Thoughts on the Overall Book: Okay, this is one of those books I have a really hard time rating. I loved it, and yet, is it really a book you can actually like for just the characters, or just the story line? Not really, but as a whole it's great. I cringed reading it, there's so much angst, and I sped through it with bated breath because that's the only way you can read a book like this. And for that reason, I loved it.Cover--Yea or Nay: Not my favorite cover. It's a little dated, not horrible though.Characters: Okay, Medraut. Medraut is one of those characters who is so flawed it's hard to like him, to understand him, and yet you do understand why he does what he does and I think that's the scary thing about him. I pitied him, and yet I hated him for what he did and how he did it, but yet...ach, my mixed emotions! I love a tortured anti-hero. I love characters like Guy of Gisbourne from BBC's Robin Hood and Tom Hiddleston's Loki, they might do bad thing, things that might be unforgivable, but yet you can't help but side with them because you understand where they're coming from and the torment they went through to get there. I'm not sure I can even condone Medraut like I did them though. Especially toward the end of the book. I wasn't sure the ending totally redeemed him...and yet...I liked that about this book. I really did.Lleu on the other hand I really did love and have compassion for. Sure he might have been a bit of a brat at times, but I did care for him, and I ached for what he went through. I wanted to strangle Medraut for what he put him though and yet, I think what I admired most about Lleu was his undying loyalty and love toward Medraut. After all he did, Lleu still only saw him as his older brother and he trusted him. He ended up being the strongest character in the entire story and that was why I loved him.I also really liked Goewin, in fact, at the end of the book, I think I would have to say she was my favorite character. She was strong and did what had to be done and she didn't take anything from anyone. She was the only character one could fully really like. I didn't have anything against Artos either though he's really not in the book a lot. I liked what I saw of him.Okay, now Morgause was probably one of the nastiest, most sadistic, horrible female villains I have ever read about. She tops Milady de Winter by a long shot. I've got to give Elizabeth Wein marks for writing her. I think a lot of times modern fiction forgets that we can make women into nasty villains to. She made my skin crawl. *shiver*The Romance: Not really any romance in this.Writing Style: The writing style is mostly why I rated this book like I did. It's beautiful. Somewhat reminiscent of Rosemary Sutcliff. I loved how the story was told from Medraut's point of view as if he were relating the whole thing to Morgause. That made the entire plot and story impact so much more. It was haunting and visual and just made one die to read it. I couldn't stop reading this book as horrified as I was at times by it. I love how she took the Arthurian legends and wove them into a very real story. There wasn't any magic involved. This was a very character driven story with undoubtedly flawed characters. Rather literary almost apart from the ending, but in a good kind of way. I can't really voice everything I want to about this book. I don't really know all of how I feel about it, and I love books that leave me like that when I've finished. Medraut still isn't my Mordred, the one I write and the one I have always hoped to see, but he is certainly a different one and this is a take on the legends that, while not entirely traditional, Arthurian fans will enjoy. At it's heart, this story is about loyalty and brotherly love, and well, I love that.Accuracy/ Believability: The time period is accurate, and while it's not totally close to the original Arthurian legends, there's enough for you to see where the story and characters came from. As far as believability, this story is all about human nature, and frighteningly, yes, all the situations and characteristics were entirely believable. Problems/What bothered me: Anyone who has read the legends knows there's incest involved. I'm not a fan. And this story had a little much of that for me, and on top of it, some of it was rather sadistic. The last third of the book was just a little over the top, and ultimately what left me undecided about Medraut as a character. And knocked off a star. It was just...well...yeah.Conclusion: 4 stars. Again, is this a book you can really like for characters? yes and no. But whatever it was about this book, I did enjoy it, and mostly because of it's imperfection.Recommended Audience: Older teens and adults who enjoy different Arthurian stories. If you like Rosemary Sutcliff's books, you'd probably enjoy this one, though as I've said, it's a lot darker than hers.
This is a little bit of a Retro Review for me, although not entirely. I just about burst with glee when I saw that THE WINTER PRINCE and A COALITION OF LIONS were back in print. Two reasons for this: 1) I needed a copy of THE WINTER PRINCE for my own and 2) Now I can spread the love more easily! If the last three books come back into print that will just be the icing on the cake. (Warning: do not read the fourth book until you have the fifth book handy.)Nowadays Elizabeth Wein is well known as the author of smash hit CODE NAME VERITY. But once upon a time she was Elizabeth E. Wein, debut author of an Arthurian retelling called THE WINTER PRINCE. Artos has three children. Medraut, the oldest, is a illegitimate and cannot inherit. Lleu, the prince, is beautiful and fragile and talented and spoiled. Goewin, his twin, will not inherit either since she is a woman. The children love each other, but there's also a great deal of resentment and hurt feelings between them.THE WINTER PRINCE is written like a letter from Medraut to his aunt and mother, Morgause. She's a cruel woman with a terrible hold on her sons, but at the same time almost understandable as a woman trying to grasp all the power a woman can have. Medraut perhaps loves and hates her even more than her loves and hates Lleu.There isn't much of a plot to THE WINTER PRINCE. It's a book about a relationship, and two people coming to terms with who they are. It's wonderfully written, Wein's prose lending the book a fittingly seductive and sharp beauty. It's a little messy, just like it's protagonist, and swiftly covers a great deal of time. It's one of those books that sticks in your mind long after you read it, and comes back to you immediately once you read the first sentence again.It's just everything I want out of a book on the Matter of Britain. And believe me, I'm an Arthurian geek and I want a lot. It has questions of honor and what makes a good ruler, family and romance, and it's all bound up in insane episodes of cruelty, incest, and violence. It holds its own with some of the greats of Arthurian legend, like Malory and Marie de France and Rosemary Sutcliff.Let's all give a big hand to Open Road for reprinting this under appreciated classic. They've done it quite nicely, with a biography of Wein in the back and illustrations prefacing each chapter. The illustrations have a nicely simple, old-fashioned look to them. Sadly, I couldn't find the credit for the illustrator.
