The Winter Goddess by Megan Barnard held my interest with every turn of the page. It tells the captivating tale of Cailleach and how she became the goddess of winter, only to have everything stripped away as punishment for a devastating action. She is sent to live among mortals and faces the root of her grief while experiencing different sides of humanity that she never previously considered. Her journey will stick with me for quite some time.

I appreciate this story's exploration of love, friendship, and womanhood. The author's writing style flows and the world building is easy to understand throughout this fantasy setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I found The Winter Goddess to be a tale woven of simplicity with echos of the ending seeded right in the very beginning, yet the moments that bring readers from said beginning to end are viscerally beautiful and undoubtedly human.

Readers follow Cailleach the Celtic goddess of winter after she's allowed her own grief to wound the human world. As punishment she's made to traverse the earth as a human again and again until she understands the nuanced nature of being alive.

Woven with equal parts grace and grit, The Winter Goddess is a quiet retelling that'll remind readers of the fragility and wonder of what it is to be human.

Readers who loved the haunting and methodical telling of The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec will fall easily for this Celtic retelling.
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Endless thanks to Penguinvbooks and NetGalley for allowing me and early look at this gem.

I will admit I was hooked from the second I saw this gorgeous cover but the story lives up to the high bar set by it! If you like mythology and books about flawed female characters and power hungry gods, this is a perfect winter read that follows Cailleach, the goddess of winter, who is cursed and forced to live and die over and over as a mortal woman.

I liked how the book followed the seasons and the way that Cailleach slowly learned to appreciate the simple pleasures of a mortal life. Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Natalie Haynes or Genevieve Gornichec. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The Winter Goddess is an incredibly heartwrenching tale of what it is to be human. Barnard artfully depicts sisterhood, motherhood, womanhood, friendship, love, companionship, and the magical and wondrousness of the Irish gods. Cailleach experiences the joys and pains of being a woman in a small village struggling to get by. This novel was an absolute delight to read. I think I spent the last 50 pages muddling through because my tears were so heavy I could barely see, an experience I generally take to be the hallmark of a GREAT BOOK. This book is for mothers and daughters, for those who have had/lost pets, those who have felt hunger and pain and fear, those who have loved and lost, and also folklore fanatics. This book was beautiful, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Thanks to PRHAudio, NetGalley, and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This was a short, simple, yet moving tale of the goddess Cailleach. Her inability to emphasize with mortals results in her being cursed to live a mortal life over and over as punishment for her cruelty.

In each of her lives, one particular mortal impacts her. And in each life, she learns a bit more about what it really means to be mortal. How to live, how to love, how to find meaning in a fleeting life. It’s a rather straightforward story, but the emotional impact increases with each life. Her final “life” actually got me teary, so I’m rounding up on my rating for that.

I’d say Barnard’s Jezebel was the more impactful story, but I wouldn’t hesitate to also recommend this one.

The Winter Goddess by Megan Barnard is a captivating and poignant story that delves into themes of love, loss, and the sacrifices made for power and immortality. This novel is the ideal companion for chilly winter evenings, as it will keep you engrossed from start to finish. I found myself unable to set it aside, completely absorbed in its compelling narrative.

I devoured this in one sitting! Loved it!

Megan has a way of bringing you straight into her world, and has you feeling her character's feelings as if they're your own. An introspective tale of our own human experience from the eyes of another, who learns humility and the wonders and joys of a seemingly "insignificant" mortal life. Great character and story development. Beautiful visuals. Will definitely be recommending this book!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Winter Goddess by Megan Barnard is a first person-POV historical fantasy reimagining of the Gealic goddess of winter, Cailleach. When Cailleach creates a long, harsh winter that kills many humans, the queen of the gods and her mother, Danu, sentences her to be mortal until she learns what it means to be human. But Cailleach struggles with mortality and experiences more pain than she ever imagined.

I was not familiar with Cailleach or the importance she plays in Irish, Scottish, or Manx mythology before reading this. A quick check online tells me that there are several versions of this goddess and that The Winter Goddess is more of a reimagining rather than a retelling of her story. I’m curious about her story and will be doing more research in the future, especially into her relationship with Áine.

A major theme is mortality vs immortality and how an immortal could lose sight of what it means to be mortal or become warped in their views. Danu is convinced that Cailleach has to learn what life is like as an immortal after the harsh winter Cailleach caused, but every life Cailleach lives isn’t good enough for Danu. I got frustrated on Cailleach’s before after the third death as she’d already experienced the death of someone she loved deeply and then later betrayal and yet Danu was convinced Cailleach still hadn’t learned. About halfway through, I did start to view Danu as an emotionally abusive mother who is looking to punish their child until they get a very specific result instead of meeting their child halfway.

