I want to start by saying if it wasn't for the narrator, I probably would have dnfed this. It's not that it was bad, just not what I was hoping for from a dark fantasy book. Pacing was off and the main character was ehhhhhhh.

Do you like epic fantasy with an underdog protagonist? Do you like tales of a teenage girl growing up with dark, forbidden, powerful magic and then thrust into an enemy camp? Do you like complicated fantasy worlds built at the crossroads of natural, pagan magic and religious magic? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're in the right place!

In Redwinter, McDonald builds complicated religious, political, and magical societies with strong systems and backgrounds. But at the same time, we end up with very flawed characters we can actually feel invested in. Raine's had a hard past--definitely an unreliable narrator. But even though she's kind of a jerk, and I didn't know if I could trust her, I liked her character. And with some small exceptions, I really liked this story. (Side note that it's nice to see a male write fantasy with varied female characters!)

I would recommend this to readers who like epic fantasy on the darker side, especially audiobook readers! The narration was fantastic!

Loved this audiobook! The book was well narrated! I love the narrator! I love the premise to the story about a girl who can see the dead. I thought that it was very original. The world-building well-developed and complex! I hope that there will be more installments! Overall, I recommend this for fans of Juliet Marillier!

Big thanks to Ed McDonald and Netgalley for the AudioARC in exchange for a review.

Raine has an ability to see and speak to the dead. Some call it a gift, others have decided it might be a curse. She navigates a world where she can't truly trust anyone...

I'm giving 3 stars. It was a bit hard to follow and didn't catch me like some stories but still a pretty decent fantasy story.

Wow, I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. The world-building was fascinating and the characters had depth and interesting backgrounds. And even though I didn't always like the main character, Raine, or her choices, it was enjoyable watching her grow and learn more about herself and her surrounding world. I did think the climax was a slight letdown just because it was built up so much only to be over in a few pages, but the rest of the book was so good that it didn't even matter. If you like high fantasy worlds with interesting lore and characters, then you'll likely enjoy this book too. I will certainly be watching out for the sequel.

The audiobook was pretty good too!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I read a lot of YA Fantasy, and this is one of the best YA fantasies I've read in a while. There are so many cliches and tropes you see repeated in this genre, but this one was a standout and possessed a lot of originality.

The world-building was amazingly thorough, to the point that you can see the sequels coming and I am here for them. There was really more of an ensemble cast to the story, vs. focusing on one character, but they were all extremely well developed. It's hard to give a synopsis of a lot of fantasy books without it sounding like you're jumping the shark, so instead I'll just say this one compares to Ursula K Le Guin, The audio narration was also fantastic.

DAUGHTER OF REDWINTER is a dark, twisty, and deeply well-plotted fantasy. McDonald carefully crafted the beginning of a tale with so much resonance but never sacrificing the action and magical components. It is simply one of the best first in a series I have read in a while.

I will be honest. At first, I wasn’t sure this would be a book I would finish. It took me a solid six to seven chapters to get the groove, identify all the players, and begin to understand the world I was entering. But, when everything clicked, it was a down-right addictive read.

Even though Raine’s character is at the center of the story, it becomes clear that the cast around her is just as important. It becomes clear to the reader that those we meet feed into the overall story. They allow the reader to learn more about the magic and history that is so critical in a book like this.

If DAUGHTER OF REDWINTER is any indication of what is to come, I cannot wait to read book two.

Daughter of Redwinter has an amazing magic system. The Ed Mcdonald describes the scenes in great detail, making each scene very immersive. I can't wait to read more. The audio version is well done too. Good narrator.

4.25 stars rounded down. A promising beginning to an original fantasy world.

Raine feels like something is missing in her life. She has found some resemblance of a life with a cult-like group and a warm bed with one of the leaders. When a stranger arrives seeking sanctuary Raine offers it to her not knowing that the magical warriors of the Draoihn are hot in her trail. Raine faces an entity unlike anything she's ever seen, awakening something inside her the Draoihn see of use. What will this mean for Raine and her future? And what secrets and mysteries will unfold before her at Redwinter?

