Blog Tour: The Heart of Winter – Shona Kinsella

Brigit is a young woman living in a Scotland still ruled by tribes and largely Pagan.
As Christianity is beginning to find a foothold, Brigit pays lip service to the church, but truly venerates the old gods. She does not support the changing position of women through the teachings of the
church.
A cool, damp summer and an early winter threaten the harvest. A harsh winter means starvation, so the elders of Brigit’s village panic. They petition Aengus, the god of summer, to protect them. He agrees on the condition that they provide him with a bride. He chooses Brigit and the deal is made without her knowledge or consent.
When Brigit learns of this arrangement, she flees into the Highlands to seek out the Cailleach, the goddess of winter. The Cailleach is uninterested in Brigit’s plight; humans have hated and feared her for generations, and she is tired of their complaining.
Brigit is not discouraged. She sets up camp outside the Cailleach’s cave and makes offerings to the Winter Queen every day. Aengus comes looking for his bride but cannot approach the cave because he and the Cailleach are opposites.
Caught between two gods and finding an unlikely ally in the Fae witch, Nicnevin, Brigit will be tested to her limits and beyond.

Scottish fantasy author Shona Kinsella is the author of The Heart of Winter, The Vessel of KalaDene series, dark Scottish fantasy novella Petra MacDonald and the Queen of the Fae, British Fantasy Award shortlisted industrial novella The Flame and the Flood, and non-fiction Outlander and the Real Jacobites: Scotland’s Fight for the Stuarts. Her short fiction can be found
in various magazines and anthologies. She served as editor of the British Fantasy Society’s fiction publication, BFS Horizons for four years and is now the Chair of the British Fantasy Society.
Shona lives near the picturesque banks of Loch Lomond with her husband and three children.
She enjoys reading, nature walks, and spending time with her family. When she is not writing, doing laundry, or wrangling children, she can usually be found with her nose in a book.
Website  TwiX Instagram

My thoughts: inspired by Celtic folklore, this is the story of a young woman who is determined to choose her own path, and flees the Summer god Aengus for the winter, Cailleach, hoping the opposite god can help her.

Brigit just wants to be free of the agreement her village elders made binding her to Aengus in return for a good harvest. But the Cailleach isn’t really interested in helping a human. Until she has no choice unless she’s willing to let Brigit die.

This sets in motion a change that will affect Brigit, Cailleach and Aengus, and change the way they govern the seasons.

A beautiful and enchanting tale of gods, different kinds of love and finding your own path.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.