The king is on the brink of death and his five daughters are on a mission to save him by finding a mysterious and powerful witch, the only person who can reverse the magic that is stealing his life. They must first learn to trust in one another, forget old rivalries and embrace the magic that is family. Only then will they be ready to find the witch and understand that familial discord and history has been repeating itself.

They share the same blood, but they are as different as five strangers can be, can the warrior, the queen who risks all for forbidden love, the vain princess, the religious zealot or the budding magic user save their kingdom and the crown? Treachery abounds as their stepbrother eyes the precious crown he does not deserve.

Kim Wilkins’ DAUGHTERS OF THE STORM is a tale of desperation, mistrust, and acceptance of others in the name of family and the good of the kingdom. Five powerful women, each with their own secrets, weaknesses and insecurities will be exposed at their best and their worst. How will they deal with each other? Will they learn to respect each other in spite of their flaws?

Epic fantasies are meant to journeys of discovery and this one is no exception. Told through different POVs we witness the turmoil beneath the surface of the tenuous relationships between these sisters who must learn to stand together against both the known and unknown evil that threatens them.

Filled with detail, this is definitely not a quick read as the threads entangle us into the unfolding drama. The author does not ask us to like the characters, but to accept what makes them “tick” and wonder if they are up to the challenges that lay before them. I am an epic fantasy fan, I enjoy all of the threads that entwine each layer, but there were times I felt bogged down, but as the first book of a trilogy, the stage has been set, the characters and their dynamic relationships revealed and their journey has truly just begun. I'm thinking the action is yet to come!

I received a complimentary copy from Del Rey!

Trilogy: Blood and Gold - Book 1
Publisher: Del Rey (March 6, 2018)
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Print Length: 434 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins is the first book of the Blood and Gold series. I’ve seen this one marked as a young adult fantasy but my first warning would be there is sexual content along with of course some violence to make this one more for mature readers. The story does have a bit of a historical feel to it too taking place in a time where one traveled but horse and kings ruled the lands.

The story is of course told from multiple points of view with so many characters being involved. It begins with the King being extremely ill and his wife desperately wanting someone there with her sends for her son instead of the King’s own daughters but all come to find out of the illness and come together. Wanting to save their father the adventure begins to find a way.

Now of course as I said I was bit surprised to actually find this one being more adult than I was expecting. To me the book seemed a bit like a historical read with bits of magic added in to bring a fantasy element to it but also a bit of a drama read with some of the situations with relationships going on within.

I found myself for the most part enjoying the book and where the story headed but I will admit there were times I thought perhaps it was a bit much with so many characters headed in different directions. Some of the things going on with different characters would stand out more than others making it drag a bit waiting to get back to the parts that I found more interesting. But overall this wasn’t a bad start to a series with a bit of a cliffhanger type of ending to leave open for more to come leaving me to rate this one at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

daughters of the storm (Kim Wilkins)

Title: daughters of the storm
Author: Kim Wilkins
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Ray
Publication Date: TOMORROW!!! (hardcover/e-book)
ISBN: 978-0399177477
Source: NetGalley

I wanted to love this book, I really did. The publisher offered me an e-arc of this book because I adored the bear and the nightingale. And honestly it should have been an awesome read.

The story involves five daughters of a king. A king who happens to have fallen into a deep coma-like slumber. So all of the daughters are drawn to their father's side to say their goodbyes. But what if it is not illness but a magical spell that holds the king in slumber? The sisters must find out quickly before the kingdom's peace is torn apart.

I did enjoy the sisters for the most part. They are all named after plants -
- Bluebell - a warrior who is set to be the next king
- Rose - a mother whose unhappy marriage was the price for peace
- Ash - a student of magic who may possess magic she never asked for
- Ivy - a young girl who just wants admiration from everyone
- Willow - a zealot of a new religion who wants the world to convert

So I had two problems with this book. The first is that the plot was just plodding at parts. It took me forever to get into this book and I didn't really get engrossed in the story until after the 60% mark. It could have been trimmed. There was too much time where nothing interesting happened and the characters were waiting around.

Which leads to the second problem. While the characters were waiting around, all of them were confused, upset, and could be annoying. The sisters seemed to never use their intelligence and instead made extremely rash choices that were a) stupid, b) completely emotionally based, and c) the worst possible choice. I thought it was ridiculous that all of them couldn't seem to use logic and reasoning. I could sort-of accept it for Willow due to her particular set of problems but not for the others. Ultimately I didn't totally like any of the sisters and found it hard to wish for success for any of them.

The one really fun note for me was the bad guy, Wylm. He is a step-brother by marriage. While his bad-guy motivation was rather lame (having the throne for the sake of being important) I did like that the author had him make some choices that took me completely by surprise. While most of his actions are caused by his cowardice and need to stay alive, he did have others that led to excellent plot lines and he actually used his brain. He could be crafty even if his underlying reasons were illogical. I also enjoyed how his portion of the story resolved in the first book.

