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.

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.

Daughters of the Storm is the first book in Kim Wilkins's Blood and Gold series. I have a lot of thoughts about this book, and they're not necessarily organized, so bear with me. The book is about five sisters who are the daughter of a king. Bluebell is the oldest and a warrior who is rumored to be unkillable. Rose is married to the king of the neighboring nation as part of a peace treaty, and her heart belongs to another. Ash struggles with her burgeoning magic. Ivy lives to be admired by men, and her twin, Willow, is devoted to the gods.

The story starts when their father, the king, takes ill. Bluebell believes it to be the work of magic, so she drags her father and her sisters off to save him. The synopsis also mentions a "treacherous stepbrother" intent on seizing the throne. This isn't untrue, but the sisters aren't really aware of it, which makes for an anticlimactic climax. But more on that later! I'm going to try to split this up into categories in order to keep it more organized than it is in my head.

Characters and Points of View: So, we have five very different sisters, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that separate, relatively short POVs can keep the story moving. The disadvantage is that there's no way to like all the POV characters because they're so different, so some parts are going to drag.

Let's start with the characters I liked. Bluebell's amazing. She's fierce and loud and bossy and kind of dumb in a rash way, but she's extremely loyal to her family. The only thing she cares about is helping her father get better even if it means she'll have to wait to become king (her noun preference). Some readers will undoubtedly see her as a stereotype, but I'm a sucker for it. Only 2% into the read, this happens: '"No more of this talk," Bluebell commanded, "or I'll cut someone's fucking tongue out."' My note right there is, "I would (metaphorically) die for her." An inelegant turn of phrase to explain my attachment, to be sure, but I don't care. Give me a 12-book series about Bluebell. I would read them all again and again.

Ash is equally endearing. She's a young woman with power that she doesn't know what to do with or even if she should embrace it because she has no one to mentor her. This type of character resonates with me, so it's not surprising I gravitated toward Ash, especially because she's quite often the sole voice of reason among the five. But only when she's among her sisters. When she's alone, as I wrote in a note, she's "beautifully self-loathing and over-dramatic." She can also be read as ace, which is cool.

As for the other sisters, well . . . I had trouble connecting to them. Willow, even though she has a POV, is distant and enigmatic. Her motivations come from angels' voices in her head, but I was never quite sure if those voices were real. Her devotion to her gods wasn't written in such a way that I understood her, which bothered me. Rose loves a man who isn't her husband. I don't care for romantic story lines that much unless I'm reading a straight-out romance, and this story line offered nothing special. However, I found I had more sympathy for her once she was with only two of her sisters because she became more well-rounded. I don't really even have words for Ivy. She's a selfish, vain teenager who has no sense of the importance of what's happening or that her actions will have consequences. It was particularly hard to sympathize with her.

Then there's Wylm, the stepbrother, who has a point of view. Reading this made me think a lot about whether I prefer villains to have perspectives at all, although I haven't come up with a satisfying answer beyond, "It depends on the book." I really don't think his perspective adds a lot to this one, especially because his motivations always seem half-formed. He does a few things that we, as readers, need to know about, but if a villain has a POV, it has to be dynamic. The villain has to be dynamic. Unfortunately, here, Wylm is barely a threat. He's a mere thorn in Bluebell's side, but he imagines himself to be much deadlier and much more effective. The result of a weak antagonist is that the climax isn't really all that climactic. I think the story would've been served better by checking in on him less often.

Pacing and Plot: This book is slow. It wasn't until I was halfway through that things started to pick up and I found myself wanting to find out what happened next. I don't have anything against slow books, especially because I tend to write slow books, but the pacing would've been much easier to take had this been just Bluebell's and Ash's story. Instead, it got bogged down with too many points of view and not enough to drive them.

Because the plot is somewhat thin and there are a lot of prominent characters, Wilkins reverts to the characters acting in stereotypical ways in order to move the plot forward. In the majority of Ivy's scenes, I had the thought, "Don't do the thing!" just before she does the thing. This happened with Rose and Willow, too, although less often.

The thing the bothered me most, though, is Wilkins's treatment of Bluebell. Bluebell is supposed to be a great warrior, so much so that her enemies think of her as unkillable. Yet she's repeatedly bested in fights by little things (like tripping over a hedge?), and when she does get injured, she makes no move to stitch or bind her wounds and just kind of waits to die. She's a warrior. She should know how to take care of herself. For me, this stretched believability.

The World Revolves Around Men: Okay. This story is about five sisters, but . . . all their stories revolve around men. The driving force behind Bluebell's actions is her father. Rose's thoughts are consumed by her lover and Ivy's by men in general. Willow becomes a pawn in a man's plan. Even Ash ends up with a male mentor. It's a little frustrating to see a story featuring five women revert to fantasy's old male default. I would've loved to see a story about the sisters rather than just featuring the sisters, although I particularly enjoyed Bluebell's and Ash's bond.

