Benjanun Sriduangkaew

As her homeland of Sirapirat is being conquered by the Winter Queen and it's people being fed to the ghost kiln, Nuawa is given a tiny shard of glass to swallow by her mother. Nuawa survives the ghost kiln and is taken in by her Aunt. Nuawa trains relentlessly to be a fighter and one day avenge her homeland and mother. Her chance comes with a tournament where the prize is to be trained by General Lussadh, the Queen's right hand. Nuawa easily qualifies for the tournament and moves forward, show more gaining favor with General Lussadh who quickly recognizes Nuawa as a glass-bearer.

Winterglass is an intriguing retelling of The Snow Queen with a science fiction spin. The writing is beautiful and pulled me into the scenes of the brutal landscape and resilient people. I was immediately fascinated by the world that was created, the mysterious Winter Queen, the ghost kiln and the many different people now living in everlasting winter. However, I kept feeling that I was missing something of how and why the Winter Queen came to be and why she is so destructive. Nuawa is a very decisive character. She has one purpose and knows she will fulfill it no matter what. This makes her motivations clear, but also a little difficult to get to know. I really liked the idea of the glass fragments as well as all of the other enchantments in the world, but I really wanted a little more time to get to know about them. I also give a big kudos for this world being built with gender neutrality and fluidity. The pronouns for some people are 'ey' as in they and sexual preference is a non-issue. This is a shorter book and is very action packed. There is some explanation of the Winter Queen and glass fragments near the end, but not nearly enough. This is book one of a series, so I will definitely want to check out what happens next.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

I am torn asunder over how to compose this review as I try not to let my opinions on one thing affect my opinions on the other. So, I think what’s best is to talk about Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew itself first, solely as the ink on the pages it is printed, and then I’ll talk about what has made me wary.

Winterglass has an AMAZING cover. I don’t remember when I last saw a cover that breathtakingly gorgeous. Then, we have the story itself for which I was so grateful. An actual show more #OwnVoices book in more ways than one, and it definitely feels true to itself. Winterglass is a twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, but uniquely so in that it barely feels the story we all heard as children (or adults).

I think all of the characters are on the LGBTIQA spectrum which was SO FANTASTIC FOR ME! I mean, I think this is the first time? I’ve seen someone like me in a fantasy setting (I’m agender, and I think we had a nonbinary so it was close enough!) The author used ey/em/eir for a character which had me over the moon. That said, I could understand how a reader that doesn’t know, that isn’t part of the spectrum and maybe can’t ‘keep up’ with it, they could have a hard time following and understanding. I know for a part I too was confused wondering whether a character was trans. It didn’t matter to me, their gender, but it mattered why other characters would use typical male titles to address her whereas she addresses herself in the feminine. I wanted to know if they were slighting her, if they didn’t understand.

We also have the crux of the story. A cold and bitter winter has forced its way where it does not belong, and with that, forced its culture and point of view. Such an amazing metaphor for western colonization and how it tries to destroy everything it comes into contact with. The Winter Queen taking over warm lands that were reminiscent of Thailand and southeast Asia. Then, just like western colonization, the Winter Queen doesn’t just destroy the environment but is insidious enough to infect the inhabitants. She doesn’t just want to own them, she wants them to love her even as she destroys their people. It’s amazing.

Through all this, the protagonist of Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew is Nuawa, a survivor of the Winter Queen’s cruelty. She was raised to be a weapon by her one surviving mother and acts with only this in mind. Unlike other female fantasy protagonists, Nuawa is determined and she isn’t looking for love. She isn’t looking for a new family. She is existing only to bring down the Winter Queen and restore her people. Yes, she may find sex, but it doesn’t translate into love and loyalty.

One of the downsides to Winterglass is that it is too short. As such, Sriduangkaew tries to fit as much as possible into the story. While this creates a fully fleshed world, it remains a fully fleshed world we have no knowledge about. There was so much that I had no idea what it was about. Ghost kilns and weird creatures, medicine, etc. Yes, I understand it wouldn’t need explaining since to the protagonist it’s all everyday part of life, but for me, an alien reader, I need to have some sort of solid footage.