Ultimately I would consider this an okay read. I found Bluebell and Ash's sections to be very engaging at times. I did enjoy the magical system and would like to see that explored further. I am not adverse to reading the next book but I think I would wait for reviews from me crew before making the choice to continue the series.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

FIVE ROYAL SISTERS. ONE CROWN.
They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose's heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom, who is risking everything for a forbidden love. The twins: vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods. And Ash, who is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift--or a curse.
But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, they must come together on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences, and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom.

To visit the author’s website go to:
Kim Wilkins - Author

To buy the novel please visit:
daughters of the storm - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:
Yer Ports for Plunder List

This was so much fun to read, and I absolutely loved it! It's a great fantasy story that hooks you in right from the start, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series to find out what happens. The sisters are each so different, and I like how the story switches back and forth between them. The fantasy elements are so neat and imaginative. I loved being in this world, and I hate that I have to wait so long for book two.



Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Daughters of the Storm is the story of five very different daughters who band together to try to save their father who has become gravely and mysteriously ill. You have the kick ass leader of the pack, the religious fanatic, the rising undermagician, the hopeless romantic, and the one who feels trapped in a marriage. There are other characters who are trying to stop them from succeeding, to include their evil, conniving stepmother and sleazy stepbrother. In the end, the question is - who can you really trust? The writing wasn't too bad. I found the pace to be a bit slow at times. Some of the sisters drove me a little nuts and some I really liked. Bluebell was written too much like a leading male & Ivy was like a whiny Sansa. I found myself relating to Ash and wanting to get to know her better. I enjoyed the world building. Readers are brought into a blended world of monarchies, politics, religion, and magic. I would definitely be interested in seeing where the author takes these characters in future installments.

Five Sisters Embark on a Hazardous Journey to Save Their Dying Father, the King

Gudrun, King Athelrick’s second wife, is distraught. She’s afraid he’s dying. His five daughters hate her, so she sends for her son, Wylm. Bluebell, the kings eldest daughter and heir, is told that her father is dying and that her stepbrother is on the way to him. Fearing that Wylm will try to seize the crown, Bluebell, a warrior princess, rides hard and overtakes him. At least he won’t arrive alone.

When she arrives at home, Bluebell realizes that her father may well be dying, poisoned by undermagic, and sends for her four sisters. Not all the sisters are enthusiastic about the proposed journey, but they realize that they must find a powerful undermagician to cure him. The sisters are very different people with their own problems and personalities. As the journey unfolds, they learn more about each other for good and bad.

This fantasy novel, the first of a trilogy, is set in a kingdom that resembles England during the Viking raids. The time and area are beautifully described giving a tapestry like backdrop to the story. However, perhaps the best thing about the novel is the characterization of the sisters. Bluebell, the eldest, is a tough warrior; Rose, the wife of the king of a neighboring kingdom, is romantically involved with a man who is the father of her daughter; Ash has a gift for magic and shows the ability to be a seer; Willow, one of the twins, is a religious mystic, but defies the traditional religion of her country; and Ivy, the other twin, chases men looking for love and attention.

The book is beautifully written. The prose pulls you along moving swiftly among the main characters. Although at first it may be difficult to become engaged with so many characters, I thought the chapters devoted to the viewpoint of each sister gave the reader a chance to know these interesting women. They are not perfect people, which makes them very real.

If you enjoy fantasy, this is a good book. The twist at the end will leave you looking for the next volume.

I received this book from Random House for this review.

With the King of Thrysland in a magic-induced coma, his kingdom is at great risk, especially if his greatest enemy, Hakon the Raven King, finds out. But his five daughters are determined to keep the secret.

Bluebell, the eldest daughter, a warrior, and army commander, will stop at nothing to find out who harmed her father—and to reverse the spell. Rose, unhappily married but loyal to her family, will stop at nothing to keep her daughter safe, even when her father lies on the verge of death. Ash, who has powers she should not possess, knows who can help her father—but doesn’t dare to approach the woman. Willow is hiding a dark secret from everyone—and she’s not sure how she can help her father, or if she should. Ivy is concerned with Ivy and doesn’t care who she hurts to get her way.

The sisters must stand together to heal their father, but even their stepbrother seeks to stop them from saving their father.

I need to open by saying I don’t think this was a good fit for me. Because my overwhelming impression of this book is quite negative. The world is vivid and well-drawn. The writing is solid and descriptive, allowing me a clear picture at all times.

The characters… I didn’t like any of them. I’m not even sure why I finished reading this, I disliked the characters so much. Bluebell is an aspiring dictator who has no qualms about doing what she wants and using people as she sees fits, and she doesn’t care who she hurts, even her sisters. Rose is selfish and self-absorbed, and I have zero sympathy for her. Ash, I kind of liked, but her penchant for hiding things and lying was troublesome. Willow was either crazy, completely deluded, or possibly both, in addition to being oblivious to reality. Ivy was just plain hateful, one of those selfish mean girls. Even the secondary characters were unlikable.

