, awakens Konstantin’s darkest, most repressed and shameful parts. They’re bound by obsession, passion and a mutual recognition of one another. a creature he loved and reviled as he loved and reviled himself.

And what makes their dynamic work so well is Konstantin’s own repression. He’ll never admit his desires to himself - not for Vasya and certainly not for Medved. He views everything as a sin. And Medved is the only one who truly sees him and becomes a kind of perverse soulmate. He offers Konstantin what he wants the most; being seen as he is and not cast away.

[nikalaeva]

It's easier for me to criticize than to praise, but I'll try. And to make it more interesting, I'll compare my favorite fantasy romances with most empty waste of my time.

Your Feyre became High Lady by marriage, devaluing the title of Cursebreaker. She had magic of seven High Lords, but it didn't help at all in most important war, and she has no friends or allies of her own.

My Jude became Queen of Elfheim because the land chose her, saving from death. She outsmarted her father, the most cunning and cruel general, ruled in secret as seneschal, and made advantageous alliances.

Your Rhysand is supposedly the most powerful, surrounded by strongest fighters, his army is the best of all, but he couldn't protect his wife's sisters, fucked up with Book of Breaths and almost lost the war.

My Cardan is a pathetic loser twink, very young and almost always drunk. But he is cunning as hell, saved the woman he loved from underwater captivity, avoiding the war, pal up with her allies while being their prisoner, and created an entire island.

Oh, Jude is still human. And Cardan is a true fairy, not just a guy with pointy ears.

Your Feyre left the man she died for in a fucking message and married her rapist. My Rose went to a strange, faraway country to save her man, but to kill him if she couldn't. Not to turn into a bloodsucking killer to be with him forever - kill him.

Your Rhysand thought for a second that age gap between him and his wife more than between her and their son. My Dimitri was going crazy and pushing away his love because he was her teacher just several years older. He is more responsible than 500+ years old ruler.

Oh, and despite being coolest, Dimitri became a monster. And Rose had an "alternative" - Adrian, who wasn't turned into an abuser and asshole, to show how beautiful love with Dimitri is.

Your Feyre hasn't done a damn thing for women (or anyone), her "feminism" is to be proud of role as a thief, saboteur and half-naked toy of a powerful man. My Vasya Petrovna (I'll die and rip anyone's throat out for her) dresses up as a boy and defends her right to be a witch, challenges ancient monsters, and saves everyone she can with her brains, courage and unbending will.

Your Rhysand chose to die with his mate, leaving his son an orphan, and at 500+ years old he's an infantile sexoholic. My Morozko, the ancient god of death and winter, make a deal with his enemy, a monster of chaos, choosing to be an eternal prisoner without memories about his love, saving woman that he loved as he could.

Whoa, Morozko didn't rape her in order to "protect" her. And it wouldn't be Vasya who would have to change - he would have become a mortal for her. One PG-13 sex scene was hotter than all the sex in ACOTAR series.

Why am I only comparing to Feyre? Well, she's the FMC, three books were enough to show her. I just don't believe Nesta would go to HoW with Cassian, and not decide to die in slums or run away. Elain is so side character that most of discussions about her will be fiction, not canon. Rhysand and Cassian were not even close to any of the men mentioned above. They are not otherwordly, old creatures, not morally gray, but only insulting to women whom they supposedly love more than life.

Romance in ACOTAR is vulgarity, violence and gaslighting, feminism is a mask and illusion, and the characters are too "cool" and therefore boring and flat.

Respect yourself. Read books where authors give a care about the plot, worldbuilding and development of unusual, fairytale love.

[viillette]

Men do the work of devils, do they not? It has always been so.

[oblivionsdream]

Top Ten Books/Series of 2024

It's the end of the year so here are the highlights of my favorite books/series of the year! They are in no particular order as it would be difficult to rank them.

-The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

-The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

-Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

-Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

-Reanimator's Remains by Kara Jorgensen

-Icarus by K. Ancrum

-Little Mushroom by Shisi

-Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

-The Winternight trilogy by Katharine Arden

-The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

[finngualart]

the winternight trilogy has me frothing at the mouth and i wanted to try and capture some of the characters

[littleeyesofpallas]

Fuyu no Ou[冬の王]: "King of Winter"

aka Winternight trilogy

[cinderkaliningrad]

Winternight trilogy meme:

[reputayswift]

"We shall wed her to MOROZKO, the lord of winter. Can any maiden ask for a finer or richer bridegroom? Why, he is master of the white snow, the black firs, and the silver frost! [...] Some say he is naught but a cold, crackling breeze whispering among the firs. Others say he is an old man in a sledge, with bright eyes and cold hands. Others say he is like a warrior in his prime, but robed all in white, with weapons of ice. No one knows." The cold man—the frost-demon—stood in the center of the room, and at least she could look at him. His dark, unruly hair hung to his shoulders. The sardonic face might have belonged to a youth of twenty or a warrior of fifty. Unlike every other man Vasya had ever seen, he was clean-shaven—perhaps that was what gave his face the odd note of youthfulness. Certainly his eyes were old. When she looked into them, she thought, I did not know anything could be that old and live. (x,x)

[littlepeninsula]

These Russian stoves are so cool! I can just imagine Vasya, Olga, and Dunya cuddling away on it

[thewiddershinsme]

Finished Uprooted by Naomi Novak. I first picked this book up around when it came out because of the great reviews. All I remember is I didn't like it at all.

Fast forward to now, when I hear some great things about Spinning Silver. Specifically, that people tend to love either Uprooted or Spinning Silver, and not really the other. So I'm about to get Spinning Silver, when the cover of Uprooted catches my eye. I know these are both technically standalones, but look at those covers, they scream companion books to me. And because I am someone that CAN'T read books out of order, I found myself unable to start Spinning Silver without grabbing Uprooted again.

Cause the thing was, I couldn't remember anything that happened in that book other than the main premise of wizard takes girl into tower every decade. And as I was reading I realized I must've DNF'd it, cause there came a point I had absolutely no clue what was gonna happen next and nothing felt familiar. And you know what? I overall really enjoyed it. It's continuing a trend where I am retracing some previous books I didn't necessarily like the first time around, but due to so much change and personal growth over the past few years, am finding new appreciation for (such as The Bear and the Nightingale, was meh the first time I read it, but re-read it recently and adored the entire series).

Anyway, the Wood. Absolutely fantastic element. Seriously freaked me out. Can't wait to start Spinning Silver next.

[would-you-punt-them]

Konstantin Nikonovich (The Bear and the Nightingale)

[ghostofharrenhals]

This is a crime against me personally

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

checked the konstantin winternight tag for a sec bc he’s my bestie evil priest and it’s so funny how often fan art hits him (and medved) with the clean shaven twink beam

[snurtsnurtcreations]

What's this? I fell victim to another book and made drawings for it again? Well, gee, who woulda thought....

Anywho, close-ups of our favorite frog girl under the cut: