I enjoyed this one, but I don’t think I’d read anymore like it. I had a hard time getting into the story, not sure if it was the writing style or what, but I kept being pulled out of the story. I liked the plot though.

The premise of this story is a good one. It’s got trials and tests, friendships and political alliances and magic. All the ingredients for a perfect recipe.
Politics and faith feature heavily in this book; with so many parallels to the real world. The writing is beautifully descriptive in terms of world building.
The depiction of family relationships and particularly parent/child relationships were beautifully done.

This book picks up about 18 years after Queen of coin and Whispers, I think I was expecting more of a sequel than what it was. Instead of being a'true' sequel it was the story of the new generation and Heir Emri. I would day this could be read as a standalone..you don't necessarily need to read book one however, it does enhance the experience. I did enjoy this book with extended world building from the first. It did seem to take go a completely different way than book 1 though

I received this book in exchange for an honest review - for a full review check out my YouTube or Goodreads account

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Helen Corcoran

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

"Daughter of Winter and Twilight" is a must-read for fantasy fiction fans. Helen Corcoran has crafted a mesmerizing sequel (the first book is not mandatory reading before reading this one) that will leave readers spellbound from beginning to end. With its rich world-building, compelling characters, and gripping plot, this novel leaves a lasting impression and establishes Corcoran as a talent to watch in the genre. I am baffled that this book has not been talked about more!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book.

Sadly I didn't find this title in any way as enjoyable as the previous book which I found extremely sad.

For some reason it failed to grab me in any way and I really had to push myself to finish reading it. It was readable for me but I really did struggle with it personally.

Totally gutted as I was expecting so much more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

I tried my best to enjoy this book to the fullest extent it could be but it just wasn’t for me. I get it was written very well and the plot was there but it just didn’t hone me in like other books!

This book made me feel cold the entire time I read it, which was perfect! It was like the snow, queen mixed with high fantasy, I can’t wait to see what else this author does.

Daughter of Winter and Twilight is the spin-off book from Helen Corcoran's debut YA fantasy novel Queen of Coin and Whispers which followed young queen Lia as she had to battle court politics, and a system used to lazy and corrupt sovereigns, while also dealing with growing feelings for her new spymaster Xania. Now almost twenty years later, we follow Emri, Xania and Lia's adopted daughter and heir to the throne of Edar as she struggles with what her future holds, and who will be by her side. But when Emri and her cousin Melisande are kidnapped by the winter goddess Lady Winter, they realise that magic is real and they need to depend on each other to survive.

I loved this so much. I loved Queen of Coin and Whisper for its politics, the elements of spymaster and the romance between Xania and Lia but dare I say I think I enjoyed DOWAT even more. I also don't think you have to read QOCAW before reading this as you can understand what is going on easy enough without knowing the full details of Lia and Xania's story and therefore Emri's. It definitely helps but is not a neccessity.

I love how magic was introduced in this book, especially as it is something like many fantasy books that was just talked about in stories and legends originally. So I loved that Helen Corcoran decided to make it real again, and in the most terrifying way. Lady Winter is not really a goddess you want to be enemies with but also she's not who you want on your side either as she's cruel and ruthless to all. She was honestly terrifying and I loved the thrill of being scared by her.

I enjoyed the bonds being forged in this book from those between Emri and Melisande (that had orignally being broken in childhood due to shared trauma), and then also those between Emri, Gabrielle and Theo. There are hints of romance in this book, mostly Emri still feeling heartbroken by her first love but I loved the gentle beginnings of something between her and Theo - and Theo was the cutest boy/future consort in the world. Someone who will hold your bag on the red carpet while the paps take their pics (in a world of Kens, he's an Alan).

Loved the adventure (as well as the real side of quests such as hygiene, body hair and periods) and the diverseness in this book as well (characters appear to range from bi/pan, ace, sapphic as well as mentions of non-binary rulers. They are also a range of skin types and backgrounds - not everyone is blonde, blue-eyed). There were so many fantastic threads started in this story for something truly epic to happen in the future and I can't wait to see what comes next.

This was such a fantastic book! I really enjoyed reading this! I ADORED the first book and this book lived up too and exceeded expectations. I can't mention how much I loved reading this!!

I went into this book without realizing that there had been a book before it, and I only found out after I had finished this book. I never felt as if I were missing something, so I think this book stands on its own for anyone just picking it up

This book was everything I wanted from a Queen of Coin and Whispers sequel/companion and more. Corcoran is truly a master of political intrigue and making every aspect of this fantasy world unique. The characters were so compelling, the setting was breathtaking, the storyline did not let up for one second. I can't help but hope there will be more novels set in this world, but I will absolutely pick up any book Helen Corcoran blesses us with.

This was a beautifully written addition to this world. It was nice to get back into it, I absolutely adored Queen of Coins and Whispers when I read it. It was interesting to see what had happened since the previous book and nice to see how everything played off. I really enjoyed the characters and plot and overall enjoyed it.

I didn't know much about this book before starting it and I just feel like you shouldn't either so no summary!!

I absolutely loved it this one. Not that it was surprising considering how much I loved Helen Corcoran's debut, Queen of Coin and Whispers.
In Daughter of Winter and Twilight, Corcoran comes back to that world and brings us Emri's story, the daughter of the main characters of QoCaW.
So we get to follow up with our beloved characters while getting to know their daughter and getting deeper into the world we already knew.
I really just enjoyed this story so much. I cried, I laughed and didn't see a lot of the twists coming. I was truly enthralled by Emri's character. She was everything and I loved getting to know her and her flaws and her strengths. I also loved the growth of the side characters, from the mothers to the cousin to the friends. I just had the most wonderful time and I will without a doubt read this again.
I cannot wait for more from Helen Corcoran!!