The pacing is on the slower side and while things happen, everything goes back to Cailleach’s feelings and how what is happening impacts her. It’s not quite literary fantasy, in my opening, but it is veering towards that subgenre because it is so very guided by themes and character in a way that lines up with literary fiction I have read before. I like a character study that recognizes complex feelings and relationships and while Danu’s reaction to Cailleach’s experiences frustrated me, I did find myself looking forward to their next interactions to see if we would ever learn why Danu was making it so difficult and what exactly she wanted her daughter to learn.

Content warning for arranged marriage, unwanted pregnancy, murder, child death, and the death of a dog

I would recommend this to fans of character studies using mythological figures and readers looking for a deep POV reimagining of a winter goddess

"The Winter Goddess" follows the punishment of Cailleach, the goddess of winter - when a beautiful grove, sacred to Cailleach is destroyed by humans, she becomes enraged and brings a long, bitter winter. Thousands of mortals are killed. Danu decides Cailleach must be punished, and removes her immortality, making her into a mortal woman, and banishing her from Tara to live out as many lives as it takes for Cailleach to learn her lesson. Danu wants Cailleach to learn the ways of humans, to see their goodness and beauty, and to understand why the other gods and goddess love the mortals so much. As the years pass, Cailleach learns firsthand the many facets of a mortal life - death, love, family, loss, illness, cold, pain, and hunger.

This book was beautiful - it was introspective, emotional, and heartbreaking. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys books that are more character driven, stories about the Celtic deities, or stories about life in general.

When I saw the cover I knew I had to read it! I’m so glad I did because wow! This book was so beautifully written! This was a super fun fantasy to read I loved every second of it! I would highly recommend

I'll be honest - I am a person who judges a book by its cover. Both the cover and the title had piqued my interest, enough that I had started reading without even reading the synopsis. The world Barnard painted was that of beauty, both in the lyrical writing and in seeing the small joys of life itself. I didn't know what to expect upon reading, but I found myself immersed and wanting to devour each chapter to know more. While I love mythology, I will admit I knew nothing of Gaelic mythos before reading this book. This has inspired me to learn more about it, as I am fascinated with the depictions that Barnard had created within their world. Cailleach lived so many lives, and each one brings forth a bit of warmth to her character and allows you to see more of the world around her. I really, truly enjoyed reading this, and highly recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!

First things first, I loved the writing. It was artistic and lyrical. Definitely from the perspective of a goddess. But, there were some VERY long paragraphs that probably could have and should have been broken down into smaller ones throughout the book.

The first half of this book was pretty slow. Not too much was really going on, and I was a tad bored. But it really started moving in the second half. There isn't a ton of plot world-wise, but character-wise, Cailleach has a ton going on. I loved her character development as she forms attachments and falls in love. It was stunning.

The world was also really cool, and I would have loved to see more of it.

This was a pretty solid read. It had a strong ending and it was generally a pretty cool read.

A beautifully written mythology retelling with all aspects of a well-crafted fairytale. The Winter Goddess had everything I was looking for in a fantasy book. I highly recommend!

This gorgeous cover caught my eye, and I am a sucker for an immortality tale, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this one. The Winter Goddess delivers. Cailleach, the Celtic goddess of winter, is sentenced to live a mortal life over and over until she learns what it is to be human. I enjoyed this so much that I will be adding Megan Barnard's previous work, Jezebel, to my TBR list.

The Cailleach interests me and I appreciate the opportunity to read this book. It kept me involved and thinking. The winter goddess was selfish and stubborn, and I did hope for a more uplifting ending, but I would recommend the book to those interested in mythic tales.

One of my favorite goddess story retellings in a while! This is a favorite genre of mine, and The Winter Goddess did not disappoint. The true folklore was masterfully woven into a whole new story in such a way that felt like I really got to know Cailleach. As she became more mortal, the better I felt I knew her. I felt torn right alongside her with the lessons she was meant to be learning, and felt so caught in suspense with how it all turned out in the best kind of way!

This was absolutely fantastic. A retelling of Gaelic mythology, "The Winter Goddess" follow Cailleach after she is cursed to live through mortal lives by Danu, the queen of the gods and her mother. Cailleach struggles through a learning curve, trying to figure out how to survive without her powers as the goddess of winter. Barnard explores how humans grieve, mourn, celebrate, and survive by writing how Callieach learns each of these things. Barnard has a gift with words, and her writing here sucks you in to each character introduced. I loved Callieach and each little family she found in her many lives.

