by Naomi Novik
The king of the winter kingdom steals Miryem, a moneylender purportedly able to “turn silver into gold.” He uses her without her knowledge to create winter in the middle of summer. But could there be a creature more awful than the one freezing the crops and starving the daylit kingdom? And what can Miryem, an ordinary Jewish girl, do about it?
I was so excited to read this, since I loved Uprooted, and I wasn’t disappointed. The writing was beautiful, the action kept me turning the pages, and all of the promises in the story paid off in a very satisfying ending. The characters were rich, deep, and strong, finding courage to fight in the big moments and the small.