Daughter of Redwinter is the start of an exciting new fantasy series. Raine has a curse that allows her to see and speak to the dead. One day she finds Hazia almost dead in the snow and saves her, which turns out to be a bad decision because Hazia escaped from Redwinter, the monastery fortress of the warrior magicians known as the Draoihn, and the Draoihn want her back.

This book starts off with action that hooks you and characters that are easy to connect with and enjoy reading about. I really liked getting to know Raine and learn more about her dark magical ability. She is a protagonist that you will love and root for. The character development and world-building in this novel are both done very well.

Daughter of Redwinter is dark without being grim. It reminds me of Red Sister because of the magical convent and the cold snowy setting, but it’s done way better in my opinion. I had never read an Ed McDonald book before this one, but I have his Raven’s Mark trilogy sitting on my shelf that I will need to move up my TBR now.

Even though I really enjoyed this book, I don’t think I was able to enjoy it to its fullest potential though by listening to the audiobook. I think I will need to reread this with my eyes before I can continue the series so I get the most out of the story. I liked the narrator, but I don’t know if her voice was conducive to maximum comprehension level. Just something to keep in mind if you choose to go the audiobook route. Overall though, I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this novel and I look forward to continuing the series eventually.

Daughter of Redwinter is perfect for fans of:
• morally grey characters who make bad decisions.
• a protagonist whose curse allows her to speak to the dead.
• incredible and lush worldbuilding.
• danger, fighting, and death.
• books such as Red Sister, The Witcher, Hall of Smoke, and Shadow of the Gods.

The Raven's Mark series is one of my all time favorites. I was so excited to see a new series by Ed McDonald. He is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

Raine is cursed. She can see the dead. She must tell no one or she will be killed for it. So she just goes meekly along, doing what she's told.
Now her home is under siege. She must find a way out to save everyone. She needs to be brave.

She goes out to look for a way to safety, and instead finds a girl running for her life. Saving her might come to be the worst decision she's ever made.

This book is fantastic! I loved following Raine's journey to find out who she wants to be. I actually loved all of the characters. I questioned all of their loyalty and motives at one point or another and didn't know who to trust until the end.

I absolutely loved the narrator! She is fantastic! I will definitely look for more books narrated by her.

I wanted to read this book because I absolutely loved Ed McDonald's Raven's Mark trilogy. It was dark, gritty, fast paced and gave me everything I wanted from a fantasy novel. However, this book was about as far away as one can get from that type of story. It's slow-paced, extremely character driven and at times, quite boring. While McDonald's writing is elevated in this novel, there is just not much here to keep my attention. I can see others really enjoying this book, especially if they like the typical, slower paced fantasy that is becoming the norm in fantasy lately.

This book wasn't for me.

I know many will love this, but this was a very slow-build fantasy, and while I love the accents, they felt familiar and fresh (honestly, I never heard enough accents in audiobooks)!
It felt like nothing much happened; there was a lot of build-up until the peak, but that hill was LONG, and I lost interest at that point. While an exciting premise with a young woman who tries to do go and has it always result in consequences, being able to talk to the dead and character backstories it wasn/t enough for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I honestly loved it.

"Daughter of Redwinter" is told from the point of view of Raine, a 17-year-old who's hiding a terrible secret: she sees dead people. She was blessed (or cursed) with a magical talent called "grave-sight" that allows her to see ghosts and sometimes even speak to them. It's a forbidden talent that carries an automatic death sentence.

This book is a roller coaster ride that has mystery, great action, and a diverse cast of characters. I loved following Raine on her journey. The narration by Samara MacLaren was amazing. She gave each character a unique voice and personality, which really helped pull me into the story and I was fully engaged in Raine's story right from the beginning. I loved the mystery at the heart of Redwinter. I loved following Raine on her journey to Redwinter and, like her, I didn't know who to trust until the climatic end: it was both gripping and exciting. I love stories that don't give away the "surprise" or twist long before you get to it.

My only quibble with the story was that the pace slowed down a bit in the middle, but Samara MacLaren's beautiful narration kept me engaged throughout the story despite that. The action picked up again at about the 30% mark & didn't let up until the final climatic fight.

