TL;DR: I loved this book.

I really enjoyed Ed McDonald's first series, The Raven's Mark (Blackwing, Ravencry, Crowfall), and so I was excited to see that he had a new book coming out. I don't normally get involved with advanced copies - I have enough books to work through, and don't like the pressure of having to read to a schedule, but I couldn't resist giving this a go as soon as possible.

This has a very different feel to The Raven's Mark, primarily because the protagonist is very different. McDonald gives us a young female lead for this tale, and I think it really pays off. Some of my favourite fantasy tales have female main characters - I'm thinking of Mark Lawrence's The Book of the Ancestor and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn. In fact, the vibe (though not the writing style) of this book is pretty similar to Lawrence's The Book of the Ancestor - a young, female protagonist who feels out of place in the situation they are in.

The book follows a familiar pattern for opening books in fantasy series - we get a spate of action early in the book, then relax into a period of gentle character-building, before building to another crescendo of action towards the end of the book. I know some aren't keen on the quieter sections, but I love the work that goes into both the character- and world-building in this book, and found it enriching.

Daughter of Redwinter has a relatively small cast of characters, most of whom are roughly of an age with the main character; young adults finding their way in life. There is a fairly even split of male and female characters developed in the story, and I found them wonderfully written.

The magic system is intriguing, but not developed too much in this story; I assume that more will come in later books in the series. What was presented was pretty simple to follow, and worked well to support the story, rather than be the main point of it.

Look, overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to all fantasy readers.

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

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc.

There was nothing incredibly bad about Daughter of the Redwinter, but there was also nothing incredibly great about it either.

The plot itself is what kept me going as I was interested to see how things would unfold.

I have nothing to say about Raine. She left virtually no impact on me, the reader, aside from mild annoyance.

This was a very average novel.

2.8/5, rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an early copy.

This is the first Ed Mcdonald book I read and it did not disappoint my expectations!
I absolutely loved the Celtic-inspired worldbuiling as well as the really intriguing magical system. I had some initial difficulties in totally immersing myself in the story but after the first few chapters this classic fantasy with dark elements won me over!.

Raine is an interesting character, with whom it is not easy to empathize. I still have doubts but in general I liked her characterization and development throughout the story.

Definitely a promising start for this new Mcdonald's trilogy!

(By the way, the cover is spectacular!)

This was a nice fantasy book. I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of readers since it has an interesting enough plot and the author blends some mystery together with the typical fantasy elements. Some of the secondary characters (two in particular) are very interesting and the second half of the book is a real page-turner. Also, despite this being the first book in a series, it can be easily read as a stand-alone.
To be honest I also had some issues with it that prevented me from enjoying it even more. The beginning felt really rushed for me. We begin in the midst of the action and not enough background is presented to the reader. This resulted in a disconnection to the protagonists actions and feelings in the following chapters.
Speaking of the protagonist (Raine), she is a 17 year old girl, and given her age you can justify some immaturity in her actions, but there were moments when I was in disbelief of how easily she was manipulated. In general I couldn't connect or sympathize with her and in the end I can't say I really cared what happened to her.
This book reminded me the way I felt about Brian Staveley's trilogy Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne. I'm pretty sure everyone who read the above trilogy and enjoyed it, will enjoy this too and vice versa.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an early copy, but unfortunately, I'm going to have to DNF a quarter way into this book.
(keeping the star rating neutral at 3 stars as I have to add one.)

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I thought I'd love this the way I love the Raven's Mark trilogy, but I just can't force myself to read something I'm not enjoying. Please note, this isn't a bad book and I encourage others to give it ago. At this moment in time, this just really didn't click with me personally, but I think I might get on better with the audiobook for this one in future. I can definitely see me trying the audio once the book is released, and I'll probably like it a lot better. But for now, I'm putting this on hold.

Characters
Raine was a difficult character to like. She's a total nihilist, and though she doesn't start out this way, things happen to her earlier on that bring about this new found nihilism. And when she starts waxing philosophical about how nothing matters and everything is inconsequential for pages on end, the narrative can start to feel a little dull, if not utterly bleak. I understand that her trauma made her numb but I just didn't find her constant cynicism very interesting. It sapped her of any personality.

I found Ulovar and Ovitus to be interesting characters and I look for to seeing more of them in future when I retry this book.

I took a pretty immediate dislike to Braithe. You don't get to slap around your woman and then apologise like that's enough and expect things to be okay. You don't slap your woman, full stop. Scum bag. And it just annoyed me when Raine made excuses for him, blaming herself. Classic abusive relationship. I know that was the point, but still annoyed me.

Plot
I struggled a great deal with the opening chapters.
It seemed to me like the focus was on the wrong point of interest. As the reader, we learn very early that Raine can see ghosts, and yet we don't see a ghost until the end of chapter one. I'd say that, by far, the most interesting thing about Raine is the fact that she can see ghosts, but she ends up in a chase scene rescuing a dying stranger and there's not all that much context as to why it's important or what's actually going on. I mean, it's an interesting enough scene, but not as interesting as the ghosts things, so I'm not sure why the author didn't lead with that.