Do You like book The Winter Prince (2003)?
It is probably for the best that I didn't realise this book was written by the same author as a book that recently disappointed me - Code Name Verity - because, although everyong else seemed to enjoy this WW2 story of friendship, I found myself bored. The Winter Prince, on the other hand, never lost my attention for a second. This is exactly the kind of fantasy I love and, though I know this is a very bold statement to make, I'd almost go so far as to favourably compare this book to such as The Thief and Finnikin of the Rock. Perhaps not quite as flawless, but very good.Do you like historical fantasies based around ancient legends with kings, queens, jealousies, backstabbing and scandals all perfectly executed with a cast of colourful and exciting characters? Yeah, me too. This is that kind of book, a wonderful mix of action and multi-layered characters. But be warned, there are not so many likeable characters, they are complex individuals. The protagonist and narrator directs the story at the mother who abused him - a woman who is truly one of the most despicable characters I've ever come across - he is a confused man, torn between the possibilities of vengeance and of love and acceptance.If you can't stand the kind of book where there are no heroes or heroines, then this isn't the right choice for you. It's an interesting story that makes you think, that makes it impossible to choose sides, you will probably find yourself despising every character at some point or other. But it's also very powerful and it's about the choices people make and whether it's more important to be someone or to be loved by someone. Most of all, I see this as a novel about looking for the wrong things in the wrong places, when what you needed all along was right there with you. And no, this is not a romance.I think this is a great book. But I can tell you now what a lot of people won't like and I admit I thought it was too much - the copious amount of incest. It is not romanticised, it is not seen as okay, but it happens an awful lot. Nearly every character in this book has either been raped by a relative or had an attempted rape by a relative. Some of the abuse was an important part of the plot and a way of understanding the characters, but a lot felt unnecessary. I really, really don't want to turn anyone off this book, but I see no point in not being honest. I hope readers can overlook it and enjoy this wonderful, well-written fantasy.
—Emily May
i've only read Code Name Verity for Elizabeth and was hesitant about reading this one, because I rarely read historical fiction, much. However, Tiffany Reisz, one of my favorite authors of all times suggested we read this if we want to see the inspiration behind one of her own characters, Søren, and as it turned out, the similarity is uncanny!! the younger Søren is more similar to Medraut.anyway, the book is well written but not the best work, i'm guessing, compared to CNV, and other books concerning royalty and ancient monarch [fictional of course] also, the ending is very abrupt, i was shocked to see it ended with out much of a resolution, and the whole book feels like that, like it jumps from one passage to another, it makes for an easy read but it hasn't made anything stick, there's a wealth of emotion here, but it wasn't pronounced clearly, motives unexplained very well, all in all, it could have used a better writing, a better edit, and maybe less description of nature and all and more focus on emotions and romance, it should've let the characters breath a little.however, i liked that it's dark, intriguing, Medraut is conflicted and it's understandable, he doesn't quite know where he stands,I sympathized with him.I admired Goewin,Lleu's sister. strong,fearless,female,and born to rule. sadly,she's not allowed. [ancient monarch *smh* ]Lleu, well, he's a prince. a king in the making, but a good prince in spite of all...I wished he and Medraut had better chance to connect, to become better brothers together, or if there was hint of something more, it should have been made clear,i was confused to the exact nature of their relationship, but i'd say they're confused brothers, competing, and in the end, accepting of their roles.Morgause, it would have been better if she dies of hypothermia, the woman is poison personified I was shocked to see the book ended so quickly, it needed an epilogue at least. especially if the rest of the series has NOTHING to do with these two characters [why???] i also noticed that Elizabeth doesn't always allow [i could be wrong, I've only read 2 of her books] her characters to love in peace, or to let them see where a romance would lead them. but i also noticed she likes to let the main character speak through a letter to another character, and us readers, we see that interaction. loved that in both books.
—Thebomb
This is a skewed version of a portion of the Arthurian legend. Unlike the tradional version, High King Artos has two legitimate children (twins) by his queen Ginevra. The book begins with the king explaining to his older son Medraut that they had not expected that the queen could have children, and that he didn't love Medraut any less.Fast-forward 14 years. The twins Lleu and Goewin are teenagers; Medraut is a young man. Most of the book is about the conflicted relationship between Lleu and Medraut. Medraut is alternately loving big brother and jealous rival. Although the book is told in first person, I never truly identified with the main character. It was interesting rather than compelling.This is the first published book by Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity. Her writing has definitely improved in the time between these books. The story ended sooner than I expected. The last 25% of the ebook is sample chapters from the sequel A Coalition of Lions and a relatively lengthy (but interesting) biography of the author with photos.Although this does not rank among my favorite retellings or reinterpretations of the Arthurian legends, I do plan to read the sequels.
—Julia
