March 2026’s newsletter: “Book Recommendation: The Summer War”
Naomi Novik brings us another new fairy tale in her stand-alone novella, “The Summer War.”
I love stories with close siblings, and siblings are a central theme in this novella.
I try to avoid spoilers when writing my recommendations, but I fell into revealing more with this one than I usually do. So: spoiler warning.
Summary
Young noblelady Celia discovered her magic gift the day she cursed her eldest brother for abandoning her. Now Argent is forced to wander alone and without love in a war-torn land. Celia and her second brother Roric search for a way to break the curse, but the solution might be in the truth behind the century-old Summer War between their people and the immortal summerlings.
The Todholme Siblings
Celia
I’m tired of stories where the princess is shocked– shocked, I tell you!– that she’s expected to marry for politics rather than love.
Who’s raising all these princesses to believe they’ll marry for love when they clearly won’t? That seems like a cruel thing to teach these girls.
Of course we all love stories where princesses and ladies don armor and charge into battle. But I’d also like to see more stories where the princesses and ladies take control of their betrothals for the greatest political matches. Give me self-aware, ambitious girls searching for the best partners to rule with.
“The Summer War” is a rare story that takes this route. Celia is aware that she’ll have a political marriage, and is active in ensuring she gets the best one possible. Not only that, but when her father is too emotionally distraught to arrange it for her, she takes charge of her own betrothal. She’s a powerful girl seeking power through the routes available to her.
Argent
The greatest irony of the novella is how Duke Veris values his eldest son Argent as his heir, and yet it’s his two other children who actually take after him.
Duke Veris the Fox is a war hero known for his brilliance. He won his battles through cunning rather than strength. And he’s someone who values his ambitions above love.
Yet, Argent values love over personal ambition and power. He abandons his inheritance in order to have the freedom to fall in love with another man rather than marry a woman for political gain. And he’s a genius with a sword rather than a strategist like his father. A heroic, honorable knight in shining armor.
Roric
On the other hand, Roric proves himself a trickster. He uses his intelligence to help his siblings rather than charging into battle with a blade. This makes him far more his father’s heir than Argent.
His relationship with Celia was one of my favorite parts of the novella. Watching them evolve from indifference or even disdain to real devotion, care, and love is beautiful.
A Story About Siblings
At its heart, this novella is a sibling story.
We have the trio of Celia, Roric, and Argent. They grew up in a cold household that kept them apart. Their father didn’t encourage love between family members. Despite that, they learn to love each other.
In this way, all three siblings diverge from their father. They all choose their love for each other over anything else. In the end, love is what’s most important to each of them.
The other siblings that are featured in this novella are the Summer Prince Elithyon and his sister Princess Eislaing. Every conflict in the story is driven by Elithyon’s rage and grief at his sister’s death. So it’s safe to say that the novella’s plot is all about siblings.
The Girl in the Tower
Celia is an ambitious girl and a powerful sorceress. Despite this, she ends up barred from her magic and trapped in a tower.
Now hold on, doesn’t the damsel in distress trope usually annoy me? What makes this novella different?
Ladies in towers are usually helpless damsels who spend their days singing and waiting for their true love to carry them off on a gallant steed. But Celia doesn’t lose her agency the moment she’s put into the tower. She’s still her own character searching for a way to free herself.
And more importantly, the tower prison is a plot tool for growth for Celia and the characters around her, including Argent and Prince Elithyon. While Celia is forced to depend on her brothers’ aid, her imprisonment drives the characters into conflicts that teach them important lessons and changes their dynamics.
In a sense, Naomi Novik is averting the usual tropes around the lady in the tower. The tower is classically a gateway to the heroine finding romantic true love. Although Celia isn’t romantically rescued, her circumstances do lead her to true love: between her and her brothers. And while she may be the one imprisoned, all three must work together to reach their happy ending.
Conclusion
Naomi Novik has become one of my favorite authors in recent years, and her stories continue to thrill and tug at my heartstrings. I’m continuously amazed how her writing shifts based on the characters and setting: from the modern day heroine in “The Scholomance,” to the Napoleonic gentleman in “Temeraire,” and to the fairy tale heroines of “Uprooted,” “Spinning Silver,” and now “The Summer War.”
I would highly recommend any of her work. If you’re interested in dipping your toes into her fairy tales, given the novella’s shorter length, “The Summer War” is a great place to start.
Thanks for reading!
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