Honestly, what a terrific way to end the series!
Gosh, do I feel like gushing! This book is so fabulous, I can't even.

The series as a whole is superb! A definite READ IT. ( )

Ah, that was an excellent wrap-up. Lovely, lovely. ( )

So, I have a bit of a reviewing phobia right now. I haven't posted a review on here or on my blog in months, because I got kind of obsessed with writing nothing but perfect reviews (and therefore no reviews, because my schedule does not include time for that kind of obsessing). This is my first attempt at jumping back on the horse, so it's a bit short. But this is the perfect series to start with.

You see, I loved this series. It's not Harry Potter or a classic, but it was good enough that I purposefully have not read any other reviews of any of the books - just because I loved them, and I didn't want a critical review to drain my affection.
I'm doing the whole series here, so no spoilers from the first book. But it's pretty obvious she stays in Summerland (otherwise, it would be a really boring trilogy: "And Fer sat at home, staring out the window, thinking. The next day, she did that again. And the next day. And the next."
So what is this series about? It's about Fer, short for Jennifer (Gwynnefar in the magic lands), a half-human half-magical girl raised by her human grandmother. The series is also about Rook, who is a Puck from the other world. Pucks are mischevious creatures, not to be trusted - but Rook was Fer's introduction to the other world, and throughout the trilogy she fights to keep her faith in the boy she considers her best friend.
Rook, the second third person POV narrative, struggles as well with his allegiances: in the first book, an unwilling allegiance to the Mor, an evil creature he is bound to against his will. Also, his allegiance to his brother-Pucks begins to plague him as he wrestles with his blooming friendship with Fer, who is not a Puck.

Reading back over this, I can see how muddled the synopsis is. Please forgive me and read the real descriptions, but as I said before I'm trying to work my way out of blogger's block.

When I picked up "Winterling," I knew right off the bat that it would be nothing special: magic, special powers, and a heroine who turned out to be some sort of royalty were my expectations, I planned to have fun reading it, but I also planned to roll my eyes at it a bit. I'm sorry to say, my foresight was sorely lacking. Yes, all of those elements were there, but - well, to put it in Harry Potter terms, it was less "Yer a wizard, Harry," and more "the one thing we have that Voldemort doesn't is love." Well, it wasn't exactly that overt, but you get the idea.

Fer and Rook do not end up wildly professing their love for each other and falling into each other's arms at the end of the trilogy (oops, minor spoilers!), but what does happens almost satisfied me more (and it definitely made things less "yawn, seen it before"). I can't say more than that, but Rook and Fer are actually equally fleshed out, and receive almost the same amount of screen time. Especially as the books progress.

I'm sorry, I can't get my thoughts together besides "read it!" and "here's a Harry Potter quote!" So, um, just read it for yourself if you like YA fantasy. It's awesome, just awesome.
Cheers, Harry! ( )

This is the third and final book in the Winterling trilogy. This was a wonderfully magical middle grade fantasy about family, friendship, and staying true to what you think is right.

In the last book, Fer, as Lady of the Summerlands made the other Lords and Ladies of the realm vow to rule without the aid of the glamorie. When the Lords and Ladies fail to fulfill their vows the Summerlands start to break. A strange stillness has invaded the land and Fer needs to figure out why. She is pretty sure it has to do with the Lords and Ladies breaking their oaths, but she is not sure how to fix it. Her best ally and friend is Rook the puck boy, but can she trust Rook? Will Rook’s loyalties lie with her or with the Pucks? Can Fer find a way to stop the stillness before it takes over everything?

I loved the conclusion to this wonderful middle grade fantasy series. The writing is magical, I loved the characters.

Fer has some hard decisions to make and consequences to face in this book. She did what she felt was right in the last book, she made the Lords and Ladies vow to take off their glamorie and serve the people rather than making the people serve them. Fer thinks she made the right choice, but the Lords and Ladies have worn the glamorie for so long that they are no longer entirely separate from them. Fer realized that in a way she is the reason the Summerlands is in trouble and it is because of her ideals that this is happening. Rather than shirk away from that she strives to fix it.

Rook is struggling with his loyalty to his puck brothers and his friendship to Fer. He wants to help Fer, but he feels he has to stay true to his puck brothers too. It was interesting to watch Rook try to make both things in this life work together. He is a great character and, although he causes Fer trouble, in the end he makes her stronger too.

The story isn’t all that complicated and is fairly predictable. Still I enjoyed the beauty of it and the simplicity of how things worked out. I did like the idea of the Stillness invading the land, it reminded me of the Nothing that tears apart the land in 1980’s movie The Neverending Story.

There is a strong theme of friendship and family and staying true to what you believe to be right. I love how things wrapped up so realistically, yet still happily.

Overall this was such a magical and entertaining read. It’s a hopeful story full of wonder, and tells an excellent tale of how you have to deal with the consequences of your decisions. I enjoyed the characters immensely and loved the world too. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of middle grade fantasy. I immediately went out and got Prineas’s first book in her Magic Thief series and plan to start reading that series soon. ( )