Confusion Between the Creator of Winter, and a Representation of Winter

Megan Barnard is a professional author, who lives in Maryland. This is her second novel with Viking. The two are similarly in the fantasy magic genre, but are not tied together as a series. The first, Jezebel, was released in 2023. Neither has won any awards or the like before, which is unusual for this list of highly-promoted pop novels. The quality artistry in the design of the cover indicates Penguin invested some money into pitching this one to buyers.
“A goddess is cursed to endlessly live and die as a mortal until she understands the value of human life, in this inventive, moving reimagining of Irish mythology. Cailleach, goddess of winter, was not born to be a blight on humanity, but she became one.” Cailleach is a character that appears in Celtic mythology as a one-eyed hag who created winter and storms. Given this antique character, it is puzzling why Barnard made her beautiful, and turned her vengeful, instead of creative. I tend to borrow from mythology whenever I write fantasy, but I usually have to stay within the original rules of a mythological character’s elements. Why refer to a character as Thor, if there is going to be no thunder in a story? “She would say with scorn that it was their own fault: mortals were selfish, thoughtless, and destructive, bringing harm to each other and the earth without cause or qualms. One day, Cailleach goes too far. Thousands die, lost to her brutal winter. In punishment, her mother Danu, queen of the gods, strips the goddess of her powers and sends Cailleach to earth, to live and die as the mortals she so despises, until she understands what it is to be one of them. Though determined to live in solitude, Cailleach finds that she cannot help but reach for the people she once held in such disdain. She loves and mourns in equal measure, and in opening herself to humanity, hears tales not meant for immortal ears—including a long-buried secret that will redefine what it means to be a god… Story of a goddess punished—and a goddess reborn, as she discovers the importance of a life ephemeral… and what it means to truly be alive.” The answer in such stories is usually that the meaning of life is sex, which tends to be framed as “love”, sexual and friendly. This is a very low bar for meaning: animals love their family. Though obviously this is a common trope because of this universality: if everybody (or almost everybody) wants to love somebody; then, setting love as the goal for the rollercoaster plot is likely to satisfy most readers. In contrast, if wisdom turned out to be life’s meaning, this would lose some who are against the rigors of educational attainment.
The first chapter opens in the first-person of Cailleach. There is a pretty description of snow, but it is dampened for me by the realization that the author is confusing her mythology. Cailleach created winter, as opposed to merely being a representation of winter. This opening scene shows her observing already existing snow and wind, and then turning her body to match their characteristics. And this is followed by Danu declaring that she is now the “goddess of winter”. There are some Celts who still worship Celtic gods as a religion. For them, this would probably be a bit offensive. Like describing Jesus as the god of crosses… Maybe the problem is that this author has taken a formula of the punished-daughter who loses royal power for wickedness and has overlayed it by just adding the names of these gods without any research? This is not a good start for a novel I would want to read. But it would be fine enough for the author to edit a mythology, if it was executed with vivid details. Instead, most of this novel is filled with vague phrases such as, “I held that feeling winter close”. What? She has turned into winter? Then, she is that thing, and can’t hold herself close? Then, without a rational cause, a rift is presented between this mother and daughter to generate some sort of tension between the only two characters in this world. This is very artificial, and forced, and is unreadable.
Then, in the middle of this novel, Cailleach describes herself struggling with helping a drowning child by instinct, despite not wanting to interact with humans. Some human called Aine is screaming at her over this. This generates a conflict where Aine is threatening to leave because Cailleach is unfeeling, when this is her primary characteristic (so she should have known this before this point, when the saving of a child proves the opposite). I just can’t keep reading this. I’ve done some research into Wicca, and Celtic theology, and this butchery of magical history and theory is kind of… offensive… I’m not personally offended by this butchery, but the emptiness of the content in combination with the former is just unreadable.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

*The Winter Goddess* by Megan Barnard is a captivating fantasy novel that blends mythology with rich storytelling. The book follows a powerful protagonist who must navigate her identity as the Winter Goddess while facing complex challenges and threats. Barnard’s writing is lush and immersive, bringing the mystical world and its characters to life with vivid detail. Themes of power, responsibility, and self-discovery are explored with depth, and the pacing keeps the reader hooked throughout. With its strong character development and enchanting world-building, *The Winter Goddess* is a must-read for fans of fantasy, magic, and epic journeys.

This book was a little too simple for me. I really liked the premise and thought that since it involved gods and goddesses it would be a bit more exciting, but it was very repetitive. There also wasn’t a ton of character development, most of the characters felt pretty flat and didn’t have qualities that made you want to know more about them. I also think it took Cailleach too long to see the value and the lesson of living a mortal life, especially after living so many. She came off very selfish and childish most of the book and when she would start to see the errors in her actions and words, it was time for a new life. I wish there was more depth to the story, the idea is good, but this book was monotonous. Despite all of that, I still kind of enjoyed it, and it was a very quick read,

Thank you to Viking Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!