The Chronicles of Narnia meets House of the Dragon in this New Adult fantasy set in a world of eternal winter, featuring a bisexual male protagonist who must embrace his destiny as the Prince of Winter.

WINTERBORNE (Book 1)
by J.D. Netto
Podium, June 2026
(via JABberwocky)

Treacherous politics, deadly secrets, ancient magic, and forbidden romance: The battle for ultimate power has begun in the first book of this epic fantasy.

Even before his mother’s mysterious murder, Henric Sabio never felt at home in his small town or at his private high school. He figured that was because of his cynical personality and tendency to daydream about dragons. But when a sudden supernatural attack transports him, his father, and his sister to a frozen magical world, Henric quickly learns he is different in ways he never imagined. He is Henric Iceheart, son of a disgraced prince and heir to a throne that desperately needs to restore the glories of a lost age.

Plunged into the elegant hierarchy of court life, Henric starts to discover hints of a secret history beneath the kingdom’s glistening surface. As he navigates ruthless nobles, sacred laws, and a rival family hungry for his family’s throne, his dormant powers—a deadly command of ice and a bond with an ice dragon long thought extinct—ignite. And soon rumors are spreading, naming Henric the prophesized Prince of Winter who will unite the land, albeit at a terrifying cost.

With help from gentle scholar Hundarian Silvermore and his ambitious twin sister, Kellenen, Henric attempts to prove himself worthy of this moniker and change his foretold fate. But his growing and complicated attraction to the Silvermore twins reveals long-buried prejudices that threaten his path to the crown. As rebellions rise and enemies close in, he must decide whether to claim his newfound destiny or reject it and face the consequences.

Some legacies save kingdoms. Others destroy them. Henric’s might be destined for both.

J.D. Netto is a multi-genre bestselling author whose debut fantasy series, The Whispers of the Fallen, became an underground sensation upon its release. In 2022, he released The Echoes of Fallen Stars, a fallen angel fantasy centered on Lucifer’s lost gay son and the secret romance between Lucifer and the Creator. USA Today hailed the series as “a creation that every fantasy lover must have in their collection.” Beyond fiction, J.D. has compiled his expertise in branding, storytelling, and design into You Are Not for Everybody: An Honest Conversation About Branding, Storytelling, and Narrative.