Dark Running: Exile of the Winter Court

by BR Kingsolver

When Charles II kidnapped a Sidhe princess in 1680, her father didn’t send diplomats—he sent armies. The Fae stormed through the Veil, leveled cities, and rewrote history. Centuries later, Humans and Fae still share the Mortal Realm uneasily… and England never recovered its empire.

Alanis Nightshade, Winter Court Fairy, smuggler, and occasional pirate, prefers to stay far from royal drama. She flies under the radar, smuggling rare goods between worlds and minding her own business. But when she’s stranded in Edinburgh during a coup, she’s dragged straight into the kind of trouble she tries to avoid.

A new Sidhe king has seized Scotland.
He’s hungry for conquest, and he wants what Alanis possesses—
a ship that can cross the Veil and carry an army straight into Faerie.

If she doesn’t outwit him, outrun him, or outright kill him, both realms may pay the price.

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2025

Reviews

[Paula Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventurous

I'm pretty tired of most books about the Fae, but this is a good one. It's set in an alternate earth where an English king abducted a fae princess and brought down the destructive wrath of her father on the mortal world. Rome, Krakow and one other city I can't remember became smoking craters and England lost its empire. The story takes place about 300 years later in Scotland, where fairies, pixies, elves and other fae creatures live side by side with humans. I'm not going to go into the plot but it is exciting, full of betrayals, battles, and plot twists. It kept me guessing throughout. I appreciate that the fae are not sugar-coated. They are violent, pragmatic and have a cruel sense of humor. Despite this the main character is likeable and I was rooting for her to survive. Highly recommended.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alanis Nightshade is a fairy of the Winter court. (Summer fairies have names like Meadowsweet; Winter fairies are more likely to be named for Venus flytraps.) She's been running cargo on Earth for a while, because the queen of Winter is of the "off with her head" persuasion, and isn't fussy about which head gets offed. Alanis even declares some of her cargo to customs. Things start going wrong when a revolution starts in Scotland, just as her ship is in dry dock, undergoing major repairs.

I read that this book is a stand-alone, and it does appear to be self-contained. It's a good yarn and a fun read.

Favorite line: "A Summer Fairy who was two hundred years old tended to resemble a fourteen-year-old Human choirgirl. A Winter Fairy resembled a fourteen-year-old street hooker."

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment!

As usual BR Kingsolver keeps the reader on their toes. What an action packed story full of interesting characters. I fell in love with this story arc and hope there is more to follow.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story!

This is one of my favorites! I really enjoyed the storytelling and the unique perspective. I will always buy anything BR Kingsolver publishes but this was a special treat!

[Sharon Lyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingsolver has done it again!

If you like the other B R Kingsolver series, especially Crossroads Chronicles, you'll love this book. I hope it is first in a new series. Great characters and plenty of action.

[J. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fantasy.

Very well written characters and interesting variation of traditional treatment of mythogical species. Much superior to the adverage read of this type of fantasy.

[Megan Lembach · Rating 5 out of 5]

kingsolver provides another amazing adventure

Another amazing set of characters, world building and tortuous plot. Did I mention there are lady pirates, dairies, elves and fae?? Be prepared for an amazing ride.

[Ken Weiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another treasure by BR Kingsolver

Many twists and turns all skillfully woven together. Fairies, Fae, and Royalty all have their place.

Can’t wait till her next book!

[Sharon Salavaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful read

Kingsolver always builds a wonderful world in ways that you don’t expect. I thoroughly enjoy this and I hope it’s the start of the new series.

[Annette De Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different and good

Well written world. Characters a bit different from her usual, but I did enjoy the story. All books do not have to be in a long series.

[Ron MacQuarrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well damn, it's a standalone.

I was hoping for at least three books. Oh well, enjoy. As Always BR Kingsolver gives us a great tale!

[Carolyn Rash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well developed story, BR Kingsolver painted with words that brought you on the journey and brought the characters to life. Through enjoyed.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool new story

I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading the next installment. This is an interesting alt earth history story.

[Olan Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good characters

Story is well written and keeps you entertained until the end. Here's hoping the good captain will have more adventures.