THE WINTER KNIGHT is an Arthurian murder mystery told through several narrators, primarily through a Valkyrie (Hildie) and the current incarnation of Sir Gawain (Wayne). One of my favorite things about Arthurian retellings is that due to the elasticity of their cannon, they absorb and except the existence of other entries in a way that retellings of other stories often would be harder pressed to do. One such case is Vera’s identity as a professor who discusses, among other things, Guinevere's place in the Arthurian cannon, all whilst her students are unaware that she is the current incarnation of that queen. 

I enjoyed this, and had an excellent time. It’s very queer, with canonically neurodivergent characters in a way that is specific to their individual identities. Some parts of this felt very online, but generally in a good way. There are a lot of pop culture references in a way that I think will pin it very precisely to the early 2020's before much more time passes. I tend to read either high fantasy or urban fantasy which only tangentially deals with modern concerns, so this was a bit more contemporary than I generally like. There's a character who felt exactly like a certain someone from the movie KNIVES OUT (2019) so I was able to correctly guess how things would turn out for them. 

I like the plot, I like the ending, and I love many of the characters. The first part of the mystery was really good, but how easy it was to guess the trajectory meant towards the end it felt a bit like it was playing cleanup. Then it got to the very end and became excellent, so I'm pleased overall.

If you like very modern queer/neurodivergent Arthurian retellings, don't miss this one!