This just might be my favorite installment in the series so far. Not only do we have the same compelling and well-written characters, witty banter, and amazing worldbuilding, but this book felt so much longer than the previous ones, and not even one short part was in any way slow. Even by the halfway point, so much had happened, that I was amazed that wasn’t the whole book yet. I devoured this book, and loved every minute of it.

Winterlight moves the main storyline of the Green Rider series forward, a lot. Multiple storylines from the other six books are brought back to the forefront and progress rapidly. Since there is one more book in the series (as far as I’m aware), we know that not all of them will resolve here. So, going into this book, I knew I wouldn’t get the resolution I was hoping for, for many of the story arcs.

Winterlight is, in my opinion, the fastest book in the series so far. So much is happening - major and minor arcs - and there is no time to take a break. Especially not for our characters. We move from the emotional time in the North (Firebrand) directly into more our main character has to endure while figuring out everything that happened before. Karigan truly is a remarkable, resilient person.

Pros
- Kristen Britain’s writing is as beautiful as ever. Her descriptions bring the scenery to life. No sentence, no detail is wasted. They all help with setting the stage and getting the reader into the mood she wants them to be in. Characters - even side characters - are so well described that you know instantly what they are about, how they think, etc.
- Her balance of revealing what you need to know vs just enough to make you question what’s happening is incredible. In this book in particular because there is so much going on.
- The world has become so much deeper and detailed. I didn’t think there could be anything added to it, but she did it. And all those pieces fit naturally.

Cons
- That’s one of the cons of this book though. I felt that some of the side stories were unnecessary and got resolved way too easily. Knowing this book was written by Kristen Britain, I wonder if some of them will come back as a relevant item in the last book. But then, some of those didn’t feel relevant. More like they have been added to make the storyline faster. Personally, I would have loved less of the irrelevant side stories and rather more time for some of the main storylines. This also made the book feel rushed at times.

Overall, I loved this book. There is no boring moment, which made putting it aside really difficult (in a good way ;) ). The characters develop nicely. Other characters’ story is elevated. We learn more about Sacoridia’s history and believes, and all of it is simply fascinating. Finally, the book includes all the emotions - from laughing out loud to being devastated. And the scene that you see on the cover? Tears…. I want book 8, now!

I was given a free e-copy of Winterlight by Kristen Britain (author), DAW (publisher),and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Winterlight is the seventh book in the Green Rider series.

This review will be spoiler free.

I would categorize Winterlight as high fantasy featuring a soft magic system and a pre-industrial European-like setting with nobility and royalty.

One of the strengths of a Green Rider novel is the characters. The characters from the main character through the major secondary characters and including minor characters featured in a couple of scenes are unique, compelling, and three-dimensional I think Ms. Britain is one of the best fantasy authors in creating engaging characters.

The story flowed from the beginning through the end, immersive, and there were not any dead spots. The only quibble that I have with the story is that I would have preferred if the Beryl Spencer and Lauren Mapstone plot lines were featured a bit more.

Winterlight is the type of story that I plan on reading multiple times.

I rate Winterlight 4.5 stars.

I would like to thank Ms. Britain, DAW, and Net Galley for the free ARC.

Thank you so much to DAW and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book on exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I've been reading the Green Riders series since the mid-2000s, so I'm absolutely already a fan. And as a fan. I would be lying if I didn't say that the previous two books in the series were just....okay. Winterlight, though? Winterlight has sucked me right back in.

I read the latter 70% of this book in approximately 2 days, if that tells you anything. And in that time I experienced every single emotion possible. Kristen Britain managed to break my heart and repair it so many times in the course of these 800ish pages that it was unreal. Every single character was dealing with all of their fallout from previous books, and the emotional toll it took on them was obvious.

This latest installment made me adore characters I loved already even more, and it tore me to pieces when something newly tragic happened. But her writing also had me laughing in the very next breath, or sighing at a sweet moment. A ship I have been wanting for so long....well, I got some great moments out of it, I'll just say that. Several plot threads are starting to wrap up, but so many questions were left to be answered in the 8th and final book of the series. The stakes for these characters are at an all time high, because no one is truly safe and I'm so scared for what she will do to them next.

And THAT ENDING. I need so much more and I'm going to have to reread the whole series constantly while I wait for the next installment. Five out of five stars, and Kristen Britain has made this Green Rider fan a very happy camper.