Court of Winter (Fae of Snow & Ice Book 1) - Krista Street

In a world where Solis Fae faces starvation, the one they consider defective may just be their salvation.

The dirt in the fields is gray, and the crops are dying, the prince of The Court of Winter needs to find a solution to save his people from starving, this is when he finds Ilara, a black-haired, wingless Fae that seems to be the only Fae that has managed to grow healthy crops, without any apparent affinities.

Ilara lives a quiet life with her sister Cailis and avoiding her village’s archon (Vorl) who gets immense pleasure out of hurting her, after Prince Norivun was ordered to kill her brother and parents when they raised concerns over the state of the fields to the King of the Court of Winter.

While she is at work, the prince arrives and orders her to go with him back to the Capital and live in his wing of the castle. On her first day in the castle there are two guards fighting and one severs the neck of the other, and while they wait for the healer to arrive Ilara sees a shadow hovering above the guard’s body and her instincts are to hold and protect it. Ilara doesn’t understand that this is an affinity manifesting.

There is a desolate garden just outside her rooms, which she brings back to life, and the prince confides in her that she is the only hope of bringing their fields back from destruction, so their people won’t starve. He tells her she has the affinity to create orem, this is the magic that allows their crops to grow.

Norivun makes a fairy bargain with Ilara so that her sister can visit her in the castle until her mission is complete, and she will be allowed to go home and live in peace once she has replenished the orem. He takes her to a dying field, and she begins working it to bring it back to life.

Ilara is taken to meet the Lochen Fae, who live in the sea and small islands off one of their coasts, and their king Drachu, it’s here that she learns that the prince sometimes uses his illusion affinity to make people think he’s killed someone as punishment.

Lord Crimsonale is curious about Ilara and ambushes her and the prince while informing him that Ilara is expected at the ball that is being hosted to commence the selection of female Fae for the Rising Queen Trial. This is competition where females with more than three affinities are chosen to compete to become the prince’s wife.

Ilara is attacked at the ball by Vorl, it’s while he is strangling her that power shoots out of her. When Norivun arrives he starts to use his death affinity to kill Vorl, but like with the guard, Ilara sees the shadow and realizes it’s his soul, which she puts back in his body Ilara cannot create orem, she creates life.

The next morning the prince informs her that she has multiple affinities, air, fire, and creating life. She has also been entered into the Rising Queen Trials, but she refuses to marry the prince and the book ends with her deciding she will find a way out of the trial.

I definitely recommend this book for those who love fantasy novels with strong FMC and the enemies-to-lovers trope. It has an original plot and some twists and turns for those who enjoy some mystery added to their romance. Krista Street is marvelous at writing fantasy fiction and creating characters we love and hate.

Don’t forget to grab a copy of book two in the series, Thorns of Frost.

PAGE COUNT: 342 Pages

TROPE: Fantasy Romance – Enemies-to-Lovers – Fated Mates - Magic

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