There’s a chill in the air and frost on your windowpane. The world outside is filled with ice and snow—and secrets you long to discover. But inside, there’s a cozy armchair by the fireplace, a warm mug of hot chocolate and a book of fairytales that you haven’t read before.
Which do you choose?
Winter, for me, is the most magical of all the seasons. Perhaps it’s something about the nights getting colder, darker and longer that urges us to huddle by a fire and tell stories. A walk through a snowy forest or a foyer lined with ice sculptures feels like the stuff of fairytales. A box of chocolates, Turkish Delights, and cake can be a gift from a witch. Strange knocks on the door or the shadowy figures in the snow could be your favorite fictional characters, searching for shelter on a stormy night. Winter is the season where anything, especially, dark magic, may be possible.
No matter where you are, you can always carry the magic of winter in your heart with these evocative fantasy books that draw upon the seasonal chill and the charm of old-school fairytales to tell stories set in a lush, frozen landscape. From palaces of ice to tales of lovers secretly meeting in mist and snow, these winter fantasy books have it all!
A Winter's Promise
Christelle Dabos’ A Winter Promise unfolds in a far-away realm divided into several celestial islands called “arks,” each with its distinct sense of magic—and time. The story is about Ophelia, a young girl from the Ark of Anima who’s given away in marriage to Thorn, belonging to the influential Dragon clan in the distant Ark of the Pole. Thrust into a world she doesn’t yet understand, Ophelia must hide her magical powers such as reading people from the objects they’ve touched and traveling through mirrors, while navigating courtly machinations.
If you’re looking for a YA read filled with intrigue and some romance set in a wintry world, give A Winter’s Promise a try.
The Bear and the Nightingale
The Winternight trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies I’ve read in recent times, drawing upon Russian history, myth and folklore to tell a riveting tale set in the snowy countryside where magic is real but under threat. The story follows Vasilisa who struggles to break free from the tyranny of her wicked stepmother and save the old spirits of the forest whose existence is endangered by the rise of orthodox Christianity. The language is beautiful and evocative, immediately transporting you to a world of fairytales, and there’s a delicious slow-building romance that blossoms between Vasilisa and Morozko, the frost-demon.
Spinning Silver
If you’ve enjoyed Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, you must check out Spinning Silver, a spellbinding retelling of Rumpelstiltskin that unfolds in a mercilessly icy landscape. It tells the tale of Miryem, the child of money-lenders now on the verge of poverty as her father isn’t prone to collecting his debts. Miryem thus takes on the responsibility of solving her family’s financial problem and soon acquires a reputation—and the attention of the king of the Staryk (the fey creatures of old).
As each new challenge seems more impossible than the last, Miryem is faced with difficult choices that might affect the fate of both the mortal and magical worlds. Touching upon themes of poverty, wealth inequality, and injustice, Spinning Silver is a perfect standalone read for a winter’s night.
Deerskin
If you have a soft spot for fairytales retold in lush, redolent and atmospheric prose, Robin McKinley is the author for you. Deerskin is based on a lesser-known French fairytale called “Donkeyskin,” wherein a king beguiled by the beauty of his own daughter is determined to marry her. McKinley’s novel deals less with the sordid details of incest and rape and more on the protagonist Lissla Lissar’s trauma. It follows her slow journey towards healing, peace, and finding love. It’s a brilliant and bravely written book that doesn’t shy away from embracing the disturbing origins of certain fairytales and is ideal for lovers of dark fantasy.
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands
If phantasmagorical train rides are more your thing, Sarah Brooks’ debut novel is definitely worth reading. The novel follows three unique characters aboard the grand and luxurious Trans-Siberian Express that passes through the frozen tundra landscape of the Wastelands, filled with terrifying creatures that elude human understanding. The prose is peppered with exquisite descriptions with an engaging mystery at its heart, making The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands one of my most memorable reads of 2024.
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
If you’re in the mood for more traditional fairy tales, you can pick up a collection of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. His tales are often inflected with a sense of melancholy or tragedy, yet manage to capture the beauty in small things and impart morals about the virtues of resilience. Many of his stories are set amidst ice and snow, such as “The Little Match Girl” and “The Ice Maiden,” and of course, “The Snow Queen.” In fact, an illustrated copy of The Snow Queen can make for the perfect Christmas present. After all, one can never go wrong with the classics.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Let's end with one for the science fiction lovers. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness is literally set on a cold and alien planet called “Winter”. Written for adults, the book ambitiously explores questions of sex, gender and cultural diversity. It follows one Genly Ai, who is sent as an ambassador to the planet of Winter/Gethen, and his struggles to communicate and understand the culture of the ambisexual Gethenians. It’s a contemplative and groundbreaking work of science fiction that still remains vastly relevant in this day and age.
Featured image: Timo C. Dinger / Unsplash