I loved this book so much that I bought the audiobook because I will listen to it again. I am really looking forward to book two. I hope Ed McDonald doesn't keep us waiting too long to continue Raine's story.

My rating: 5 stars for the amazing narration and the great story with an exciting end. Highly recommended for fantasy fans.

Amazing world building and magic system. I’m excited to read the rest of this series. This is the first time I’ve read a fantasy novel written by a man where all the female characters felt like real people. Every character felt well rounded and complex which I really appreciate in a high fantasy novel. However there are only two disabled characters both of which are portrayed as villains which is a major pet peeve of mine. The queer representation was well done and felt natural. Overall Daughter of Redwinter was a solid read and I recommend it.

DNF at pg. 65

The premise of this book sounded great- a girl who can see the dead, a mysterious order of powerful people, etc. Unfortunately I was just really bored reading this. The characters felt flat, the book starts in an odd place where I'm not sure why I should care about what's happening, and the descriptions are a bit overwritten. I've read a book by this author before and it was excellent, but this wasn't keeping my attention. At 60+ pages I should be more invested and interested in the world. Sadly that simply was not the case. The audio narrator has a lovely voice though! Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the audio review copy, all opinions are my own.

It's my first Ed McDonald book and while everyone raves about his books in the reviews I definitely went in blind.

We start out strong with our main character whom can see ghosts which is forbidden. So she's kept it a secret all her life . One day while trying to find an escape route for her "village" she finding a almost dead girl who is fleeing from some men which keeps the first few chapters fast, but once she leaves her "village" it's slowwwwwwww so slow and you have to get just about 70% maybe more before anything big happens again.


I enjoyed the book as a whole it just kind of drags in places tho, but all in all if there's a second one I would read it to find out more about all the gates.

I also don't get why they wouldn't kill everyone who's been dead and brought back if they all have the sight....... But I still want to know why they are killing them to begin with and I know it has to be something big

This was a difficult book for me to get through. Only because I thought I was getting to something close to its’ summary notes and ended up into something way more philosophical. This one is a bit of a moral dilemma being that the main character’s choices directly effect the world around her. Perhaps, I would feel more connected to the story had I not listened to the narrated audiobook. I found myself straying away from the story too often. Too much of a head twist and not enough story. Sorry, this one for me is a three. It is still well written, and serves as a great story in those specific regards, it’s just not what the cover blurb provides.

This review was made possible thanks to an audiobook copy from the publishers in advance of release.

Ed McDonald has written a moody and atmospheric piece, set in a world reminiscent of ancient Scotland. The tone is languid and insightful with a heroine who makes smart decisions but also learns as she deals with tragedy. This really isn't about the supernatural so much as a world dealing with the legacy of the supernatural meddling in human affairs. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator was excellent - having that Scottish accent really made the story that much richer.

Story: Raine has hidden the secret that she can see/hear the dead through her whole life; it is an instant death sentence should anyone learn. But there are worse things than ghosts - as she will soon discover when she helps rescue a woman being hunted through the snow.

I really enjoyed Raine as a character. She had depth and nuance, thought through her decisions, and behaved in a rational and mature manner. That isn't to say she didn't make mistakes - but the mistakes made sense and weren't there for plot devices. All side characters were similarly interesting, each with their own foibles, weaknesses, and strengths.

The magic system is very well thought out and makes sense. It goes with the world and world building in a way that is organic. But magic isn't really the focus of the book any more than Raine's ability to see ghosts. Those looking for an old fashioned magic/I see ghosts won't find that here. Instead, this is a book about a young woman maturing and learning to depend on herself. All learned through hard life lessons.

