This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Tavern Tale.
The snow is falling, the wind is chilling, and maybe I can’t feel my fingertips. But it’s a wonderful time to share my favorite winter moments in fantasy.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Likely the most memorable for me, the whole story is Christmas with high stakes. The snowy landscape, a sleigh, gift giving and Father Christmas. While the Long Winter’s reason for existing isn’t all smiles and giggles, I can’t deny the coziness that comes with a setting of snow and people (er, animals) coming together. But Tomnus, please put on a shirt.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Stay with me on this one. I really like the scene where the fellowship is trying to pass over the mountain and the snowy storm thwarts their plan (whether it is the mountain itself, or Saruman as shown in the movie). In the movie, the scene of treking through the snow is just cinema magic to me. And then, they go into what could be the cozy fires beneath the mountain but, you know, find a balrog. LOTR is a Christmas movie and you can’t convince me otherwise.
The Lady’s Crownbearer
My coauthor and I created an in-world holiday, The Day of Laphrim, for our series the Etherea Cycle and wrote a short story for it. Having a wintry scene is a little difficult when the seasons don’t change (the world is tidally locked which means it doesn’t spin). But the holiday is like Christmas mixed with Mayday – gift giving, music and singing, festival yummies like roasted nuts and popcicles in the shape of Laphrim’s feet, and weaving ribbons around a special tree. And, a mythical creature with antlers like tree branches is said to appear.
Icewind Dale Trilogy
Focusing on the Crystal Shard, it makes me nostalgic for hunting giants in the tundras of the MMORPG Everquest. Drizzt, the drow elf, also roams the Tundra of Icewind Dale hunting yeti and giants. Since the whole setting is a winter icy landscape, there are many scenes of cold…and more cold. But I particularly remember several key moments like an avalanche and a crystal tower which really made me think of a giant icicle. While I loved the descriptions, I’m glad I don’t live there.
What about you? What’s one of your favorite winter scenes in fantasy?
“What if the side quest is really the main quest?
Divine, a healer of the Goddess of Souls, has chased the thief who stole her talisman across half of Trelvania. The talisman is the key to accessing her magic well, and without it, she is powerless. While chasing her betrayer, former girlfriend, and servant of the Goddess of Condemnation, Divine meets Saph, a flirty tavern owner with an eyepatch and a proposition. Saph will help Divine locate her talisman if Divine helps her complete a mysterious quest in a chest.
Inspired by RPGs and set in scenic autumn, prepare for an adventure with gods and goddesses, deceitful exes, axe throwing, and fantastical creatures. Can Divine learn to trust again and find romance in the middle of finding her magic?”
About the Author: Kristina W Kelly writes fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry and loves being a geek. Her coauthored novel, Trials of the Innermost, is book one in the epic science fantasy series The Etherea Cycle. Her debut sapphic fantasy romance adventure, Tavern Tale, releases January 7, 2025. She is the author of Imaginari, a sci-fi and fantasy poetry collection paired with her photography. Kristina is a trumpet player but dabbles in other instruments, plays video games, and tends to her flower garden and two children in Indiana. Several of her short stories have received honorable mention, silver honorable mention, and semi-finalist from Writers of the Future. She is amazed by nature and enjoys painting vivid scenes for her readers. She loves going on new adventures in the great wide somewhere (sometimes just by picking up a new book).
Www.kristinaseyes.com
https://instagram.com/kristinawkelly
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087811030231
https://x.com/kristinawkelly
BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://a.co/d/1OMpSuR
Lord of the Rings could definitely fit into the Christmas movie category! So much snow.