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The Cold Ever After
A unique and thrilling blend of Arthurian romance and detective noir, a unique fantasy story in the vein of Game of Thrones meets Chinatown. For fans of epic fantasy, queer romance, and hardboiled detective noir!
She lost everything when she fell in love with her Queen. Now she has a week to find a missing princess, or she’ll lose it all again… along with her head.
Ten years after her disgrace and exile, Sir Noelani Mahi’ai – former Royal Champion of the kingdom of Patria Lupi and Queen’s protector – has been hiding under a rock at the bottom of a bottle and hasn’t lifted a sword in all that time. Until one day, the Queen summons Noelani to find her daughter who has mysteriously disappeared the night before her wedding.
Given one week to recover the princess, Noelani is forced to confront a baffling mystery, a terrifying adversary and her own past to save the kingdom. But not everything is as it seems in Patria Lupi, and in seven days she may not have a life to get back on track.
She lost everything when she fell in love with her Queen. Now she has a week to find a missing princess, or she’ll lose it all again… along with her head.
Ten years after her disgrace and exile, Sir Noelani Mahi’ai – former Royal Champion of the kingdom of Patria Lupi and Queen’s protector – has been hiding under a rock at the bottom of a bottle and hasn’t lifted a sword in all that time. Until one day, the Queen summons Noelani to find her daughter who has mysteriously disappeared the night before her wedding.
Given one week to recover the princess, Noelani is forced to confront a baffling mystery, a terrifying adversary and her own past to save the kingdom. But not everything is as it seems in Patria Lupi, and in seven days she may not have a life to get back on track.
192 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
1 person is currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Whitley
402 books331 followersJeremy Whitley is the son of two teachers and the husband of a third.
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 2, 2024
Sapphic fantasy you say? I’m sat🧎♀️I really enjoyed the art style and the plot in this one! The world building was intriguing and I think the flashbacks did a lot to establish the world. Was there insta love? Yes, but if someone beautiful and strong killed a dragon to save you it’d be hard not to fall in love immediately. HOWEVER, the romance doesn’t have a happy ending and I’ll just leave it at that. My favorite part of this graphic novel is probably the fact that everyone who deserved their comeuppance got what was coming to them and I was 100% here for it! I enjoyed this one a lot!
December 28, 2023
Representation: lesbian protagonist, queer Black protagonist, secondary and tertiary characters of colour.
Content Warning: religious persecution, violence, blood, torture, misogyny.
Review to come...
Content Warning: religious persecution, violence, blood, torture, misogyny.
Review to come...
March 21, 2024
So I really love his Princeless series. It’s delightful even as an adult reader. This is a good standalone or he could potentially keep going but this is absolutely not for kids. So very very very not for kids. If you have an older teen who wants to read it I wouldn’t worry too much. They’ve seen worse online or in a movie by that point in their lives and it is just a comic book. If you think you want to give it to a younger teen or preteen that wants to read it you might perhaps want to page through it first and consider that particular kid’s developmental stage.
I did enjoy the story even though it was dark. And don’t let the fairly bright art fool you. It’s dark. But it is an interesting story.
I did enjoy the story even though it was dark. And don’t let the fairly bright art fool you. It’s dark. But it is an interesting story.
November 30, 2024
Thank you so much to Jeremy Whitley for sending me a copy of this one to read.
This was gripping from start to end! I was absolutely hooked and flew through it.
We have a missing princess, estranged lovers, a queen x bodyguard dynamic, witchcraft, political intrigue, and characters with so much depth and complexity. I am genuinely in awe of the way these characters were crafted.
There were a few twists and turns I did not see coming and the more I read, the more obsessed I became with this story.
The art style was really good, too. I especially appreciated that none of the nudity was overly gratuitous.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in fast-paced political fantasy and female power and rage.
This was gripping from start to end! I was absolutely hooked and flew through it.
We have a missing princess, estranged lovers, a queen x bodyguard dynamic, witchcraft, political intrigue, and characters with so much depth and complexity. I am genuinely in awe of the way these characters were crafted.
There were a few twists and turns I did not see coming and the more I read, the more obsessed I became with this story.
The art style was really good, too. I especially appreciated that none of the nudity was overly gratuitous.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in fast-paced political fantasy and female power and rage.
April 28, 2024
"The Cold Ever After" has a bit of a lot of things bundled into one book. There's romance (and sex), a missing person/murder mystery, fantasy adventure, a dragon, politics, family, witchcraft, and women being represented in really cool ways.
