Quentin and Laurence are on their way home to San Diego when a blizzard turns their brief stop in New York City into a proper Christmas vacation. And what could be better than being snowed in at a luxury hotel with no responsibilities except to each other?
Of course, new troubles find them in Manhattan: Quentin goes missing. More than just missing... as far as Laurence can tell, Quentin is dead.
And, in a way, he's right. Quentin's in the Otherworld. The only way back to Laurence is to make a dangerous bargain, one which will keep him trapped in a world he isn't equipped to survive until he can find--and kill--a faerie.
CONTRIBUTOR(S): RJ Bayley (Narrator)
PUBLISHER: Ravensword Press
YEAR: 2019
LENGTH: 395 pages (11 hours 46 minutes)
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Highly
Queer Rep Summary: Queer Rep Summary: Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Ace/Aro Main Character(s).
RITES OF WINTER begins with an airplane trip and a sudden diversion from Quentin and Laurence's path homeward after their unplanned and very traumatic trip to Quentin's childhood abode in PAGE OF TRICKS. Quentin is exhausted by the showdown with his father and the revelation of the years of abuse he endured at his hands. He's plagued by nightmares when he sleeps, then telekinetic fits triggered by the nightmares. The whole frustrating combination makes the long trip from England all the way to California require several stops, preferably with a few days in between to acclimate to the new time zones. Unfortunately (but eventually perhaps fortunately), their stop in New York involves Quentin being kidnapped by a Black Dog, and Laurence traveling to Annwyn to find him.
As a sequel, RITES OF WINTER seems set up to serve as a good bridge between the previous arc involving Quentin's abusive father, and what is shaping up to be the next major story arc involving a malevolent figure, this time connected to Rufus (Laurence's tutor in magic). I've particularly enjoyed the way each book in this series feels episodic. They're coherent as stories from beginning to end, but each occupies very specific places within the series and in connection to the books around one another. One of the ongoing plot threads which receives much attention here is Quentin's need to process his new revelations about his traumatic childhood, as well as specific acknowledgement from Laurence that he also has things to process in addition to his drug abuse and addiction. The main storyline in this book revolves around Quentin being kidnapped and taken to Annwyn, and Laurence teaming up with some newly acquired friends to get him back. This kidnapping itself is both introduced and resolved, as well as giving the opportunity to establish some new connections for the future.
RITES OF WINTER is definitely not the final book in the series, and the epilogue continues to tease an upcoming villain who was first introduced in the epilogue to PAGE OF TRICKS. Normally, I have to work a bit to figure out what the good entry points into a long-running series might be, but the titles ease my way in this. They seem to be grouped by theme, with PAGE OF TRICKS as the final book in the sequence with [court title] of [thing] as the naming convention that began with JACK OF THORNS, and RITES OF WINTER as the first in the [magic word] of [season] string of titles (next up is SIGILS OF SPRING).
Previously I'd described Quentin as sex-repulsed and likely asexual. This is the point at which I asked for clarification from the author and got answers, because his sex-repulsion was trauma-related but it's hard to tell at this point whether he's potentially interested in sex generally, or if he's demi and just interested in Laurence. The author's response is that he's sex-repulsed and demisexual, specifically interested in Laurence. This is consistent with how Quentin is portrayed throughout the series, but it's nice to know the canon answer.
The worldbuilding focuses on Annwyn and related non-earthly realms, building out this picture of the afterlife Laurence is destined for when he eventually dies, as a pagan and follower of Herne. There were two women in the dream he had several books ago which revealed his lineage to him, and we're finally getting more detail on the woman who isn't his ancestor because she fled into Annwyn to escape Herne.
I'm very excited about the new magical friends Laurence met here, and was very exited to learn that Basil and Jon are the subjects of at least one novella already. My review of HAUNTED HEARTS, their first appearance, is already available, as I went back for it after that discovery. I like them a great deal and want them to stick around. They make a great addition to the ensemble, and their interactions with ghosts have great potential for future plots.
I continue to love these books, their handling of abuse and the very slow process of recovery is so cathartic to read. Laurence and Quentin have a lot to work through, and they're taking to time to do it properly amid each new strange incident.
Graphic/Explicit CW for panic attacks/disorders, violence, death.
Moderate CW for grief, body horror, kidnapping.
Minor CW for ableist language, child abuse, disassociation, disordered eating, drug abuse, drug use, torture.
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