WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED

A motley crew takes a dangerous road trip.

Winter—a sentient and sometimes spiteful force first used by the Kerce refugees against the native half-rock, half-flesh Shiv and their god, Begynd, three centuries ago—rules Layce. White-haired, sylver-eyed 17-year-old Sylvi Quine considers Winter a friend, not a foe, talking to the sentient season and relying on the frozen roads to haul goods with her big ice rig, the Sylver Dragon. When her friend Lenore runs away, Sylvi pursues her with a mysterious cargo in tow and three unwanted guests riding along: the smuggler and magician Mars; noble Paradyian warrior-woman Hyla; and friendly Shiv mechanic Kyndel. En route to the rebel camp, Sylvi faces hostile Shiv, reanimated monsters, wrathful Winter, and the omnipresent but dangerous magical kol that taints the air and waters. Dittemore succeeds more at the cinematic science-fiction dystopian elements than the intermittent and somewhat trite fantasy subplot. At times, the Kerce’s oppression of the Shiv reads as an extended rumination on colonialism, though without a conclusive critique or remedy. With Sylvi at the wheel, more concerned with mechanics and money than revolution, this reads as Ice Road Truckers meets generic chosen one coming-of-age. Relentless action sequences propel the tale through plot-heavy patches, but an abrupt cliffhanger ending necessitates a sequel. Some characters read as White; the cast's various skin tones are less of a factor than their magical abilities or mythical origins.

Both mystical and mundane, a typical tale via unusual transportation.