That summary was so hard to write! I didn't want to give too much away because this book is excellent in making every detail count. No time is wasted and it moves at a breakneck speed to propel you towards magic and intrigue. My big gripe though is this: the magic system(which is amazing) is super confusing while reading. At the end of the book, the system is explained in a sort of glossary. I wish this had been at the front, but also understand for spoilerish purposes that it should remain in the back. My advice to readers: once Raine begins her magic training, flip to the back and read the glossary/definitions and then continue on about your day. It won't spoil anything that far in and you'll better understand what she's truly learning. Now that I have read the glossary and understand the magic system I absolutely love it.

4.25 stars rounded down and a want for book 2. Recommended for readers 16+ as there is some more mature content. Readers who love intricate fantasy (think Wheel of Time), women who aren't ashamed to speak their minds, and love a good mystery. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Raine and the cult she has been traveling with for years are besieged in an ancient monastery when she rescues a mysterious wounded girl. But this act of kindness only serves to pull her into a dark conspiracy.

I picked up this book because I am always on the lookout for fantasy authors I've not read before, and because I've always enjoyed stories with death magic. But what stood out to me in this book were actually the characters.

Raine is a realistic seventeen-year-old, and a major part of this book is seeing her try to figure herself out even as she grapples with magic and mysteries. She often made decisions that frustrated me, but it always made sense why she made them. The secondary characters are also very vivid and complex, both good and bad. I also enjoyed the sharply humorous bits peppering the story - I'll not soon forget a certain romance novelist!

However, I did feel that this book meandered for a very long time. After a really gripping start to the story, the plot sags as we hit the road, and does not tighten up again until fairly late in the story. I am not complaining that the story had a slow pace - rather that an odd number of things popped up that were not really addressed in the story, some of them major.

I also am a little disappointed by the depiction of Ovitus. He is supposed to be a rather unlikable character, and he certainly had enough obvious personality flaws for it - but I did not love that one of them, according to pretty much every character in the story, is that he is obese. It felt like an out-of-place value judgment about one's worth and weight.

I listened to the audiobook of Daughter of Redwinter, which is narrated by Samara MacLaren. I thought she did a very good job of voicing Raine, and I found her accent fitting for the setting. However she did not always have a lot of variation between some characters' voices - I had trouble differentiating Raine and Esher when they were having conversations with each other, for example.

I had one thought on my mind upon finishing this audiobook: when is the next in the series coming out?!

That is to say, I loved this book! I loved Raine, the strong female protagonist dealing with some major emotional issues. I loved the side characters, I loved the magic system and worldbuilding (though, admittedly, I think there could have been more of - but I'm hoping that's just because this is the setup for the rest of the series).

Samara MacLaren has an absolutely beautiful voice. Her pacing and character voices made for an excellent narration, especially with the slight Scottish accent.

This is the first book in the Redwinter chronicles, it just released in July. I definitely went into this with high expectations which is risky but I’m really glad that didn’t bite me in the butt. What I didn’t expect was this to have like Medieval Scotland influence that was really cool. The book begins at a running pace. When we meet our protagonist Raine she is in a really tough spot, she’s locked in a crumbling stronghold with a cult she’s been traveling with for years and it’s under siege, enemies can attack it at any moment. Then everything changes when she rescues a mysterious girl from her "evil" pursuers and she’s mumbling about strange things. Raine is then thrown into a high level conspiracy by necromancers and ends up a resident at a school for sorcerers. Plus she can see and talk to ghosts and scenes that involve that are very haunting. Actually I have to give props to the author with the way he transitioned scenes in general. I don’t know why that stood out to me so much but it was just done so well, it was smooth and why it kept me reading.