Along these lines, I see we still can't write fantasy without an unnecessary threat of sexual assault. This is tired, and I wish I saw it way less often than I do. There's also some mild slut-shaming in the way Ivy treates Rose at one point and again in Ivy's ending and a touch of fatphobia.

Writing: The writing is good and made the reading experience very smooth. A few lines stood above the rest, especially those about human observation, such as, "The serving woman arrived with their meals then, thumping the plates onto the table with the kind of dull force only deeply unhappy people can achieve." There's a lot of filtering language, though, which probably only bothers people like me. Overall, I liked the writing very much but wished it had been married to stronger characters and a more solid plot.

TL;DR: This is a solid opener in an epic fantasy series. I'd certainly recommend it to readers who are looking for more female-centric epic fantasy, but it's neither perfect nor as feminist as I would've liked. That said, I will be checking out book two eventually. If you read this and love Bluebell as much as I did, I will happily chat about her with you!

I was offered an e-arc to review through NetGalley because I loved The Bear and the Nightingale; the blurb called it "Norse-flavored"and in the tradition of Robin Hobb and Naomi Novik, and one Goodreads reviewer characterized it as "Game of Thrones with chicks." Unfortunately, I didn't feel that any of these descriptions and comparisons were very apt.

If I were to compare Daughters of the Storm to anything, it would be a bowl of mushy vegetable soup - not Norse-flavored soup, either! Sure, there are characters with Norse names, such as Gudrun and Hakon, but there are also the very Saxon-sounding Wengest and Athelrick, and the sisters who are named for flowers and trees (Bluebell, Willow). Place names and descriptions could come from any European-based fantasy novel. All these elements are jumbled together without any overriding sense of unique place and time.

But what makes it mushy soup to me, rather than a piquant stew, are the multiple points of view in each chapter; not that I dislike multiple POV, but the short sections aren't enough for close identification with the characters, and at least in the e-arc I read they were not set off by any indication or even extra spacing, so sometimes it was a bit confusing as we went from one head to the next. Also, the trick of using multiple POVs well is to know which not to use; who to show only through the eyes of others, and judiciously choosing the character through whom we will see the scene. Wilkins jumps among all the sisters and other characters as well, and as a result it feels less like a cohesive story than it does a multitude of ingredients all dumped together into a pot and cooked into submission.

And the ingredients...aren't all that tasty. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, and they all seem to be fairly one-dimensional stereotypes, without great depth. There is the calloused soldier who curses all the time, the ethereal mage-in-training, the unfaithful mother, the religious fanatic, the flirt. The story is also fairly one-dimensional, partly because of the multiple POVs that give everybody's story and hide none; about halfway in, the reader learns the solution to the initial mystery at the start of the story, the source of the king's illness , which means that there's a lot less tension and interest watching the characters themselves find it out.

In conclusion, this is definitely a book about strong female characters. It's just not a very interesting one.

Daughters of the Storm is an attempt at creating powerful female characters in a male dominated world. The oldest daughter has shaped herself into the role of a man, behaving as much like her father, a man she admires, as she can. The next daughter was sold off in marriage to cement peace for her country, and is discontent with her lot in life and the lack of love and affection. Another daughter is struggling against her magical abilities because she has been told that she should not have them. The final two daughters are even more out of place having been shunted off to a relative from a young age. One only desires sexuality with males she finds desirable, whether they want it or not, and the last has adopted a religion which appears to completely dismiss women into second class status. None of these women is likeable or sympathetic, nor are any of the other characters [other than ones who are killed].

I am a huge Robin Hobb fan and when I saw that this book was compared to her works, my interest was caught. Then, after reading the blurb, I was even more interested in it. A book that had Norse mythology elements and has strong female characters. Sign me up. I am glad that I requested this book. The plotlines were engaging and kept me hooked on the book. It was also fast-paced. I was left breathless while reading most of the book.

Daughters of the Storm had a few plotlines that all were intertwined early in the book. The main storyline was the rush to find a cure for the daughters’ father who became ill. Bluebell and her sisters take a dangerous journey to find the aunt who used undermagic. That magic is the only way to save their father. It is the only way to find out who was behind their father becoming ill.

