Daughter of Redwinter - Upcoming Dark Fantasy Novel
“The stories of this age begin and end with blood, and mine is no exception.”
A young woman named Raine can see the dead. They can’t see her, and no one knows she has this talent. In this fantasy world, seeing the dead is seen as a curse worthy of death. Raine has led a hard life so far but now she finds herself barricaded in an abandoned monastery with a group of well-meaning cult members and no way out, a small army waiting outside. When Raine sneaks out the back to try and find a way out for the group, she finds a woman dying in the snow. Raine decides to help this wounded stranger and in turn her life changes and so does the world.
Written by Ed McDonald, this upcoming dark fantasy novel Daughter of Redwinter is a complex and fascinating story.
book mood board, images from weheartit.com
“I could never tell anybody I saw ghosts. Every clanhold had a different name for those that had the spirit-sight: nightcrafters, witches, dark speakers. But the message behind the name was always clear. The lucky ones were banished. The unlucky met the end of a rope. I wasn’t just a corrupted thing that saw the dead. I was poison to anyone around me.”
Here’s what I loved:
The magic system here is really unique and interesting, which is hard to pull off in the fantasy world. The magic system in this story is based on seven gates. Each person works their whole lives to access various levels of these gates and their worth and power are determined by it. The last two gates, Skal and Gei, are the most treacherous and mysterious. Which also means they’re the most fascinating. How each character deals with and accesses the gates is a big part of this story and one I enjoyed immensely.
McDonald seems to be a massive history buff based on his bio and education. He uses this to his benefit in this story, weaving a detailed and intense history that makes this story and world feel massive. While a lot of the history is not entirely relevant to this particular book, it will clearly build up throughout the series going forward. It’s an interesting take on fantasy Gods and the creation of the world.
The last third of this book is absolutely the best part. It moves at a break neck pace dropping twists and turns and realizations as you go. There are some great twists that I didn’t see coming and some character development that is total *chef’s kiss*. The first two thirds of the book move at a medium pace, filled with descriptive writing and dialogue. The last third will completely catch you off guard in the best way.
Overall, Daughter of Redwinter is a great new addition to the dark fantasy genre and I highly recommend picking up a copy when it lands on shelves, June 28th. Big thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ed McDonald is the author of the Raven’s Mark and Redwinter Chronicles series of novels. He studied Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, and Medieval History at Birkbeck College, University of London. Ed is passionate about fantasy tabletop roleplay games and has studied medieval swordsmanship since 2013. He currently lives with his partner, author Catriona Ward, in London, England. For more information, visit www.edmcdonaldwriting.com and follow him on Twitter @EdMcDonaldTFK.