So…clearly not a good fit for me.

(Galley provided by Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

Daughters of the Storm just grabbed me from the very beginning. I found the story to be fun and well paced, and the range of characters kept it interesting. There are five sisters, all daughters of the King, who is declining in health. Each of these women are incredibly different and each interesting in their own way.

The oldest sister, Bluebell, is a fighter that has pretty much shunned any marital or remotely feminine expectations of her. She is an amazing (and well known) warrior that has a very strong personality. I have to admit, I enjoyed her fierceness quite a bit. Rose is a sister that has been married off to help secure peace with a neighboring kingdom. She is a Queen, but she wants something different for her life. She feels trapped and would obviously prefer to flee if given the choice. Ash is interesting as she is quite powerful with magical abilities. She is way more powerful than anyone says she can be, so she keeps some of it to herself. And then there are twins, Ivy who kind of reminded me a bit of Sansa in the early Game of Thrones books (a bit eager for attention from boys that catch her eye and, well, maybe a bit vapid), and Willow who is obsessed with a forbidden religion.

One thing I enjoyed, and that found took me by surprise a bit, was how getting the perspective from one sister altered my opinion of another after getting their opinions and experiences with the character. It was different, and really helped to second guess the reliability of the narrators, not that they are being intentionally deceitful, but they are unreliable because of how they percieve themselves and the situations they find themselves in is a different experience from how another character will perceive them. This can be true of any narrator, but getting the viewpoints of different characters really helped.

Each of these women is driven, though each is driven in a completely different way from the others. And honestly, some are driven by motivations that are not ideal or really anything all that admirable, but to me that’s life. Some people are driven by motivations that seem a bit more shallow (and naive) and some people have trouble thinking beyond themselves and that’s the case with some of the sisters. Yes, there are a couple that I think might drive me a bit batty if they had a book dedicated to them and their views, but I felt like it balanced well overall.

An important thing to note about this book is much of the conflict is all drama with the sisters. I am not saying that as a bad thing, but I do know some readers prefer stories that focus more on conflicts with the grander scheme of the world, and less on interpersonal relationships. For me the relationships and personalities of the sisters was actually a bit addictive, wanting to know what would happen next. To be honest, there were a couple of times that made me a bit thankful I have no sisters.

I think an important lesson in this family is to trust no one. I loved the pace of the story and the personalities of the sisters. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.

3.5 of 5 stars

Combining magical fantasy and family drama, Daughters of the Storm follows the lives of five royal sisters who could not be any more different—unless you count each of them struggling with a bevy of personal problems as something in common. Bluebell, the eldest, is a fierce warrior, who has her sights on becoming the first ruling queen. Next is Ash, whose mystical abilities are developing much faster than she can handle. Then there’s Rose, trapped in an unhappy marriage to a king in a neighboring land, when in fact her heart belongs to her husband’s nephew, who also secretly fathered her child. The youngest are the twins, Ivy and Willow, who are both inexperienced and naïve in their own ways. The former is a self-obsessed girl whose only source of happiness lies in what others think about her, and the latter has secretly become a passionate convert of a religion that her family disapproves of.

Growing up, the sisters have not been particularly close, following their own individual paths. But when news arrives that their father is dying, the five of them must reunite again and figure out what to do. Bluebell, who has always worshipped her father, is convinced that his illness is caused by dark magic and suspects her stepmother of being the one to curse him. To Bluebell’s further chagrin, her stepbrother has also arrived at the news of the king’s impending death, and she fears that he may be working with his mother to seize the throne.

Daughters of the Storm felt like it was written for fantasy fans who enjoy complex family sagas and reading about the ups and downs of strained sibling relationships. It felt like there was little conflict in the story otherwise, as the truth behind the king’s mysterious illness became revealed shortly after the introduction, not to mention we also found out the antagonist’s endgame just as early. While there was a smattering of action and intrigue thrown in here and there, this was definitely more of a family drama, though let me be clear: I don’t want anyone to think I’m using this description disparagingly. After all, family dramas can be wildly entertaining and addictive, if the characters are written well and the author succeeds in making me care about them. And considering how quickly I devoured this book, I’d say Kim Wilkins might be on to something here.

If Daughters of the Storm had a main protagonist, the closest would be Bluebell. As the oldest of the sisters, she is also the most accomplished (at least in my eyes). A warrior princess who has won many battles, she strikes fear into the hearts of men and even kings tremble at the sound of her name. Bluebell was also my favorite character, though I admit this might have something to do with the fact that all the other sisters were so unlikable. Not that Bluebell herself was perfect, but she did strike me as having a good grip on her life and knowing her priorities, which is more than I could say for Rose, Ash, Willow, or Ivy. The twins were the worst; just about everything they said or did evoked a powerful desire in me to slap or throttle them, and of course, this only increased my sympathy for Bluebell, the person whom everyone turned to when they needed help. Bluebell, who already had her hands full trying to keep her father’s kingdom from tearing itself apart, was always the one expected to fix things for her little sisters, and despite her harsh demeanor, her love for her family meant that most of the time she would try and do her best, even when the sheer stupidity or selfishness of her siblings threated to bring all her hard work tumbling down.

