This is a companion novel to A Coalition of Lions". Sequentially, it comes before Coalition, but both are fully stand-alone novels where Coalition tells a story from the perspective of the princess Goewin, Winter Prince is her brother Medrauts story. But more than his story, it is an exploration of love and jealousy.
The milieu and characters of the book (very) roughly correspond to the classic Arthurian tales Medraut is Mordred, bastard child of incest between Artos and his sister Morgause, and for that shame, denied the princehood that he sees as his right. His younger half-sibling, Lleu, is the heir which not only causes emotional conflicts with his brother, but with Lleus twin sister, Goewin, who is, ironically, the one probably most suited to rule.
Not only is Medraut resentful toward his brother, but he is caught is a welter of difficult emotions concerning his cruel, politically conniving and perverse mother, Morgause, who has more of a hold over him than anyone may realize
I said it about Coalition, and I have to say it even more strongly about this book I really dont understand why someone made the decision to market this as a YA book. The theme of incest and its emotional consequences in this book is rather mature, and the language, while evocative and beautiful, is not juvenile.
From reading these two books, I have to say that Wein is, (at least so far in her career), an extremely underrated writer I hadnt heard of her before I picked up one of these, admittedly only because I liked the cover! But her writing has impressed me quite a lot Im not surprised to discover on the web, she has her PhD in folklore (a particular interest of mine). I expect good things from this author in the future!
The milieu and characters of the book (very) roughly correspond to the classic Arthurian tales Medraut is Mordred, bastard child of incest between Artos and his sister Morgause, and for that shame, denied the princehood that he sees as his right. His younger half-sibling, Lleu, is the heir which not only causes emotional conflicts with his brother, but with Lleus twin sister, Goewin, who is, ironically, the one probably most suited to rule.
Not only is Medraut resentful toward his brother, but he is caught is a welter of difficult emotions concerning his cruel, politically conniving and perverse mother, Morgause, who has more of a hold over him than anyone may realize
I said it about Coalition, and I have to say it even more strongly about this book I really dont understand why someone made the decision to market this as a YA book. The theme of incest and its emotional consequences in this book is rather mature, and the language, while evocative and beautiful, is not juvenile.
From reading these two books, I have to say that Wein is, (at least so far in her career), an extremely underrated writer I hadnt heard of her before I picked up one of these, admittedly only because I liked the cover! But her writing has impressed me quite a lot Im not surprised to discover on the web, she has her PhD in folklore (a particular interest of mine). I expect good things from this author in the future!