Now, with everything that I loved, why was I on the fence about this review? Why did I give it three and a half stars? After finishing this book, I googled the book and the author because I wanted to read more. Maybe a sequel or maybe other things by this author. That is when I learned about the author’s controversial activities, to the say the least. I don’t want to talk about it here, and I do believe everyone is entitled to grow and learn and change for the better. But, at the same time, it extremely disheartening to discover someone that could be a beacon in the community, where us marginalized populations could rally behind and push ahead, especially in a field as white and straight as fantasy, YA fantasy, is actually displaying the worst of us to others and picking on our own people. I understand that one thing should not impact another, but it does and it did for me. Would I read a follow-up to Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew? Probably. Most likely. Would I go out of my way to recommend her to others? Not without warning them.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. // show less

Winter's visage is everywhere,austere in its gauntness, alien in its sclera the black of frostbitten flesh

A retelling of the fairytale; The Snowqueen, Winterglass is set in a world of colonialism. Our protagonist, Nuawa lives in Sirapirat a once lush city-state before it became bitter-cold under the Winter Queen's sovereignty. She's a skilled arena warrior with a hidden agenda of assassinating the queen. One of her earliest memories was of her giving-mother pressing something sharp into her show more mouth, whispering to her that she should live. Obediently, she swallowed and it cut going down, filled her mouth with blood though it did not hurt.
But all those who attempted have failed and died, how will she fair?

I like the representation in this book it was executed well in the sense that unlike some, it wasn't done just for the sake of it. The book as a whole was interesting; the characters, the places, the sociology. I couldn't help but wonder what the characters' backstories are as I read the book. In terms of world-building, we get to learn more of Sirapirat as the story unfolds like a flower gently opening its petals (lol) definitely, no word dumping there! Same goes for the characters, bits, and pieces (of mirror shards?) are given here and there; and I think the most info we get to learn was of General Lussadh, the queen's right hand, former prince of Kemiraj and one of the many bearers of the Queen's mirror shards. Is she someone Nuawa can use to get to the queen? Or will the general discover her real agenda? show less

I am torn asunder over how to compose this review as I try not to let my opinions on one thing affect my opinions on the other. So, I think what’s best is to talk about Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew itself first, solely as the ink on the pages it is printed, and then I’ll talk about what has made me wary.

Winterglass has an AMAZING cover. I don’t remember when I last saw a cover that breathtakingly gorgeous. Then, we have the story itself for which I was so grateful. An actual show more #OwnVoices book in more ways than one, and it definitely feels true to itself. Winterglass is a twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, but uniquely so in that it barely feels the story we all heard as children (or adults).

I think all of the characters are on the LGBTIQA+ spectrum which was SO FANTASTIC FOR ME! I mean, I think this is the first time? I’ve seen someone like me in a fantasy setting (I’m agender, and I think we had a nonbinary so it was close enough!) The author used ey/em/eir for a character which had me over the moon. That said, I could understand how a reader that doesn’t know, that isn’t part of the spectrum and maybe can’t ‘keep up’ with it, they could have a hard time following and understanding. I know for a part I too was confused wondering whether a character was trans. It didn’t matter to me, their gender, but it mattered why other characters would use typical male titles to address her whereas she addresses herself in the feminine. I wanted to know if they were slighting her, if they didn’t understand.

We also have the crux of the story. A cold and bitter winter has forced its way where it does not belong, and with that, forced its culture and point of view. Such an amazing metaphor for western colonization and how it tries to destroy everything it comes into contact with. The Winter Queen taking over warm lands that were reminiscent of Thailand and southeast Asia. Then, just like western colonization, the Winter Queen doesn’t just destroy the environment but is insidious enough to infect the inhabitants. She doesn’t just want to own them, she wants them to love her even as she destroys their people. It’s amazing.

Through all this, the protagonist of Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew is Nuawa, a survivor of the Winter Queen’s cruelty. She was raised to be a weapon by her one surviving mother and acts with only this in mind. Unlike other female fantasy protagonists, Nuawa is determined and she isn’t looking for love. She isn’t looking for a new family. She is existing only to bring down the Winter Queen and restore her people. Yes, she may find sex, but it doesn’t translate into love and loyalty.

One of the downsides to Winterglass is that it is too short. As such, Sriduangkaew tries to fit as much as possible into the story. While this creates a fully fleshed world, it remains a fully fleshed world we have no knowledge about. There was so much that I had no idea what it was about. Ghost kilns and weird creatures, medicine, etc. Yes, I understand it wouldn’t need explaining since to the protagonist it’s all everyday part of life, but for me, an alien reader, I need to have some sort of solid footage.

Now, with everything that I loved, why was I on the fence about this review? Why did I give it three and a half stars? After finishing this book, I googled the book and the author because I wanted to read more. Maybe a sequel or maybe other things by this author. That is when I learned about the author’s controversial activities, to the say the least. I don’t want to talk about it here, and I do believe everyone is entitled to grow and learn and change for the better. But, at the same time, it extremely disheartening to discover someone that could be a beacon in the community, where us marginalized populations could rally behind and push ahead, especially in a field as white and straight as fantasy, YA fantasy, is actually displaying the worst of us to others and picking on our own people. I understand that one thing should not impact another, but it does and it did for me. Would I read a follow-up to Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew? Probably. Most likely. Would I go out of my way to recommend her to others? Not without warning them.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. // show less