Still, my dislike of most of the characters notwithstanding, I did have a good time with this book. It would be more accurate to say I “loved to hate” many of the younger sisters, who were all infuriating in their own way, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have fun following their antics. The best characters are those who refuse to play by the rules—who do what they want, when they want—and you could indeed make the case that each of the sisters were unscrupulous and incredibly self-serving to some degree. What truly impressed me was how the author turned this aspect into the story’s greatest strength, since many of her dubious characters were also those who received some of the best characterization and development. Their stories were just as entertaining to follow, and I can’t say I ever grew tired of reading about what happened with them. In other words, cheering on the good guys is well and good, but sometimes, watching unlikable characters dig themselves deeper or get their comeuppance can be just as satisfying.

If this trend continues, I could probably be convinced to read the sequel. After all, I like my stories to focus on characters above anything else, and it certainly doesn’t get any more character-driven than this. Daughters of the Storm will not be for everyone—especially if you prefer action-oriented fantasy or are looking for something with a little more political intrigue—but if you are drawn to the irresistible call of tangled relationships and fascinating family dynamics, then this is the book for you.

This is from an advance review copy, for which I thank the publisher.

I requested to review this novel because I was truly intrigued by the premise. I have to report that it got off to a bit of a rocky start with me, then I began to get into it, then it hit a slack patch before taking off again, so it was a bit of a roller-caster ride, but when you're a writer, you have to go with what your gut tells you (or your editor if you don't self-publish! LOL!) so each to her own, I guess. In the end though, I found myself becoming more and more disappointed in it and I can't recommend this.

People say you can't really review a novel if you don't read it all, but I think that's nonsense. Several times I considered DNF-ing this because I was so disappointed in it and did not consider it worth continuing. Instead I read on, hoping it would turn around. It didn't. If I had quit at thirty percent or fifty percent, or seventy five percent, my gut instinct about it would still have been right, yet once again I plugged along to the end only to discover that nothing changed for the better, especially not my mindset. This novel is apparently the start of a series and I have zero interest in following it. Let me tell you why.

To begin with, I have to report that this is one of the most overused novel titles. There are many other novels with this same or with a very similar title including: Daughter of the Storm by Jeanne Williams, Daughters of the Storm by Aola Vandergriff, Daughters of the Storm by Elizabeth Buchan, Daughters of The Summer Storm by Frances Patton Statham, Daughter of Air and Storm by Sherryl King-Wilds, Daughter of Storms by Louise Cooper, The Daughter of the Stormed by Catherine Cuomo, and so on. I recommend authors finding truly original titles for their novels even if the title they end up with isn't their first choice.

The book is volume one in the "Blood and Gold" series, and I should confess I'm not a fan of series books. I like novels that have an ending and "book ones" tend to be nothing more than a prologue to a chain of books that can be so derivative and unimaginative that they're simply boring. I avoid prologues, introductions, forewords, and prefaces like the plague, so it took some thinking before I elected to take a look at this. Like I said, the blurb was compelling, but I have a love-hate relationship with blurbs at best, and I really dislike novels that have no kind of end point at all.

I was not a fan of the blood and guts (or gold!) opening, but the story took-off after that in a more pleasing fashion at least for a while, introducing the five sisters. In some ways it felt like this was a fantasy rewrite of Pride and Prejudice. We have the five sisters and a somewhat ineffectual father (in this case because he's taken ill). There's no real mother interfering. For Elizabeth Bennet, we have Bluebell (all the daughters are named after angiosperms), but Bluebell is nowhere near as perspicacious as Lizzie Bennet. Nor as amusing.

In this story, she's the feisty elder daughter, renowned and feared for her blade (rather than her wit as was the case in P&P), but it would seem that this warrior rep, thinking only of killing and sword-fighting is literally all she has going for her. She was very one-note and this began to gall in short order. She was next in line for the throne, but she certainly was not monarch material at all, not even in a blood-thirsty world like this. Nor was she military material, proving herself a poor strategist and a very average warrior.

It wouldn't have been so bad had she merited her renown, but she did not. She was stupid and incompetent. In two fights she had after the opening - fights when she was alone facing four attackers - she gave a really poor account of herself and had to be rescued by her magical sister both times. So no, she was not even a great warrior, and I had to ask how on Earth did she ever get this reputation that we were reminded of repeatedly, when she was so bad at what she did?

Next came the Jane Bennet of the family, known in this story as Rose. She has been married-off to Wengest, king of Nettlechester to secure an alliance. This author likes to name countries with names which sound like English cities, for some reason. The author is Australian and I am predisposed to look favorably on Australiana, but I wasn't fond of these names. The seemed unrealistic. Rose was once enamored of Wengest, but now is in love (so she claims) with his nephew Heath, and she pursues him like a love-sick teenager instead of behaving like a mature monarch. She was truly sickening in her stupidity and her selfish bitch-in-heat behavior. This did not come off as a great and tragic love story as perhaps the author intended, but as hack high-school love-triangle nonsense.

