Wow, what a ride that was.
Koryn is a witch, was thrown out of her coven and her only chance at surviving in the cold desperate land of Velora is passing the seven gates to lift the curse and welcomed back into the family. The Frost Witch by Emberly Ash, published by Cara Maxwell Romance is the first book in the Covenants of Velora.
This is a full length dark romantasy that ends in a cliffie and continues in the next book. A tearjerker of its finest, the storyline and the exquisit worldbuilding are fantastic. I don't want to wax poetry, but this is one of my very few fav reads ever.
I highly, highly reecommend this unputdownable masterpiece and the series.