Winterlight (Green Rider #7) by Kristen Britain

   

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

After her capture at the hands of Grandmother and the Second Empire, Karigan G'ladheon is making halting progress towards recovery. Karigan takes on increasingly dangerous missions, haunted by the specter of her torturer, Nyssa, and sinking ever further into the mire of her recollections of the past and the losses she's sustained.

Meanwhile, the forces of the Second Empire are moving on Sacoridia and their primary target is a vulnerable garrison that guards a crucial mountain pass. Faced with new fatherhood and a country on the verge of war, King Zachary sends a contingent of soldiers and Green Riders to the pass--but his own recovery from the events of the north is not yet complete either.

Reunited with her fellow Riders at the pass, Karigan takes on a leadership role, but quickly finds that the Riders are not as she last left them. As tension mounts and war draws ever closer to the heart of Sacoridia, Karigan must discover what it truly means to be a Rider and a hero of the realm--and what sacrifices must be made to truly heal from her past.

 

I can't begin to tell you how much I look forward to these Green Rider books. It's so hard to wait 3 to 4 years between them, but also so worth it! So of course I was thrilled when I received an ARC of this seventh book in the series. After the events of the last book I was eager to find out what was going to happen next. Honestly it's like that after I finish every one of these books, and I was happy the book pretty much got right into things. 

This is supposed to be the second to last book in this story arc that's been going on for 7 books now, and it feels like there is still a lot left to be done in book 8. I'm curious to see how the author wraps things up. And don't worry, book 8 will not be the end of the series, just this story arc. I was very happy that some conflicts got resolved in this book, but we are still waiting for what will happen next with Mornhaven, although some set up was established for how they will deal with that conflict. I really can't wait to see how things will play out, especially now that dragons have been introduced into the world.

This book had me biting my nails a few times wondering what was going to happen to some of these beloved characters. There were several points of view covered in this book and some of them got a lot more attention than others, but that didn't bother me. I did really want to know more of what was happening with Captain Mapstone though! Obviously the next book will be more about that, but it's hard to wait. There are also a couple of points of view that didn't seem too important to the story line in this particular book, but I feel like the author is probably setting up some threads that will have something to do with the next story arc down the road. 

There were a couple of nice surprises in this book. I didn't expect the story to go the way it did regarding King Zachary and some of the choices he made involving Karigan, and I'm not talking about relationship stuff exactly, but just certain things he has her do in the book before and during the battle. I really loved seeing them fight together and I looked forward to their interactions throughout the book. I also really enjoyed how some of the relationship stuff played out, but I also have some mixed feelings about how it's being handled.

Overall this was my favorite book I've read this year, probably because I love this series so much. It included heartbreak and sorrow, and love and triumph, just like all the previous books, but this one, I felt ended on a lighter note than most of them. There was no huge cliffhanger, we know where the story is headed, even though there are a threads that are left dangling that involve some important people. But for the first time since I began this series, I didn't feel like Karigan was a complete punching bag. I was thrilled that despite all the trials that she has endured, some good things actually happened for her in this book and that made my heart happy.

I desperately want to include quotes from the book in this review, but because it's an ARC I can't until I check them against the completed version of the book, so I may come back and tweak this review later.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an ARC of this book.