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank everyone involved in allowing me early access. All opinions are my own.

“Daughter of winter and twilight” brings us back to the universe of “Master of coin and whispers”. In this second volume, we have a more structured narrative, much more well developed than in the first one - we focus on a sole action instead of a collection of little moments that have few connection points, as we had in the first volume. Nevertheless, some things could have been better, hence the rating.

The beginning is extremely slow paced, with the action only starting at 50%. The first half of the book is the effects of the first book events’ on Emri - Lia and Xana’s daughter. I understood the relevance but it felt very repetitive. There was no need to use 200 pages to describe something that could have been in only 70. The action, on the other hand, is very captivating and well constructed, showing a clear improvement from the first book. There were some Piranesi vibes that made me improve the rating, as from the first half I was prepared to give only 2 stars.

Overall, if you read the first and have the patience to overcome the first part, it turns out to be a fine and entertaining fantasy novel.

This review will also be available on my Goodreads account and, later on, on my instagram profile - @cat.literary.world

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I so enjoyed Queen of Coin and Whispers and was very excited to get the follow up Daughter of Winter and Twilight. While it can be read as a stand-alone, I think you really will get the most emotional impact from the story if you have read the first book. DOWAT is set a number of years after the events of Coin and builds on the events of the first story but with a mostly new set of characters. What I really liked about this story was how it expands outside of the keep that the first book took place in and we get gods and magic!! As the adopted daughter and heir of Queens Aurelia and Xania, Emri has been preparing for her coming out but is swept up in an adventure that will have far reaching ramifications for all of the surrounding countries and the heirs of those regions. I loved how Gabi, Theo, Melisande and Emri had to learn to not only work together but to forgive themselves and each other for things that were out of their control when they were younger. And meeting the forgotten gods and the trials and tribulations that the group went through was wonderfully written. The story really kept you engaged throughout, and I thought the ending was both hopeful and bittersweet. The one book that I would really hope for after reading this set of stories is a book about Truth....I need to know his story!!!

The first book in this duology (Series? Please, series.), Queen of Coin and Whispers, was my most anticipated book for the entire back end of 2019, and one of my favourite 2020 releases. At that time, it was a standalone and I adored it with every fibre of my being.

“Still, I wasn’t expecting to read this 464-page book in a single, engrossed sitting. I turned down food, people. I turned down food!”

DAUGHTER OF WINTER AND TWILIGHT picks up the narrative in the next generation, with Emri – Queen Xania and Queen Lia’s adopted daughter and heir.

For me, DAUGHTER OF WINTER AND TWILIGHT is a another five-star read, but a rather different book from it’s predecessor. It’s less political and court-centric, and ups the ‘fantasy’ side of the world-building with actual gods and the promise of magic. And the world itself is fabulous: in this instalment entirely female-led and queer normative. The story is still very character driven despite the quest/challenge angle, and the characters remain excellent: diverse, varied and complex. I love all the characters, even the ones I hate, because Corcoran writes them all so well and makes them all so intriguing.

A five-star book, through by personal preference I loved Queen of Coin and Whispers just a touch more (give me schemers every time). However, I do think I’d have been better served by rereading the first book before starting this one, and that might’ve shot it up even higher – a lot of the themes of this duology are tough choices and no-win scenarios. DAUGHTER OF WINTER AND TWILIGHT adds an element of consequences, and how they play out further down the line. My plan is to reread both books back-to-back in 2024.

As I said three and half years ago, “Run, don’t walk,” to pick up this series.

Daughter of Winter and Twilight is a story about healing from your past traumas, breaking the cycle, and learning to let other people in. In that regard, it’s a beautiful and powerful story and I definitely cried while reading it.

That said, I have mixed feelings about Daughter of Winter and Twilight, which is disappointing because I absolutely loved Queen of Coin and Whispers. And some of this is a me thing, and some of it is a book thing (well, they’re all me things but the book things are more about the book than my reaction to it). And despite these mixed feelings, I did really enjoy it and would consider it a high 3 stars (rounded up to 4).

What drew me in to QoCaW was the political intrigue. The spymaster and the queen falling in love. And while it was wonderful to see Xania and Lia happily together, DoWaT didn’t hold the same instant intrigue. So that’s the me thing. I was holding it to a pedestal I wasn’t promised.

It was an incredibly slow start for me. The first 25% of the book was just introducing us to Emri and Melisande and establishing Emri’s history and position. Overall, a lot of the events that occurred in this first part felt like they could have been condensed because a lot of the scenes weren’t particularly relevant once we got into the main plot.

It’s hard to pull off a story that relies heavily on flashbacks and memories of the past. And I think for the most part, they worked for this story. The narrative framing of couching the past in the gods’ trials was fascinating, but I felt like the change in tenses was a bit clunky at times and othered the text. (It’s possible that was intentional and just didn’t super work for me).

What saved this book for me was the introduction of Gabi and Theo. The four young royals having to work together and find camaraderie despite their differences and training was so good. Them learning to trust and rely on each other? Amazing.

I would love to see Emri’s story continue in a world filled with *spoiler spoiler spoiler* and cackle as Melisande teases Emri for all eternity.

Thank you to NetGalley and O’Brien Press for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.