3.5 stars for Winterlight

The Green Rider novels have always been exciting for me because of the story telling. Even though there are fantasy tropes plainly written in several of the novels, I have consistently felt that the writing of Kristen Britain made up for any shortcomings with the exception of book 5 which was tragic. In book 6, the writing style was still captivating for the most part.

However, with Winterlight, I started to fall out of love with the story even though I wanted to keep loving the characters. It feels as though we have reached a climax in the story and instead of pursuing it, we are running after side quests in perpetuity. The best example of this is the failure of this book to significantly advance the plot of major villains (Morhavon and/or Amberhill). In prior reviews I have discussed my own disinterest in the Amberhill plot line and the viewpoint changes to accompany it and that stance has not changed. However, since it's already been written circa book 5, it would be nice to keep it moving.

Instead, much of Winterlight focuses on the Darrow Raiders. We know about them because they were mentioned in passing in previous novels. It's not entirely unexpected that they would make an appearance now, but it is strange how disconnected from the main plot they seem to be. Spoilers - In the book, several riders are kidnapped by the raiders and they eventually lure out and kidnap Colonel Mapstone (their old enemy) whom they sell to a random (plot necessitated) foreign prince effectively removing her from the story for now. The raiders are slowly defeated through the remaining actions and developments.

For Karigan's part, she escapes the confinement and makes it to the army and Zachery who are prepared for their confrontation with the Second Empire. Karigan has always been a loveable protagonist for me until this book when I started to become bored with her. This occurred for two main reasons. The first is the continuation of her inability to cope with past trauma - I don't personally need this level of realism in my escapist fantasy. I can appreciate it, but I don't want it to consume the protagonists every action for an extended duration. The second reason is that she apparently lost her spine somewhere between novels. In Colonel Mapstone's absence, Captain Connly is in charge of the green riders stationed with the army. He repeatedly treats Karigan like hot garbage stuck to the bottom of his shoe. The character Karigan that was introduced in books 1-6 would have put him in his place. The Karigan of this book did nothing. In fact, it didn't seem as though she had any feelings about her treatment which is pretty strange.

Perhaps a third reason that Karigan is no longer appealing as a character is the way in which her romance with Zachery continues in this book. I don't think she needs him to be likeable and relatable. Obviously, I don't know where the author hopes the two characters will end up but she has positioned them in such a way in this novel that I would not expect both of them to survive the coming conflict. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The remaining plot was sufficient and entertaining to read. ( )

While this book could certainly use some editing, the return to beloved characters kept it moving for me as Karigan returns to her role as a Green Rider while recovering from the mental and physical injuries endured during her capture at the hands of Grandmother in the previous book of the series. I found the tensions between heroic independent action and being part of a reliable team really interesting in this book,as Karigan experiences some pushback from a new Rider chief when Colonel Mapstone is captured. The war with Second Empire kept the action ratcheted up. I'll definitely tune in to the next installment of the series whenever that comes! ( )

The sad thing is that if I'm still alive when the next book comes out, I'll probably read it.
Sir Karigan mostly staggers her way through another gauntlet of (mis)adventures racking up enemies and allies honors and wounds. Not much fun is had in ‎845 pages, but there are eddies of interest. ( )