In all honesty, there wasn't a lot in the beginning that intrigued me enough to keep reading other than Braithe being a dick, and I felt like was only reading to see if Raine would finally deck him. Cause Braithe definitely deserved a decking. See how he bloody likes it.

Things started to pick up alot in chapters 5 and 6 and I was beginning to get into it. But then the journey to Redwinter began and several chapters later, they're still travelling, all interest I had died. I don't find travelling sequences interesting at the best of times (unless something fun or exciting is happening), so with a book I was already struggling with, it was pretty much the nail in the coffin.

I'm quite gutted with myself that I couldn't stick it out at least until reaching Redwinter, but this story just really isn't gelling with me right now.

Setting
Loved how Celtic inspired this world was, I've always thought there needed to be more Celtic inspired fantasy and I'm finally getting my wish. It's just a shame that I won't get to experience this world further.
The magic system was interesting and the fact that certain people within this world can see ghosts. I look forward to exploring that further in the future.

Writing Style
This is a weird one for me because I almost instantly connected with the Raven's Mark trilogy. The writing flowed very smoothly and was easy to read. I'd raced through those books. This new book is a different matter. The writing feels very different and unfortunately, I struggled with it at times. Though I did eventually adjust, I still found it a little awkward. It wasn't smooth and I often found myself losing focus and reading the same parts over and over. It didn't quite have the same flow as the Raven's Mark did and there was a sort of choppiness to it. There was just something about this style that never quite clicked with my brain no matter how hard I tried.

Final Impression
Judging by all the amazing ratings this book is getting (which I'm pleased about cause I do think Ed Mcdonald is a writer worthy of the praise), I think this is probably a case of not the book being the problem, but me. I'm definitely interested in trying the audiobook when it's available. I think I'll have a much better time with it in that format.

This was my first Ed McDonald novel, it will not be my last. A well written fantasy with strong characters. The premise that those who have come close to death can see the spirits of the dead, this is feared by rulers and is a sentence of death, but if kept secret can it and will it aid our heroine?

Another Amazing Mcdonald Smash!

Intriguing story that left me breathless in its description and detail.

Incredible characters

Read now!

This cover is STUNNING: great work by the Tor Team on drawing me in instantly with the brilliant colors and lovely design. I liked that this book drops you right into the action: a mysterious. bleeding woman, a besieged castle, and a protagonist who can see and hear ghosts. It takes a few chapters to really find its footing, but once it does it rolls along at a good pace (save for a few chapters in the middle).

My issues were entirely character based: I wasn't really a fan of anyone. Try as she might, Raine did not escape the girlbossification and over-powering that I often roll my eyes at when I encounter men trying their hand at female protagonists. I liked Esher and Sanvaunt, but was unsettled and irritated by Ovitus. I liked the story, but its hard for me to care about what's going on when I don't feel invested in any of the people at the heart of the narrative. Raine's magic IS very cool through, and the thought that went into the magic system was one of the better aspects of the story.

I honestly could not get into this book. It's disjointed and I was thrown out of the story by the character's actions multiple times.

The first lines of this book are what convinced me to read it. Absolutely amazing and something I will need to reread.

Ed McDonald was one of my favorite fantasy writers. The Raven's Mark trilogy is one of my favorite recent fantasy trilogies and I eagerly anticipated his next book. Daughter of Redwinter did not let me down. It's safe to say that this book will be one of my favorite books this year and establishes Ed McDonald one of the biggest newish names in the Fantasy writing game.

This story is my favorite type of story: A ghost story. Raine, our protagonist, is a young woman who finds herself trapped in more than one way. She's trapped in a besieged monastery, with an angry young man, and is also trapped by the mysterious gift she has to see the dead. One day while trying to find a way out of the monastery she encounters a mysterious woman who is being chased by two men with powers that Raine can't understand. In rescueing the woman, Raine embarks on a mission that will take her to places she couldn't have imagined and will hel pher better under her role in the universe.

Ed McDonald is the fantasy genre's John Connolly. He writes books that are both faithful to genre trappings but also are imbued with a sense of the ghostly and other-worldy. As the self-described "World's biggest fan of John Connolly" this is the highest of praises I can give. In all of Mr. McDonald's books, one of the biggest draws has been how he can make the eerie and strange fit so snuggly beside the mundane. In the fantasy genre this is no small feat.

In my opinion, there isn't a better worldbuilder in epic fantasy today than Mr. McDonald and this book firmly places him as a force to be reckoned with in the genre. The world of this book is one that I want to explore more and I eagerly await Mr. McDonald's next foray into it.

Ultimately, if you like well written fantasy with strong female leads - read this book. It's one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while and I think you'll feel the same way.