Another large attraction is characterization. Every character in this book is multi-faceted, intriguing, and charismatic enough to leap right off the page. Especially listening to the Audiobook, it is absolutely fantastic and I'm so glad I chose that format to digest this story. This reminded me a lot of the justice of kings. Same trio. The older father figure like man who is the leader. The female protagonist who is kinda the apprentice. And then the young male character who brings the humor. It’s the exact same formula and that must do something for me. The magic aspects tie deeply to the world building and the sinister foreshadowing of a demon filled realm trying to break through. This is absolutely my favorite part and I am praying the next book is just slammed with this.

That was good solid entry into the genre I really enjoyed it can’t wait to read more from this author

I don't know where to begin, This book was so hyped and the marketing was so excellent but damn did it fall flat on nearly every side. This was a YA/New Adult book marketed as dark adult fantasy. If you like tired tropes of women being abused and controlled by men in a viking-y sort of way, this books for you. The dialogue, the characters, the "dark" aspects were all equally bad. Hard pass on this one. What a waste of a great cover. 2/5 Stars, DNF after 10 chapters.

I had high hopes for this dark fantasy because I have heard such good things about this author's other works. While I did enjoy it, the tone wasn't as dark or creepy as I was anticipating. The characters were a bit flat and not as fleshed out as I would have liked. The worldbuilding also fell short. This is a decent fantasy, but not the most interesting or compelling.

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job.

AAAAA+++++ This book is fantastic! A well developed story line with great fantasy elements and charecters you love! The audio reader is great too! I hope this is a series because I am looking ofrward to more!

A lovely and beautiful and heartbreaking book! I enjoyed so much about this and I want to revisit it again. The world building was exquisite oh my goodness

The narrator was good as was the stories and characters. I could use a bit more world-building, but I enjoyed the book very much.

This book was...fine. The premise was interesting, though it felt more like a ya thN an adult fantasy. I listened to the audio but the physical only about 350 pages and I felt bored through most of the middle and end.

Sadly, I also wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. I liked her for the main character but I did not enjoy how she made the side characters sound.

"What a thing it would be, I thought, to just be alone. To step back from everyone and everything and simply live."

I finished this bloody little number right before I got my rear handed to me by covid in June. I can still recall the enjoyment I had getting to know McDonald's writing style and plot building.

Daughter of Redwinter is the first book in the Redwinter Chronicles. Its a novel that takes it's time building the backstory of the characters, world and plot giving readers the setup needed to prepare for the rest of the series. I was impressed with the way McDonald manages to keep the narrative flowing without bogging things down with too much over-telling. Though I admittedly would've liked to see more action through the middle of the book. I'm a sucker for it.

The characters have a unique depth with intricately woven histories. Raine is the MC who is molded by the abusive mother she left and cult-like group she ended up with. In what seems like a luck of fate, her opportunity to start new and leave the abuse behind arises. But not all opportunities are golden and the fact she can see and speak to the dead can still get her killed.

I loved her almost naive persona that is chiseled away to reveal an inner badass. Her character growth was very well done in my opinion. Even though this is epic fantasy, she lends a coming of age feel to things in her development. I gotta admit that I spent more time focused on her than the other characters. There are a multitude, but she's also fascinating as hell.

The magic aspects tie deeply to the world building and the sinister foreshadowing of a demon filled realm trying to break through. This is absolutely my favorite part and I am praying the next book is just slammed with this. If I asked for anything else I'd ask for more horror to reach the level of dark fantasy I'm used too. Yes, I like my darkness dark, I can't help it.

The audio its narrated by Samara MacLaren and I loved how she captured my idea of Raine and brought her to life. She kept me absorbed and entertained through the slower midsection. Her energy is palpable in her narrative tone too. Highly recommend if you struggle with slower sections of fantasy reads!

All things considered, I cannot freaking wait for the next book. I already have my eyes out for the Raven's Mark trilogy while I try to patiently wait for more Raine to fall my way. 😉 Dark/epic fantasy lovers, don't hesitate on this one.

Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.