Winterbay

Conquered Earth #0.5

by J. Barton Mitchell

Mira Toombs has fled Midnight City, leaving behind her home and the people she loves in a desperate gamble to repair the damage her Tone enhancing artifact has caused. It is a journey that will lead her to Winterbay, an infamous, frozen city built in the middle of Lake Michigan. A place of secrets and conspiracies – and the one place more dangerous for Mira than Midnight City. Winterbay is the last bastion of the World Before, a place that has shunned the power of the Strange Lands, and where being a Freebooter means the death sentence.

To get what she needs, Mira must take a desperate bargain. One that will lead her into the city's icy depths, where its greatest and most dangerous secret lies guarded by a massive, deadly machine that rumor and myth say only one person can disarm. The one person not allowed inside the city walls.

A Freebooter.

Winterbay is a 14,000 word short story, part of Conquered Earth series, set directly before the events of Midnight City and The Severed Tower, showing how Mira Toombs came to be set on a path not only to Clinton Station, but to the two people who would change her life forever.

Genres: Science Fiction, Aliens, Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Adventure

46 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2013

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a brief bit of back story and insight into Mira's character - why she does things and who she is - but a thrilling one nonetheless. This series rocks.

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story that tells an episode of Mira's life before she is captured by Holt. It's labeled a .5 instead of a 1.5, but I think Midnight City needs to be read first in order to truly understand Mira's world. I'm now in the middle of Severed Tower. Reading Winterbay beforehand has definitely increased my enjoyment of the second book in this series, but it is certainly not necessary to read it. Fun, quick read, though. I love this world; it's fairly original. And that's saying something in this dystopian overloaded book world!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic novella, and I can't wait to continue on with this series!

[Freyja Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

To get what she wants the most, the Freebooter Mira Toombs needs to go to Winterbay. Sure thing - only problem is that she is highly wanted and Winterbay has banned Freebooter and their artifacts.
She has to make a deadly bargain and dwelve into the city's deepest secret.

This is a short story set just before Midnight City - the first book in the Conquered Earth series

[Gautam Surath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barton even in this small story demonstrates his skill. The lessons are all there while all tying back to the original storyline. While we follow Mira we also meet a couple of characters who we will see more off later. But in the end it's all about the moral of the story and who well it's brought out that makes you love this series.

[Rebekah]

I finished this book, and it was a nice read-in to the first book. Now looking forward to the 2nd and third book!