Next is Ash, who is the equivalent of Mary Bennet. She joins us as a resident in a type of convent, but she soon leaves to go home when she learns her father is ill. She has some sort of magical gift which evolves somewhat as the story unfolds. I enjoyed that to begin with, but in the end it also became tedious, because it really went nowhere. Ash constantly whined about this gift and where she felt it might lead. She meets an undermagician who tells her she is also an undermagician, but at no point was it ever really explained what an undermagician is or how one might differ from an actual magician. She and Bluebell were by far the most interesting characters to me, so it was sad that both of them became ever more annoying and dislikable the further I got into the story.

After Ash come of course, the troublesome twosome: Ivy and Willow. They're the equivalent of Kitty and Lydia, with Ivy being the ridiculously promiscuous Lydia, and Willow the dissatisfied, complaining Kitty. Ivy pretty much wants to jump the bones of anything in pants. She was a caricature of Rose who at least was only idiotically fixated on one guy. Willow is secretly an adherent of an anti-feminist religion, for reasons which are never actually revealed. She's hoping to convert her father so if he dies he can enter the sunlit afterlife instead of the dark place. Or something along those lines. Neither of these girls seemed remotely realistic.

There are two villains, Hakon, a rival warlord, and Wylm, the stepbrother of the girls. Both of these felt like caricatures at best and jokes at worst. Fearing what will happen if the king dies and Bluebell becomes queen, Wylm sets off on a quest to find Hakon at the same time as Bluebell orders her father moved away from home to seek help for the supernatural illness which she believes is killing him, so we have two parallel road trips in place. Here is where thing really fell apart and suspension of disbelief with it. Bluebell precipitately takes her father, along with two other soldiers, and all of her sisters on this trip. We've already been told how dangerous the countryside is, with raiders (who always seem to find Bluebell), yet we have only herself and two soldiers protecting a sick king and four other women? And no one is left in charge at the palace? It made zero sense.

It made less sense, having brought them along, to let the sisters split-up later, dividing the party. Bluebell sends Ivy, of all people, to return Rose's daughter to her father. She sends one of her two soldiers with Ivy. That soldier then disappears and we never hear of him again. Where did he go? Why did he never return to Bluebell? And why not send Rose, the child's mother, with the child? It made absolutely no sense whatsoever, except to keep the adulterous Rose with her lover and send the promiscuous Ivy to Rose's husband. There were realistic, organic ways in which this could have been achieved, but they were not employed. In short it made no sense whatsoever, especially since Rose later leaves - alone - to follow her child. Wait, isn't the countryside dangerous? Aren't there roving bands of raiders that the kings army never seems to be interested in hunting down? Yet Rose is going to make a journey of several days alone? Again, suspension of disbelief collapsed.

There was no reason at all to have these girls all go on the trip. There was no reason not to take a garrison of soldiers from the castle along with them. There was no organic reason for Rose to go with Ash and Bluebell to find this "undermagician" who might be able to help their father, as opposed to her taking her daughter back home, so this part of the story felt so stage-managed that it really turned me off the writing. It was such an artificial attempt to keep Rose near Heath and send Ivy to Wengest that it was really laughable. It was very poorly-plotted.

Bluebell is depicted as being with a group of soldiers at the very start of the story, and these guys also disappear from the story. They never follow Bluebell back to the castle despite the country being in a crisis because of the sick king. What happened to them? Where were they when Bluebell needed them? The original departure of Rose from her husband with her daughter made as little sense. It made sense that Rose would want to visit her ailing father and perhaps that she would take her daughter with her, but we're told that "There are bandits on these roads. Violent bandits." and we've already seen them, so why is King Wengest trusting his wife and only offspring to an escort of only one soldier?

Again, it's because that one soldier was Heath, her lover! It made no practical sense to let his wife and her daughter, his only immediate offspring, and also his nephew, his only heir to the throne, travel with absolutely no armed guard. Again it failed to suspend disbelief. The author seemed so intent upon following a rigid course in relating this tale - in this case because it would bring these two together - that she never seems to have thought about the absurdity of such a situation in the context of her own story, and authenticity was sacrificed again.

On a technical note, drop caps aren't a favorite of mine and they usually don't work well in Amazon's crappy Kindle app. They were better on the iPad than on my android phone, and not so bad on an iPhone, but Kindle usually mangles any attempt at fancy text or fancy formatting, so it's best avoided. Here it wasn't too bad, but there were odd-looking chapter beginnings, such as when the 'T' in "The sun rose..." was dropped and enlarged, and sat squarely against the 'W' that began the next line so it looked like it read, "He sun rose...fast in the Twest." It was amusing, but it should never have happened. It's an issue of which authors and publishers need to be aware when publishing ebooks and trying to make them look like their print versions. It simply doesn't work in the lousy Kindle app. It just doesn't! Keep the text simple for Kindle; it's all it can handle.

