The Euskalans are a matriarchal society that must pay tribute to the Fey every year at a faire. Teresine was a Deshiniva slave girl in Jayasita when she escapes by stowing away on the boat of the Euskalan’s ruler’s daughter, Sarit. She becomes extremely close to the ruling family. Teresine’s, and her family’s, story unfolds from there.

I can’t really say anything else about the story without giving too much away. What I can say is that this isn’t an action story or even a quest narrative. It’s simply the story of Teresine’s life and how her interactions with the Fey cause unforeseen consequences for her family. The only thing that even makes this a Fantasy story is the inclusion of the Fey, though it is a different world with many vaguely Asian elements. If anything, I found the combination interesting. However, the story itself was a bit predictable, the main issue was too easily resolved in a very uncontroversial way despite the issue’s extreme controversy in reality, and the pacing was slow. Also, I got the impression that the matriarchal society was “superior”. Even though the Euskalans did seem to have a better life, especially compared to the life that Teresine lived while she was in Jayasita, the only power that the men seem to have is that they are able to choose their partners. They don’t have any power within the government, and though the women’s choice of whether or not to have a family is an admirable aspect, I don’t agree that any form of society where the genders aren’t completely equal is superior. The Euskalan society is just a reversal of gender roles with the added benefit of a lack of double standards in regards to sex and relationships. It was believable, but not Feminist.

Because of this book’s emphasis on the women’s story, a female-centric part of a much larger world, and a plot that reads like a Lifetime movie, along with the fact that men don’t have much of a voice, I can only recommend it to those who prefer that type of story and/or brand of “Feminism”. ( )

It's been a while since I encountered a book that I consciously found myself trying to read more slowly, because I just didn't want to find my time in the author's world to be over... but 'Cold Hillside' did this.

In presentation, I was reminded a bit of both Pauline Gedge and Guy Gavriel Kay (two of my favorite authors). Like those writers, here Baker eases us into a lovely, culturally rich, but sometimes harsh world. The story encompasses both the higher echelons of court politics and those quotidian dramas and decisions that can mean the world to those they affect.

There are two narrators, Teresine and her great-niece, Lilit.

Lilit is a typical teenager - willful and rebellious. She can't understand why her mother is so opposed to her going to the annual Fair, the one time when the people of her country see and trade with those of Faerie. But now that she's become an apprentice jewelry-crafter, her mother's word is no longer law. Lilit's trying to find her place in the world as an adult - but a drunken encounter at a tavern with a handsome young man who coyly hints at having a trace of Fey blood may lead to Lilit having to make adult decisions sooner than she was expecting. Her society has very harsh rules and customs concerning the Fey, which give her choices greater weight.

Teresine is treasured by Lilit, who loves her like a grandmother, but the past has always been something the older woman has refused to speak of. In her chapters, we learn what happened to her as a young woman. Sold by her parents into slavery, she escapes as a refugee and is brought north, 'adopted' as a confidante to the heiress to the throne. With difficulty, Teresine negotiates a new life, new customs, and the politics of a new land. And once, her position leads her to a dangerous obligation: a venture into the forbidden court of the Fey.

This is a rather slow-moving, deliberate book. Information is gradually revealed, carefully presented. The characters are finely drawn - I found myself fully involved in the lives of these two very different women, separated by generations and life experiences, but bound by bonds of love and blood. The depiction of Faerie is truly fey - magical and alien - and threads of Faerie entwine throughout the story, but the main focus remains the very human decisions that Teresine and Lilit must make.

Beautiful book. Highly recommended.

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and ChiZine for the opportunity to discover this author. As always, my opinions are unaffected by the source of the material. ( )

With Cold Hillside Nancy Baker managed to step away from the fae stereotype plaguing most of recent fantasy and paranormal books who depict a romanticized version of the fair folk: beautiful, mysterious, and a good romantic interest for the protagonist. Nancy Baker depicts a whole other version of the fae, which is much closer to the original legends and could be summarized by one sentence:

With them, there are no happy endings.

Yes, they are beautiful, but so is a coral snake or a poisonous flower, and both will kill you without pity or remorse. They are mysterious and alien and immortal, yes. They also consider us mortals as toys. Fascinating sometimes, but easily broken and discarded. I like this depiction of the fae better, maybe because that’s how they were portrayed in the fairy tales I grew up with.

But the fae are not the only reason I gave this book five stars. A book would be nothing without engaging characters and an interesting story, and Cold Hillside has both in heaps. Because while the fae are present in the book and have an important influence on the events, this story is about the mortal people.

I loved the depiction of Lushan, this big city clinging to the cold side of a mountain and whose inhabitants still manage to thrive in these unforgiving conditions. You can see that a lot of work had gone into creating this cold and unforgiving world and the culture of the people who live in it. But it’s masterfully inserted into the story itself, so that it never feels like an info dump. Lushan reminded me a little of Tibet, while Deshiniva where Teresine is from, would be more like India.

Speaking of Teresine and the other protagonist in this book, her great-grandniece Lilith, it’s rare that we get truly strong women as protagonists, so this book was an absolute treat! Way too often, I have come across “strong” heroines that constantly needed rescued by their male love interests. Or who were totally rude and lacking basic social skills.

Both Teresine and Lilith are strong and self-sufficient women the way I like them: they don’t rely on others to deal with their problems; they don’t waste time on bemoaning the unfairness of their condition; they accept the consequences of the often dire situations they find themselves in and manage to adapt and survive, and even carve a little bit of happiness and inner peace in the process.

It was refreshing to see them struggle and sometimes fail, but always get back up and keep on fighting. And it was refreshing to see the fae depicted not as good or bad, but just totally different.

And I won’t say another word about the story of Cold Hillside, because I want to avoid spoilers, and because the unraveling of the story is part of the delightful experience that is this book. But I would say that it’s definitely worth picking up for your holiday reads.

P.S. This review is for the advanced copy of the book I received from NetGalley. ( )