A mix of historical fiction, fantasy, horror featuring Aenlin Kane, the daughter of Solom Kane. A very entertaining and compelling story that brought to the age and places of the Thirty Years war.
I liked Aenlin and thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The synopsis made it out to be an amazing read. The reality, for me, is that it was too much of a "Curate's Egg". There were some believable characters and plots and some which were not. Solomon Kane's daughter Aenlin was such a wimp that I could not find any way to believe in her persona. Her mostly hidden relationship with her magical protector and guide and friend Tahmina never rang true. Sadly, both, ladies came across as the weak links in the book, leaving the men to be almost the whole spectrum of stereotypical men. Disappointing really as there was such scope for the ladies to assert themselves.

Normally, I enjoy magical tales but most definitely not this one enough to rate it more than a middling 2.5 stars.

The year is 1629 and the Thirty Years’ War is raging across Europe. Conflict is everywhere you turn, and hiding in the shadows are demons, masking themselves in the cloak of war. Armies are fighting, losing, regrouping, joining forces, fighting again, and there seems to be no end in sight. In the midst of all this, Aenlin Kane is determined to claim her inheritance left by her renowned father, Solomon Kane. She has spent months tracking down the contact required to claim her heritage, but just as she seems about to claim it everything goes wrong.

Left with no other choice, Aenlin and her friend Tahmina, a Persin mystic on the run from her master, take on a secret mission for the West India Company. They must join a crew of hired mercenaries to travel deep into enemy territory to a town in south Germany and extract five people falsely accused of witchcraft. Much of Germany is burning anyone suspected of witchcraft or magic with no provocation, so this is a dangerous mission.

Aenlin and Tahmina soon realise the group of mercenaries they are travelling with are not quite the usual brutish fighters. Nor are the five people to be rescued simply five innocent people. The mission swiftly deteriorates into chaos and Aenlin has to use all of her inherited skills to keep herself and Tahmina alive and return to claim her inheritance.

I quite enjoyed that this story featured two very strong female characters, both with very different skill sets. They are strong, assertive, and forging a path for themselves in a very much male-dominated world. Their relationship plays out nicely, showing the bond between them. The rest of the band of mercenaries are a ragged bunch, with some being the stereotypical loutish man, and others having more intrigue and mystery to their character.

The story weaves in fantasy with known history very well. If you are a history buff who knows a lot about The 30 Years’ War (which I am not) you may find it doesn’t work as well, I don’t know. But for me, it was a good mix to make me feel that I was watching people make their way across a war-torn country, with a mix of magic and mystery thrown in. I may have paid more attention in history class if it was written like this!

This was a real swashbuckling adventure with a difference, and immersed me in the journey taken. I found there were so many characters involved in the story I did have to work to keep track of everyone, along with the history worked in. But overall, a very enjoyable read! I believe this novel is the inspiration for a German metal band, Blind Guardian’s CD, an orchestral album. I can certainly see how this story can lend itself to a dramatic music piece.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.