But poor formatting, especially when it's as mild as this was, can be overlooked if the story is engaging, This one was not. The silly sisters were tiresome, annoying, predictable, and not in the least bit credible as characters. None of them appealed to me as characters. I had no one to root for, and I honestly didn't remotely care what happened to any character in this story. They were all one dimensional, and therefore just not interesting. The author needs to kill off Willow, Ivy, and Rose, give some depth to Ash and Bluebell, and also keep the story tighter, more realistic, and shorter, and maybe it will work, but I have no faith in this series at all after reading this prologue. While I wish the author a fair dinkum career, because I think she has the makings of a good novelist, I can't say 'good on ya sheila!' for this novel, and I cannot recommend it.

Daughters of the Storm was a book I’d never heard of prior to being contacted about reviewing it by the publisher. The synopsis was promising – I mean, who doesn’t love the idea of sisters united against an evil stepbrother who’s stolen the throne? Well, that’s technically what this story is about, but it wasn’t as thrilling as I had expected.

This book definitely has some action, but it’s really more of a family drama with swords and kingdoms. The eldest sister and heir to the throne, Bluebell, is fierce, battle hardened, and practical. I liked her quite a bit as she seemed to be the only sister that could keep her wits about her at all times and not be an idiot. Ash was also likable and much less irritating than the others. She’s also a powerful, untrained undermagician who can control the elements. The other sisters are a riot of bad decisions. Rose is wife to the King of a neighboring kingdom and ally, but… let’s just say she thinks with her loins and not her brain. She’s had an affair with the nephew of the king, putting the alliance at risk if it were ever found out and she just can’t make that mistake once. She was definitely my least favorite of the sisters because she’s a prime example of someone who makes selfish decisions and then tries to justify them as love. The twins Ivy and Willow each have their own flaws. Ivy’s a teenage hoe who thinks she’s far smarter and more desirable than she really is. Willow has turned to an unwelcome religion that is contrary to the beliefs of her kinsman, but her biggest flaw is naivety. Their stepbrother is pretty bad, mostly for killing one particular character, but he didn’t seem particularly evil. He just wanted to protect his mother and he wasn’t well loved by his stepsisters.

The whole plot of the story is that their father is dying and the sisters suspect foul play (they’re right) and they need to find someone who can heal him. They sneak off with him so perhaps he can shake the magical enchantment that’s made him fall into unconsciousness and so he’ll be in their safe keeping. The stepbrother knows who did and he’s trying to kill Bluebell before she finds out and kills him. It’s not actually a large scale drama, which I was appreciative of as there are too many “save the entire world” stories out there.

Overall, this book was okay. I didn’t love and it took me a really long time to read it because I just wasn’t super into the storyline or the characters. 3 out of the 5 sisters were irritating and I just didn’t love any of the characters enough to really care about what happened to them. I think I’ll probably hold off on reading future books in this series until I see some redeeming reviews for the sequel.

The King falls ill seemingly with a brain illness. He has fits of raving and then long deep sleeps. The sleeps become longer and more frequent. His wife, the daughters' step-mother sends for her son. The daughters come to his side as well. There are 5 girls, each so different from the other. Bluebell, the eldest, is a warrior and next in line for the throne. Rose was married off to a neighboring kingdom to help maintain a peace and loves her daughter dearly and another man. Ash is gifted or cursed with magic. She has been sent to learn to be a healer. The youngest of the girls, the twins Ivy and Willow, couldn't be more different. Ivy is all about boys. And Willow is aiming to be pious, but to the trimartyr god and not to, as she puts it, the heathen gods her sisters believe in.

The five daughters come together to take their father away from whatever might be making him sick. Then, they seek a way to heal him. Each weathers the journey differently. And each of the daughters faces challenges. How they deal with the challenges is so very human and not always as successfully as they would like.

I thought in the beginning that 5 daughters would be too much for one book. But, Kim Wilkins makes it work. It's easy to tell when the point of view changes from one to the other because they are so very different from each other. And there is variety. So, for example, if you don't much like Ivy, you don't have to read about her too long before the point of view changes to another daughter.

While a little slow in places, overall the plot moves along at a decent rate. When it seems slow, it's really setting things up for a future occurrence.

I think this could mostly be read as a stand-alone, but there are enough loose ends to make someone want to read the next book. I'm wondering where the second book will go.

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Overall, it's well-written with interesting characters and events. If you enjoy a good fantasy read, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins is expected to be released from Del Rey books March 6, 2018.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

The first novel in an exciting new fantasy series by Kim Wilkins, Daughters of the Storm follows the story of five very different royal sisters who must put aside their differences and come together to save their kingdom.
These sisters are so different from one another, at times, it’s hard to believe that they share the same blood.

