Thoughts on Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

 

1.) Discuss the background of the story that sets up the treaty between two planets. This is the whole reason Jainan and Kiem have to get married, and why Jainan was married before. How does this affect the characters?

The treaty falling apart is an anvil dangling overhead, threatening to crush Jainan and Kiem beneath it. Kiem is swept into responsibility he long since accepted he wasn't suited for, and Jainan puts ever more pressure on himself to be perfect. The cracks are apparent for both, but it is in the cracks that they find how well they fit, both as a pair and as partners working side by side.

2.) Taam's death is a possible murder and the course of the story delves into Jainan's marriage. How does Maxwell effectively put a voice to the domestic abuse that Jainan faced? 

It is devastatingly obvious that Jainan has gone through the wringer long before we are given actual glimpses of the abuse Jainan suffered at the hands of Taam. It is evident in his reflexive apologies, in the way he constantly perceives everything from the stance of "I caused this." The sparsity of his belongings and the utter shock he has with Kiem's gentler, warmer demeanor. 

3.) How has Kiem evolved from the "wild" royal child to the prince he is now? Has he changed at all?

In my eyes, the only significant way that Kiem has changed involves his drinking. Every other "wild" incident can either be chalked up to his youth (pranks with his friends), betrayal (those same friends turning around and selling the stories to the tabloids), and being held up to a mirror that could never accurately represent him. Kiem is charismatic and kind, he is diplomatic and skilled at spinning a story. More, he isn't so proud as to allow his "wild" reputation ruin his life.

4.) How does their relationship evolve from their first meeting? From the start, Jainan and Kiem's relationship is fraught with misunderstandings. They each deeply want to make the other one comfortable and to foster a certain closeness, but due to early misunderstandings, they zig when they should have zagged. Kiem enters the marriage believing that Jainan had the perfect marriage to the perfect partner and he would forever be inadequate. Jainan entered the marriage expecting to fall into similar roles as his marriage with Taam, roles where Jainan is repressed and isolated and always unwanted whereas Kiem would have all the power. Everina Maxwell laid the groundwork for Jainan's abuse revelations with heartbreaking precision.

5.) The story has an underlying of political intrigue, blackmail, and sabotage, which is discussed in question one. But how do the action elements when they land in the snowy mountains add to the action of the story? They tie in many threads Everina Maxwell previously wove throughout the beginning stages of Jainan and Kiem's relationship. Jainan being from a planet with a radically different climate yet possessing far greater defensive and offensive abilities than Kiem came into play, as did their misunderstandings and tender moments. The action elements were what truly solidified Jainan and Kiem as a couple, and without them Winter's Orbit would be lesser.