While that is going on, each character is introduced. First is Bluebell. She is the eldest, the next in line to the throne. She has one weakness, the blind and simple-minded son of her best friend who died. Rose is the next one who is introduced. She is married, with a 3-year-old daughter and a secret that could kill her if her husband ever found out. Ash is the next one introduced. Ash realizes that her magic is stronger than those who are teaching her. She also realizes, to her horror, that she can use undermagic. Right before Bluebell summons her, Ash has a horrifying vision. A vision that involves herself, a dragon and the death of millions of people. The last daughters to be introduced are Ivy and Willow. Ivy needs to be accepted by men and she will use her body and looks to get what she wants. A silly, vain girl, she betrays the one person who has always been there for her. All because she was jealous. Willow is a religious nut who hears angels. Those voices get stronger and more vocal the more time she spends with her sick father. They also drive her to harbor a person who Bluebell would have killed if she found out.

I thought that Bluebell was a bit of a bully in the beginning of the book. She went from a bully to a person who cared about her sisters and looked out for them the best way she knew how. Which was by controlling them and their actions. The only time I even saw her be a bit soft was with Eni, the son of her lover Sabert, or with Rowan, her niece and heir. Other than that, she was tough as nails. She also hated her stepmother, Gudrun and her stepbrother, Wylm. That hatred was not unfounded when Bluebell found out who and what caused her father to become ill.

I did like Rose but after getting to know her character, I thought she was a fool. I actually agreed with Bluebell when Bluebell gave her a few hard truths about herself. She wanted to be a mother, became one and found it too hard. Not that she didn’t love Rowan, she did, but she couldn’t deal with her. She also loved Heath….or so she thought she did. She was willing to risk her husband’s wrath to be with him. She went against what Bluebell told her and pursued him. What I didn’t get was why she was so upset when he had no connection with Rowan. He didn’t know about her until the trip and she expected instaconnection?

Out of all the sisters, Ash was my favorite. She could deal with Bluebell’s intensity with a grace that I wish I had. I did feel bad for her when her Becoming was revealed. I couldn’t even imagine knowing not only how I was going to die. But also that I was going to take out millions of people. No wonder she was so keen on getting away from her sisters as soon as possible. I was interested in the man she decided to train with. Again, I was taken by surprise at not only who he was but what. Another small twist that made me enjoy reading the book.

If I had to dislike someone from the book, it was Ivy. She was very manipulative and very vain. She caused chaos no matter where she went. I did think that she would hook up with Heath. But when she saw Heath and Rose doing the dirty, she was mad. She decided to go with Rowan back to her father. What she did there was unforgivable. All I have to say is that she did get what she deserved.

If I disliked Ivy, I felt pity for Willow. She didn’t come into my radar until she was left alone with Rose to care for her father. Then it seemed like the voices got more of a grip on her. It didn’t help that Wylm saw that and capitalized on it. She did surprise me towards the end of the book with what she did. But she only did it because the angels told her to.

I do have to add Wylm in here because he was such a dirtbag. He caused so much harm the first half of the book. But, he did try to rectify it when he took Eni with him after killing Sabert. He protected Eni with everything in his power until he delivered him to Bluebell’s camp. Then he reverted back to his evil ways. I didn’t like that. I thought that the author could have gone a different direction with this character. Reformed dirtbag. But, then again, with what I know about the very ending, I understand why the author chose that route for him.

I was a little put off by the violence in the book, I could understand why the author chose to make this world so violent. This is a medieval society that used its army very often. Bluebell was the head of the army and she ran it very well. Violence to her was second nature. She thought nothing of killing someone if they even omitted a threat. That did make the book for me even if I was a little grossed out by it. So, a warning. If you don’t like somewhat graphic violent fight scenes, then skip this book.

There is sex in this book. It is not graphic but it is there. Also, there is voyeurism. Ivy watches Rose and Heath have sex. Willow remembers watching Ivy and a boy have sex in the same room as her. Willow and someone (not giving this away!!) have sex because the angels told her too for reasons I am not going to give away. The scenes are not graphic. They are more matter of fact and are incorporated into the storylines. If you don’t like sex scenes or flashback to sex scenes than skip this book. If not, they add an extra depth to the book. They also make you understand the character’s relationships better.

The end of the book was wild. While the main storyline was resolved, all the other ones were not. Which made me very keen to read book 2. I loved the epilogue. While I knew who it was, the delight of the other person was almost too much. Again, that makes me want to read book 2 because I need to know where that goes.

I would give Daughters of the Storm an Adult rating. There is violence, language, and sex. While the sex is not graphic, I do not think that it would be proper for anyone under the age of 20. The violence also factored into my rating. There are some graphic scenes of violence. This is a book that I will recommend to family and friends. I would give a warning about the sex and violence since I have friends and family that do not like that in books. I also plan on rereading this book!!

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Del Ray and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Daughters of the Storm.

All opinions stated in this review of Daughters of the Storm are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**