There’s Bluebell, the eldest, a fierce warrior who has been trained by her father to rule the kingdom of Thyrsland someday. She is feared by all and actually rumored to be unkillable in battle. Then there’s Ash, a gentler soul than Bluebell. Ash is studying to be a healer but has discovered she has the ability to see the future. As she struggles to learn more about and control this ability, she becomes more and more torn about whether being a seer is a gift or a curse. The third sister is Rose, and Rose is ruled by her passion. Her father married her off to the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, as a way to form an alliance and keep the peace. Rose, however, does not love her husband and is willing to risk peaceful relations between the kingdoms by pursuing a forbidden love. And finally, there are the twins Willow and Ivy, who have been living with a distant relative for a while and left to their own devices. For Willow, being left to her own devices translates to her joining a new religion and behaving as though she’s a brainwashed member of a cult. For Ivy, it means being vain and flirtatious and trying to bed any man she desires.

When their father, the King, is stricken by a mysterious illness that appears to have magical roots, the sisters, led by Bluebell who appears to be the most devoted to their father, come together in a desperate attempt to save his life and their kingdom. Not only do they need to track down a powerful witch who can cure the King, but they must also do so while not letting word get out that the King is near death. They have enough trouble on their hands trying to keep their treacherous stepbrother from stealing the throne; the last thing they need is to alert the rest of the King’s enemies that he is vulnerable should they wish to mount an attack.

What an exciting and fast-paced read this was! I originally picked it up because I liked the idea of these sisters who would normally have little to do with one another being forced to come together to save their father. But in many ways, it was so much more than that. Not only are these sisters different from each other, but they also differ in their devotion to their father. Bluebell, even though she would become ruler of the kingdom if her father were to die and is clearly ready to rule, is desperate to save his life at all costs. Ash appears to be similarly devoted, but the younger three seem almost indifferent as to whether they save him or not. They are annoyed they have been summoned from their lives to be a part of this rescue mission. That was quite unexpected and added a layer of depth to the story I wasn’t expecting going into it and I wanted to know more about why each of them felt the way they did.

I got my opportunity to learn much more about each sister too as the story is presented to us from the alternating points of view of all five sisters, not to mention a few chapters from the stepbrother’s point of view as well. At first I thought so many POVs would be too confusing and would bog down my reading experience, but Wilkins does a great job of incorporating each POV in a way that wasn’t confusing while still advancing the overall plot. I think the sisters being so different probably helped with that. I never got one mixed up with another. I also really loved getting inside of each sister’s head because wow, they are each holding on to some secrets that if they got out, could easily bring down their kingdom whether their father lives or not.
I also really liked the complicated family dynamic with the Queen as stepmother to the five sisters instead of their birth mother. In many ways the Queen sets most of the drama into motion because of her assumption that Bluebell and the girls hate her and will expel her from the castle if their father dies. Because of this fear, instead of sending word out to the girls first when their father falls ill, she summons her son instead. She wants him there in case they try to throw her out. This just opens up a whole can of worms as Bluebell finds out elsewhere that her father is ill and thus immediately suspects that her stepmother and stepbrother are up to something. Getting on Bluebell’s bad side from the get go probably wasn’t the smartest move.

As far as the sisters themselves, my reaction was a bit mixed. Bluebell and Ash were, by far, my favorites. I admired the fierceness of Bluebell and the fact that people truly were scared to death of her. I chuckled a few times throughout when people referred to her as Princess and then practically fell over themselves apologizing after receiving a death glare from her. It becomes clear that it’s well known throughout the kingdom that she hates the term Princess and wishes only to be addressed as My Lord. I found Ash to be equally as interesting as Bluebell, and I liked that they did appear to be pretty close unlike the other sisters. I also enjoyed the subplot involving Ash’s seer abilities that ran alongside the main storyline of the book. It was fascinating to watch her learn more about and control her abilities, which are apparently a bit more than being able to see the future, to help on their quest to save their father, and I liked the self-sacrificing side of Ash that comes out whenever she thinks her abilities may cause others to be hurt.

Strangely enough, in many ways, however, the most interesting character was the stepbrother, Wylm. I think what I liked about him was that he was such a complicated character and kept me guessing throughout the story as to how much of a villain he really was. At first I was okay with him, but then I hated him. Then a bit later, something else happened and I thought “Hmmm, maybe he does have some redeeming qualities” and so on. If you enjoy complicated characters, he’s definitely the one to keep your eyes on.

I didn’t have a lot of issues with this book, but I did have a couple. The first of which is the name Bluebell. I know it’s shallow and nitpicky to get hung up on a character’s name, but I just found it distracting, especially every time she was referred to as Bluebell the Fierce. It’s hard to think of a character as a fierce warrior with a name like that. So yeah, shallow nitpick from me because I loved everything about Bluebell except her name, but there it is.
The other issue I had was that I didn’t like the other three sisters at all. Aside from the drama they added to the plot with their secrets and their willingness to betray one another and their kingdom, I just didn’t find them nearly as compelling as Bluebell and Ash. I’m wondering if they’ll play more important roles in later novels in the series, but for this one, most of the time they just felt like background noise to me.