I like that the main romance couple are older, have a pre-established relationship with history/baggage, and a child that unites them in a goal while they're in conflict with each other. A theme that really stands out to me is struggle between getting your daughter back to safety vs being the one to potentially bring her back to her abuser. The way both perspectives are embodied in Noelani and Isadora, and how their opposing ideals of love vs duty put them into conflict with each other is interesting.
They're further contrasted in where they sit socio-politically (Noelani was poor and from a colonized group whereas Isadora is from the colonizing group and queen, how it affects the way the characters see themselves and their power dynamic. This also plays into their understanding of love, what it means, and how it's expressed, and by extension, motherhood. There's some tug-of-war when it comes to Noemi being "my" or "our" child - who gave birth to her and who raised her.
It's really nice seeing women's bodies with scars and blemishes - "imperfect" but still owning their bodies and looking/feeling powerful. Similarly refreshing is seeing women who spill blood/get gory. We get to see women overcoming their abusers and finding happiness. And there's even a touch of horror at the end!
Favourite quote from the book: "Because winning when you're born to lose means doing things no one else would even think of. And she did just that."
This is a refreshing twist on the fairytale romance - or rather, what happens after the initial romance when the characters have to deal with real life afterwards and in the next 10+ years.
I like that the main romance couple are older, have a pre-established relationship with history/baggage, and a child that unites them in a goal while they're in conflict with each other. A theme that really stands out to me is struggle between getting your daughter back to safety vs being the one to potentially bring her back to her abuser. The way both perspectives are embodied in Noelani and Isadora, and how their opposing ideals of love vs duty put them into conflict with each other is interesting.
They're further contrasted in where they sit socio-politically (Noelani was poor and from a colonized group whereas Isadora is from the colonizing group and queen, how it affects the way the characters see themselves and their power dynamic. This also plays into their understanding of love, what it means, and how it's expressed, and by extension, motherhood. There's some tug-of-war when it comes to Noemi being "my" or "our" child - who gave birth to her and who raised her.
It's really nice seeing women's bodies with scars and blemishes - "imperfect" but still owning their bodies and looking/feeling powerful. Similarly refreshing is seeing women who spill blood/get gory. We get to see women overcoming their abusers and finding happiness. And there's even a touch of horror at the end!
Favourite quote from the book: "Because winning when you're born to lose means doing things no one else would even think of. And she did just that."
This is a refreshing twist on the fairytale romance - or rather, what happens after the initial romance when the characters have to deal with real life afterwards and in the next 10+ years.
April 1, 2024
3.5
Wasn’t very into this at first and almost didn’t even finish, but the story started to get really good. I really like where it ended up and I’m curious if the story will be continued.
Wasn’t very into this at first and almost didn’t even finish, but the story started to get really good. I really like where it ended up and I’m curious if the story will be continued.
March 30, 2024
A good story and well-told. The art was a bit Disney. The story would have been better served by something a bit less wholesome
October 21, 2024
I have been reading Jeremy Whitley for years on books like Princeless, Unstoppable Wasp, and Dog Knight, but it's a real treat to see him go dark for a graphic novel! This fantasy noir mystery lets the author bust out the four-letter words and explicit sex while maintaining the tension of a disgraced champion working out the clues of a missing princess. Loved it.
August 20, 2024
3 stars for this sapphic Arthurian tale.
*
This was an intriguing story (with a badass ending), with some great (if unlikable) characters and fantastic illustrations. It was a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys medieval tales.
*
This was an intriguing story (with a badass ending), with some great (if unlikable) characters and fantastic illustrations. It was a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys medieval tales.
August 13, 2024
Brutal. Tremendo. Joyaza. Menudo final tan potente, quien la hace la paga, claro que sí.
March 8, 2025
I saw this described as "Arthurian noir," which is so perfect! I'm a big fan of Jeremy Whitley's series Princeless and Raven the Pirate Princess -- he has such a talent for writing action-packed stories featuring women who feel real. The Cold Ever After has darker themes than his other work and is for a mature audience, but the storytelling and character development remain excellent. I especially enjoyed how he explored the political push-and-pull of religious, governmental, and personal moral codes in this.The ending surprised the heck out of me!
May 13, 2025
Reviewing this one, so I will come back later and add a link.
May 20, 2025
What a dark, sad story. Boof.
June 28, 2025
Jeremy Whitley does it again with queer this adventure romance.
February 20, 2024
This is a really messed up queer fairy tale story every bit as dark as the Grimm fairy tales. It's about a captain of the guard who was banished for the last 12 years. Her queen and lover recalls her when the princess disappears from her tower and her betrothed gives the kingdom a week to find her or he'll raze it all. I was shocked at how dark this got. I expected some YA claptrap but I got way more than that.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews