A gripping read, worth checking by readers interested in intriguing worldbuilding, solid characterization, and clever plots. Recommended.

Daughter of Redwinter is a very plain fantasy. The world has very little in the way of fantastical elements, giving us a magic system that never truly feels fleshed out or explained. The beginning of this book starts off with some intense action that eventually dies off into a slog to get through. The characters aren't anything special, often coming across as immature and written in a YA vibe. A good 30% of this book could have been cut/shortened to jam pack the action and world building, but instead we get a chunky middle that feels repetitive and boring.

Guys, we have a contender for best book of the year right here! Having previously enjoyed Ed McDonald's Raven's Mark trilogy, in all it's weirdly disturbing goodness, I knew Daughter of Redwinter was going to be good at the very least. What I wasn't quite expecting was for this book to consume my mind for three days. It was the highlight of my evenings - knowing I could spend a few hours lost in this imaginative world before bed. And then the ending left me unable to fall asleep because my brain was just churning with imagery.

Daughter of Redwinter starts off rather bleakly, for Raine and her strange company are besieged n an abandoned fortress in the frigid north. As Raine searches for a backdoor through the catacombs, she stumbles across a wounded woman named Kazia who possesses a bespelled paper. She risks much to rescue Kazia from the Draoihn warrior chasing her and unfortunately Kazia repays that kindness by unleashing a dark spirit which kills her and nearly does in the Draoihn Ulovar LacNaithe and his nephew Ovitus during the battle. Raine helps the Draoihn and in thanks, they take her back to Redwinter with them since she can be both a witness to the events and possibly a new apprentice,  as Raine has the ability to open what they call "gates". What they must never know is that Raine can see the dead (which she later learns is the Sixth Gate) because it is an automatic death sentence.

Upon arriving at Redwinter it quickly becomes clear that this place can be intensely political,  especially between certain well-placed families. As I'm sure many of my readers have gathered over the years, I love some family rivalries, backstabbing, and nasty politics in my fantasy so this suited me quite well. Raine's loyalties are divided though, because she does realize if her secret is discovered she'll be brutally killed by the people who took her in and there is a group of people in the nearby city who share her ability to see the dead who've reached out to her. Watching Raine's growth from being this scared girl who wasn't in control of her own destiny to becoming more confident in her own skin and striving to become someone with power was fascinating. There was no instant gratification and she wasn't dealt all winning hands- the strive to achieve felt quite organic because it wasn't perfectly laid out. And lest I forget to mention one of the best parts, the slowly building friendships between Raine and the apprentices were marvelous. There wasn't a load of hatred or resentment due to status or her being a newcomer, she just found some people she genuinely liked and they became friends!

Sometimes I feel like I just babble when I come across a book that truly sweeps me away because I'm just so damn enthusiastic about everything! But this book had it all - likable characters, badass warriors, epic magic, and loads and loads of secrets and ancient history. Daughter of Redwinter will most definitely be on my list of best books of 2022 and it has well and truly earned the 5 star rating. As a matter of fact, I'm headed off to pre-order the signed edition from The Broken Binding so I can support my new favorite book shop and a favorite author!

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and TorBooks for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

So, I had a mixed experience with this book. Ultimately, I enjoyed it enough that I’m going to pick up book 2 when it comes out. However, I had some genuine problems with this book, and ranted to my husband many times…

I’ll start with the things that I loved. There were many scenes that just displayed excellent writing, whether it was shifting my perceptions of characters over time, some really cool ideas related to the MC seeing the dead, or just some truly hilarious moments. When the MC was taking matters into her own hands, I quite liked her. These were enough to make this book deserve its 3.5 stars.

… Now for why it doesn’t deserve 5 stars. I do not think the beginning was well-written. I was genuinely bored off-and-on until I hit the 30% mark. I think it was a combo of two things: Not enough time spent with the MC before her world changed meant I never felt the impact her personality shift (this issue is felt throughout the book) and the MC barely takes any agency until around 30%, aside from a few major actions around the inciting incident.

My other biggest issue with this whole book was a specific magical element that effects the MC, playing a part in the book before you even know it’s there. It needed to either be improved or removed from the story entirely. I liked the idea of it, it could have been used to explore the MC’s personality, but, apart from a few moments of good usage, it was poorly explained, spottily used, and in the end, didn’t even seem like it mattered.

I could nitpick a few other things, but those were really my main issues, and I really did enjoy many things in this book. I think book 2 has a chance of being significantly better, since it’ll be lacking my biggest issues with this story.

I ended up struggling to get into this one. I thought it had a very intriguing premise and the cover is amazing. I hadn't read any of this author's work before. I think that ultimately the writing still didn't work for me and I got really bogged down by the slow pacing in the middle section of the book. Basically we start off with some really high-stakes action that I feel does a good job of revealing tantalizing bits of world-building to the reader in a natural way. I enjoyed Raine's spunky and pragmatic attitude, and the way she has to balance her higher ideals of doing the right thing against her own self-interest. She cares about the people around her, but ultimately she is going to save her own skin. At least that's what she tells herself. She generally ends up doing what is right in the end. That is, until Ulovar cauterizes her mind to block her emotions. This emotionless and traumatized Raine is difficult to read. It makes a lot of sense that she would be numb and dissociated from life after the traumatic events that she witnesses and takes part in. However, I felt like this section went on way too long and because Raine had next to no interest in the world around her, it made the section very tedious to read. Ultimately things pick back up again, but on the whole, this writing style ended up not being for me. It's a shame because I was really intrigued by Raine's "spirit-sight" and especially the unexpected way in which some "spirts" begin following her and speaking to her. I thought the atmosphere created was really effective, and it was an interesting idea for a magical system. Ultimately the world was a bit too confusing for me and I didn't feel strongly connected enough to Raine to feel invested. Also, at times this read very YA. With the protagonist and many side-characters in their teens and early twenties, I was getting a little annoyed by the decisions that were made and the way things were handled. I know that technically these are "adults" in this world, but they didn't behave like adults, in my opinion. Raine especially was hard to read, if you are looking for adult fiction, which this is marketed as. It definitely wouldn't work for adult patrons at my library. I have a hard enough time selling adult fiction and having a very YA-feeling protagonist would make it next to impossible.

I enjoyed this book even if some more action in the middle part would have helped.
I liked the strong female character, the world building, and the storytelling.
It starts and end with a bang, it drags a bit in the middle.
I liked the style of writing and can't wait to read the next novel.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A couple of weeks ago, a publicist from Tor reached out asking if I’d be interested in reading Daughter of Redwinter. I, of course, said yes. I’m still new to the reviewing scene, and honestly, I’m going to take just about any book that Tor offers me. They consistently put out amazing fantasy / sci-fi books, and well, I want them to like me. I knew absolutely nothing about Daughter of Redwinter before going in. I had no expectations, honestly.

DAAAAAAANG was this book right up my alley. Daughter of Redwinter reminded me a lot of Mistborn and of The Old Kingdom series. The mystery at the core of the plot reminded me of Mistborn, and the main character’s powers reminded me of the necromancers from The Old Kingdom. If you like those books, you’ll like this one without question.

Look, I grew up on strong female protagonists, and Raine more than fits the bill. She reminded me so much of Sabriel and Vin (from Mistborn) that I couldn’t help but love her. To keep things as vague as possible — Raine witnesses something awful, and becomes the only person who can save a good man from being blamed for something he did not do. She has a rather neat power — she can see the dead. (However, this power is highly vilified, and she has to keep it a secret, or her life would be forfeit.) Raine is a little broken on the inside, but through the course of the novel, she works through it. She’s sassy, slow to trust, and surprisingly not good at everything. Needless to say, I really liked her.

The supporting characters are good, but many of them are rather flat. However, I’m fairly certain they were written this way because for a good chunk of the book, Raine is keeping them at distance. Remember how I said she was slow to trust? Yeah, she has a good reason for it. People have to prove to her they’re worth her trust, and it takes a good chunk of the novel for her to get there.

The entire plot of Daughter of Redwinter wraps up very, very nicely at the end. So much so that I have no idea what the second novel is going to be about — and there’s definitely going to be a second novel. This is no doubt the set-up novel to a series, and one that I will absolutely be following.

Just couldn't get into the writing style of this book, it never really jelled with it, there never seemed to be the right amount of description. But the story itself was interesting and action packed.

The world building in Daughter of Redwinter gives way to something that can be massive and very intricate. Which is something that myself and many others enjoy. The Faded are interesting creatures which in the end can make or break the series depending on how they’re used.

I haven’t read much of the main character trope being able to talk to the dead. But I like how the “magic system” (for lack of a better word). Is used where Raine cannot fully control her gift/curse.

"Those who see the dead soon join them.

From the author of the critically-acclaimed Blackwing trilogy comes Ed McDonald's Daughter of Redwinter, the first of a brilliant fantasy series about how one choice can change a universe.

Raine can see - and speak - to the dead, a gift that comes with a death sentence. All her life she has hidden, lied, and run to save her skin, and she’s made some spectacularly bad choices along the way.

But it is a rare act of kindness - rescuing an injured woman in the snow - that becomes the most dangerous decision Raine has ever made.

Because the woman is fleeing from Redwinter, the fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, warrior magicians who answer to no king, and who will stop at nothing to reclaim what she’s stolen. A battle, a betrayal, and a horrific revelation force Raine to enter the citadel and live among the Draoihn. She soon finds that her secret ability could be the key to saving an entire nation.

Though she might have to die to make it happen..."

Come on, necromancer or those with necromantic abilities are damn cool.

I received an eARC from Net galley

I am mixed on this book… it has a really strong start and a fairly decent finish. But the middle of the story got fairly repetitive. Raine as the main character at times felt like she wasn’t even the main character. Almost as if she is playing the second fiddle in her own story. That said this has very strong Farseer vibes and I drew MANY correlations to Raine and Fitz.

Some of the characters in the story could have also used a bit
More work looking at you Otivus you walking cardboard cutout stereotype… also I could have just done without any of the relationships in this book. Most of it was cringy or just made me roll my eyes. If I have to read about a man slapping his woman and apologizing one more time this month. It’s been in like 3 of my books.

With the negatives out of the way I want to discuss the
Positives. First of all the magic system is cool and really fun. I also liked the concept of hidden people. Redwinter is well-realized and I enjoyed the political elements. The historical elements of the book I found super interesting and wanted to dive even deeper into the ancient lore.

Like I said I am fairly mixed on this book but I never wanted to give up 3.5/5 is my final rating for the Daughter of Redwinter.

Daughter of Redwinter is a fun read with an engaging protagonist and a cool setting and magic system. I wasn’t sure if I would like the book at the beginning, but as it picked up I began to enjoy it more and more. Fans of Mark Lawrence’s Red Sister and Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight are sure to enjoy Daughter of Redwinter. I’m a sucker for a strong female protagonist learning how to be stronger story structure.

A full review will be posted to Grimdark’s website at a later date (written by Steve Green).

This was my first book by Ed McDonald, but after reading it I will need to look into his previous series. I requested this book initially because of the description but missed at the post that it is the first book in a series. That being said it does stand alone fairly well, but I kept watching my percent remaining drop and knowing some of the story would have to wait.
About the story itself: Raine is a young lady who has had a tough life... made more so by her choices (such as running away at age 13). She has the special power (which she must keep hidden) of seeing the ghosts of the dead. When we meet Raine she is with a group that includes her older lover (ew, a 29 year old with a 17 year old? In love since she was 13? Got worried about what kind of book this was at that point, it isn't that kind though). She is a strong female lead as the book progresses and take a somewhat more traditional fantasy path of hero in training.
The secondary characters were less fleshed out since the story was told from a first person perspective (Raines). We do find out more about each of them as the story processes, including since hints as to roles they might take in later volumes. We discover everything about these other characters at the same time as Raine except for what we can guess from their actions.
The primary antagonist in this novel could almost be considered "the system"... in this case the rules and laws about how people should behave or be treated in this society. This means that the world building was very important. I have to say that it was obvious that the author did spend a lot of time thinking about his world and how things should work. There are a couple quibbles I have about his decisions about the number of magical people, but I didn't write the book. I am willing to trust that he had his reasons. The rest of the world building was pretty solid without an overabundance of exposition except when it truly made the story flow more logically.
All in all a very decent read and about a 3.75 star. I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
#daughterofredwinter #netgalley

“I had made dust of men.”

I have very mixed feelings about Daughter of Redwinter. Mainly because I really disliked the first have of the book but the second half was pretty good, which is why I’m giving it three stars instead of two.
The main character, Raine, has the ability to see the dead - a trait that is punishable by death. Through a series of events and tragedies, she ends up as the companion of the group of people who would most severely punish her for her unwanted gift if they knew she possessed it.
All of this is well and good, except that Raine is largely unlikable through most of the book despite how much you feel like the author is trying to make her a “badass.” It felt like they were trying to use a lot of the elements readers love about female-driven fantasy, without ever successfully implementing them. The lore was also not well explained and made a lot of the fantasy aspects confusing.
That being said, the last half to third of the book was interesting and had some fun plot points as well as a bit of character development.
While it wasn’t especially for me, if you want to give this one a shot, be sure to check it out when it’s released, June 28!

I want to make it known that I DNF'd this book at 35% completion. I really wanted to like this book as it was one of my more anticipated books for the year, but I don't think it was for me. I loved the idea that the main character struggles with her own internal battles while also trying to navigate a world that want people with her abilities dead. Having someone dealing with the issues that she does provides more representation in the genre for those with similar problems. I also loved the magic system. It felt similar to anime or litRPG magic systems.
What really didn't work for me was the pacing and some of the world building. The book opens up with some good action to both introduce the world, the initial conflict, and the magic systems, but after that the pacing slows down a lot. I understand that it had to slow down a bit to get us acclimated with the current cast, but when an action sequence occurs everything is happening very quickly just to slow right back down for a long time. I feel like something more in the middle of the two would have been a better pace to have the entire story flow through. While I did enjoy aspects of the world, some things were a bit confusing. There are two characters that share very similar names and I got them swapped more than a few times before realizing who was whom. Also, there are a lot of names of people, places and events that are tossed at me with little to know explanation or backstory on their relevance. It felt more like a way to try and make the world feel more expansive and lived in, but missed on that mark.
Honestly, I think this series has a lot of potential to be great. The concepts are there and the execution is for the most part. The worldbuilding issues is more nitpicky and something that doesn't change my overall feeling about the book, but the pacing really just wore me down. It ended up just not being for me in this present time, but I may come back to it when I am looking for something much more slow paced than I am used to.

I am always on the lookout for new fantasy/science fiction authors. I decided to give this one a try based on the reviews of another trilogy by the author. Unfortunately, this was a slog to get through. The author’s writing style was unengaging to me and the pace of the book was very slow. Other reviewers have given it a much higher rating, but I would suggest checking it out from you local library once it is published before purchasing it for your own library.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Thank you to TOR for an ARC i nechange for an honest review.

The cover is the first thing thatp ulled me to this book, and then the syopsis. I was really curious about it, and I was really excited to dive in, but I fear this book suffers osmething not altogether uncommon in the adult fantasy realm:

cishet white male author syndrome.

I could be gentler, maybe, but this book told from the POV of a girl, Raine, who can see ghosts, felt like it fell into that pit of endless despair. For instance, it starts off with Raine in an abusive relationship...and throughout.

You chose to tell this book from the POV of a woman, and put her in an abusive relationship???

And from there, it just went downhill.

We are also thrust immediately into action with no explanations for well over 15% of the book, and I kept reading, hoping eventually I would understand what the hell was going on.

Unfortunately, just a very disappointing experience.

Ed McDonald is awesome! As soon as I started book 1 of his previous trilogy, Blackwing, I knew I had found an author who's writing style and pacing just "clicked" for me. I devoured the dark narrative, loved the bleakness of the world, gritty characters, powerful magic, and fast-paced storytelling.

I knew going in that this book wasn't as "Dark" as the Raven's Mark trilogy, but was still eager to read more of his work. It didn't matter what it was, just give me more Ed McDonald! Thankfully, I was not let down!

The world crafted here is rich in history. For the most part, the lore gets sprinkled throughout natural conversation and doesn't feel too forced. Even though there was at least one "exposition dump" type scene, it made sense in the narrative so I didn't mind it. Having a dramatis personae is always appreciated, but I didn't find myself using it all that often.

The magic system featured here was very cool as well, and reminds me of a Brandon Sanderson system (a good thing). Having powers restricted to different levels (or gates, as they are known in the book) and restricting the most powerful levels to a select few helps keep the protagonist from feeling like a typical overpowered "chosen one", even though there are certain abilities that set her apart from others, she's just a scared girl, discovering who she is and trying to find a place to belong.

I do feel that the pacing in the book suffers just a bit when compared to Blackwing, in that the mid-section of the book did drag a bit. The middle section of the book when Raine is just learning her new place in this world just felt a bit slow to me. But the exciting beginning of the book already had me hooked and I never wanted to quit, and I finished it the day after starting.

The protagonist is a teenage girl, and the book is told from a first-person perspective. So naturally, we get a lot of introspection from her, seeing things and feeling things as teenagers do.. This book almost seems to be aiming for YA, even though I don't believe it's being marketed as such (and really doesn't matter since it's all just marketing, anyway!). Nevertheless, I probably wouldn't have read it if not for the author, but I'm glad I did!

I felt the ending was very strong, my only complaint being a trope of the protagonist arriving JUST in the nick of time to hear the big bad's speech to a hostage, revealing their sinister plan The timing there just seemed a little too convenient. though it is definitely "Book One" of a new series. The current issue was wrapped up nicely, but Raine's journey is clearly just beginning. I'll definitely read the next one as soon as it's available!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a good read, not my favorite as it was a tiny bit slow but I did enjoy it! I think it was my mood unfortunately but overall, I really do enjoy tor books! I think this will do really well when it’s released!!

3.5 stars for now.

Daughter of Redwinter is a tough book to review. It's been a roller coaster of YES, AMAZING! to hmm to YES, AMAZING AGAIN! to .. do I want to even continue with this series. After spending a couple of weeks reflecting , I can say with some confidence that not only am I looking forward to continuing with The Redwinter Chronicles, but I've developed a strong appreciation for McDonald's writing style.

The story starts off incredibly strong. We're thrown right into action of an already established journey. Our MC, Raine, can see and speak to the dead with rather disastrous results. There are gods, or god-like creatures and powerful unknown magic users. Its well-paced and enticing and then...

It comes to a crashing halt. Like a turtle, we crawl through the middle part of the story, information gathering at its finest. We learn about Redwinter and the different clans. We meet interesting new characters and love interests. We.. kind of learn about a very intricate magic system. All through the lens of someone who cares and does not care (for very good reason). The story eventually crescendos to match the pace of the beginning; filled with a bunch of twists and turns for an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

As slow as the middle part of this book was, I found it fitting. I truly believe that the uneven pacing of the plot is a reflection upon Raine's character arc. Its a 1:1 for her mental and emotional states. Because of events, she views her new life in a thick fog. Both caring and not caring about her situation and those around her, and its not until she breaks through that does the pacing of the story change. I think it is something I will appreciate more on second read (and if so, I will up the stars of this review).

All in all, I really did enjoy Daughter of Redwinter. It felt more like a prequel than first book in a series, however, which makes me quite excited for the second book. I think the sequel will be very exciting and all the tidbits that we're giving in book 1 will have great pay off in book 2.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for the ARC!