I highly recommend the audio version. The narrator was excellent and she really increased the story's appeal. I also recommend the book - I enjoyed it immensely. It wasn't overly dense to where you have to plod through it but it also wasn't inane or silly. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Good opening volume to the series. Lots of lore and getting to learn about the magic system. The beginning was pretty bleak and it took me awhile to get into the groove of the book but as more of the world building came together I began to enjoy the book more and more. Recommended for any fantasy fans, can’t wait to see where the story goes in book 2.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is getting 4 Stars simply because it took me 2 weeks to read!! I had to reread the beginning of this book twice in order to understand it. I don't know if it was my mental state at the time or the writing. However, one I got into the story, I really enjoyed it.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series and I will also be looking to read more from thi author in the future.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. The plot wasn't moving anywhere and the main character felt really flat. I'm really disappointed because the premise sounded very interesting. I got about 30% of the way in.

Daughter of Redwinter is an epic fantasy novel with an interesting magic system and a complex society in turmoil. I had never heard of the author before reading this book, but I would absolutely read more by him in the future, including the next installment of this series.

This book has everything, wonderful world building that doesn’t bore you to tears, a complex and broody mc who is bisexual and constantly conflicted about something, a magic system which is threaded through the plot and the world and has a major life altering effect on Raine (mc).

I listened to this book as an audiobook and the narrator was perfect for the role. She uses the Irish brogue for the main character and a more lightly accented British accent as well, all around a joy to listen to. The only thing I would suggest is possibly pushing up the listening speed if you are someone who is ok with doing so, because she does speak a bit slowly. Which can be great! But can also make the story drag a bit at times.

This was a great read and I’m on the hook. Definitely looking forward to finding out what happens to Raine in the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance review copy of the audiobook for free in exchange for my honest review.

3.75

To be completely honest, this might not have been a book I picked up on my own if I hadn't been offered a review copy and as a result I went in with zero expectations but I was quite impressed.

Through the first few chapters, I didn't think this book would be a new all time favorite, but there was an almost cozy quality to it that made for happy listening. Then there was a scene that made me pause and run a quick Google search because I had zero idea that this book was going to be queer! Raine is bisexual and that scene is when I realized how invested I had gotten into this book.

I loved Raine and found her a really complex yet relatable character. I especially loved using her as an exploration of trauma and PTSD. But what really worked for me in this book was the world that Ed McDonald created. He doesn't bog down on details but his writing makes the world feel lived in and real. The magic system is simple enough on the surface but as the book progresses it is clear that magic exists beyond the rules they have been taught and I will be interested to see how that's expanded as the series continues.

I would recommend this to those fantasy readers who like a slower paced book with lots of political intrigue, as well as those who like a coming of age story with flawed protagonist as Raine is the sole POV and she is 17 and recovering from several traumatic experiences. That being said teenage protagonists and coming of age tales are not usually my buzzwords and this still really worked for me. I would also highly recommend the audiobook as I think Samara MacLaren's slight Scottish accent really brought the world to life.

I have not read McDonald's Raven's Mark trilogy so I cannot compare the two, but reading this made that trilogy a much higher priority!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a pretty decent storyline- some very detailed world building, and an interesting main character. Some parts felt a little rushed yet others too detailed, but it was pretty captivating overall. The narrator was easy to listen to as well.

I listened to this book & really enjoyed it. The narration was lovely.

Raine is a good solid main character. This is the foundation of a series, there’s a lot of explanation & description so you can imagine this world. Raine has a secret that could cause her life, she’s died twice already & isn’t sure if she want to take her chance with a third time.

This is a wonderful first person character study. Raine’s inner monologue was not that of an annoying MC in a YA novel! She did make some bad choices but they fit her character. She saves people, people save her, she kills people, people try to kill her, she lies, she’s lied to …

Slice of life, coming of age, ehhh a wizarding type school/monastery where most can learn as apprentices but Raine is relegated to being the hired help, epic fantasy, action adventure with swords & bows!

I’ve already ordered a special edition hardcover.

I love dark fantasy so I had high hopes that this new release would be right up my alley. Yet despite this protagonist having the ability to see and speak to the dead, the tone of the tone was not particularly creepy. That alone would not normally be an issue, but I regrettably found the characters to be quite flat and the worldbuilding less imaginative than I would normally expect from fantasy. 

Simple put, this was a decent fantasy novel with an interesting, but familiar plot. If you simply cannot get enough fantasy, this is one you might want to check out. 

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.