Even with the couple of issues I had, I still thought Daughters of the Storm was an exciting read and I look forward to seeing where Wilkins takes the story next. If you’re into strong female characters, with a side of secrets, lies, and betrayal, this is a fantasy world you’ll want to immerse yourself in.

Daughters of the Storm is a fantasy book that was recommended for me to read because of another fantasy book I had reviewed. Upon reading it, I was puzzled because it is a very different book from what I usually read in fantasy. Kim Wilkins has written an intriguing story but with five characters that are not easily likable.

These five “ability” enhance sisters have one united quality; they want to help save their father. There is rivalry, competition but a degree of loyalty among the sisters, too. Also there is one brother who has a hand in this story. Flawed but bound by duty these five sisters couldn’t be more different. That is a strength of this story that such diverse characters perform well together within this world created by the author that combines fantasy but also identifiable elements of this world. Still I picked a favorite sister which each reader will probably also do.

Ms. Wilkins spins a tale of intrigue, betrayal, self-discovery and selfish agendas in this story of family, country, duty and desire. Book one of a trilogy it has a satisfying conclusion while enticing the reader to want more.

This book really reminded me of the style of Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, & Terry Brooks. Which by no means is wrong or bad. I enjoy those authors. I can tell that Kim Wilkins takes her writing style from them. If she doesn't then I would suggest she read them cause to me their styles are very similar.

The book itself was an interesting read. I can not say it was my favorite and in parts of it I was like, how much longer is this book. I understand why she put the "traveling" (the parts of the book or series that seems boring but is needed for the story line) sections, but I got bored reading them. The plot twists and the underlying tension made it for a good read and I do recommend this book if you enjoy woman dominant story lines. This story is going to become a wonderful series full of suspense and thrills.

I liked it well enough, I just don’t think I will be continuing with the other books in this series. I sadly couldn’t get myself to connect with the characters or the storyline. I didn’t like any of the daughters. Not one. Another issue I had was that it struggled to keep my attention. Overall, a good start to a series, I’m just not interested to see how it ends.

The king has daughters. His daughters are all very different. One is a warrior, one has magical abilities, one is in love with a man she can't have, one has turned promiscuous and one has adopted a forbidden religion. When he gets sick from an elf shot, they are the ones who will protect him and try and make him well...

Del Rey and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 6th.

There is a lot going on in this story. The warrior anticipates being the next "king". Rose is hoping for another conquest with her lover, Ivy tells Rose's husband of her infidelity. Ash is trying to learn how big her power is and how it works and what to do with it. Willow hears angels talking to her...

Everyone is protecting their own interests and many of them are betraying people on all sides. As the story unfolds, it's hard to tell just who is right and who is wrong. At the end, the sisters are separated and you can tell there will be more to this story. The girls are still seeking revenge but it might not be for the right reason...

This is a Nordic flavored fantasy family saga. A powerful warrior king has been struck with a mysterious illness and his five daughters seek to find a cure for him before his rivals find out he is ill. His eldest daughter,Bluebell, is a warrior princess, but don't dare call her princess if you value your life. Her only thoughts are for protecting the kingdom and her father no matter what it takes or who she hurts, She must join with her sisters to find a cure. The character building in this debut novel is superb but often causes the plot to become a little bogged down. The story is character driven and has adventure and action that keeps the plot moving. The author plan this as a series and I would read future books. The first book in a series is always tough because there is so much world-building and character development involved in getting the story off the ground. This book lays the foundation for more adventures to come.

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins was a very interesting read. King Athelrick is in a coma. His daughters, the eldest who is his heir, are not with him. They do not know of his illness. His wife, Gudrun, sends word to her son Wylm, the King's stepson, but not to the King's daughters. No matter her reasoning, it looks very bad. It looks as though she plans for her son to step in and rule for the King.

The King's heir, Bluebell, is a fantastic character. Her name does not reflect her character. Bluebell is a warrior, respected by her troops, feared by her enemies. When she hears of her father's illness and her stepmother's actions, she imagines the worst. She sets off home, pausing only to notify her sisters. Rose, married to an allied King but loving one of her father's retainers, Ash studying to be a Counselor but already having the gift of sight, and the twins Ivy and Willow.

The story has wonderful intrigue. I was not sure if the King was really sick or cursed. And if cursed, who was responsible. As Bluebell tries to save not only her father but the kingdom and her family, the action moves fast. This is the first book in a series and I am looking forward to the next one.

There's been a satisfying number recently of female characters in literature and film (think: Daenerys Targaryen) who lead not by "breaking the mold of a woman" but just by leading. Bluebell, the oldest sister in this book, is one such character: she is fierce, righteous and bold. She jumps off the page, and it's easy to see and feel her. In truth, all five sisters are characterized with talent, with plenty of story left for the next two books.

The book has a saga feel to it--the journey seems pre-ordained, and not always logical--but is more than compelling enough to forgive any plot holes.

Fun, fast-paced, and highly recommended.