The very first thing that I noticed about DAUGHTER OF REDWINTER is that the feel of it is slightly different from the dark and ominous Raven's Mark books. That's not to say that this book doesn't have its dark moments. Any story where the main character can commune with the dead is not exactly going to be a chuckle fest. But it definitely had a different mood to it as I read it and it felt more like a traditional fantasy with some darkly sinister elements. Honestly, I loved the change of pace and it just made me admire McDonald even more as a writer because it showed me that he's not just a one trick pony.

The worldbuilding in particular really stood out to me, but Ed McDonald has always been one of the best at creating some awe-inspiring settings. This one blew me away though as he brings us a world where a veil separates the "real world" from a hidden realm that is populated by foul demons and mysterious evil beings called The Faded. The Faded really captured my imagination and made me fly through each chapter wanting to know more about them and their history. As this world is laid out there are hints that at certain intervals in the history of the realm this veil has been tested and possibly breached by the vile occupants on the other side. Could this be happening again, and if so, will it finally prove successful?

I'd also like to touch on the main character Raine. Following her journey was truly a rollercoaster ride. To say that she has had her tests throughout her young life would be an understatement. And the fact that she is so young makes it all the more intense as we get to experience her making both good and also very questionable decisions. She possesses a power to see and speak with the dead that she still doesn't full understand and is coming to grips with. Can it be an asset in the potential troubles to come? Can she master it fully or will it remain a wild magical gift that she can't ever completely get under control? And it is obvious that there are others who would like to use (or possibly abuse) the fact that she can do this. So there's also the uncertainty of not knowing who exactly is on her side or who wants to manipulate her for their own purposes.

In the end I was left breathless with where this story ended up and pretty upset that I didn't immediately have the next book in my hands to continue. McDonald has outdone himself with this suspenseful and captivating new book. This bodes extremely well for this series and if future entries are even half as good as this one, I'll be adding The Redwinter Chronicles to my reading ring of honor.

If you like fantasy stories that take you to wondrous places that are also brimming with ghostly beings, this is your book. If you like fantasy stories with characters who are immensely compelling and not perfect, this is your book. If you like fantasy stories that ooze with danger and peril around every corner, this is your book. And finally, if you like fantasy stories that are so expertly written that you can see and feel the action playing out in your head so vividly that you believe it's all totally real, then THIS IS YOUR BOOK! Another smash hit of a fantasy adventure from Ed McDonald.

Long awaited new series by an author that is one of my favorite after his amazing trilogy!! This book seem like we're going on another wild ride again. Great in every possible aspect! If you are a fantasy reader, there is no doubt that you should read it!

★ ★ ★ ★ ✰ 4.5

🌶️1/5

Let me preface by saying I was given a chance to read this book for free for an honest review. I was hooked by the synopsis of the classic “girl must save world with magic powers” trope, but let me tell you, there was nothing cliché about this book. What you would expect to happen, does not.

★ ★ ★ ★ ✰ Plot: The plot starts out by throwing you right into action and sucking you right in with a developed storyline. The beginning of the book was well-paced and so fascinating, but the further in you get, the pace starts to slow. The middle is a slow burn for what I later realized is meant for information gathering, and it ends with another well-paced and twisty turny ending that left me begging for the next book. I did remove a star because the middle still was a good amount too slow for me personally, but it was great for character building and again, information gathering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Worldbuilding: The world building in this book was well thought out, unique and interesting. Worldbuilding to me is always the most important aspect, and this book nailed it. I was mildy confused at certain points because of information dumps and complexity, but when I got to the end of the book, I realized there was the Holy Grail, a dictionary! So, while I do recommend reading this book in paper format instead of kindle so you can reference the dictionary, the worldbuilding is amazing. I do believe it is missing a map though, which is disappointing, but also did not affect my reading in any way.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Characters: As I said previously, there was a slow burn in the middle, but what that did help with was character building. Even without this and right from the beginning, the characters are well written, and you get immediately attached to them and their relationships. The characters have growth, they devolve, there are twists, and by the end you cannot wait for the next book to see how the relationships flesh out, and who they become.

Final Verdict: This book is full of well written complex characters and relationships, with a developed world filled with magic and danger. You will not regret reading it, and you will yearn for the next one so you can find out what happens next.

I was really drawn into requesting this one because of the cover. I see beauty and I want! This is the start to a new fantasy series by an author I hadn’t read before so I won’t be able to compare this to his previous work. I thought it was decent for what it was but didn’t fully mesh with the main character or the pacing of the story.

The book is told from the point-of-view of Raine. I thought she was a pretty interesting character for the most part but didn’t understand her actions, especially in the beginning of the book. One minute it seems that she has some form of a relationship with another character and next she is telling someone else that he is going to get them all killed. It was also a pretty quick jump. There was also another time where something tragic happened and she just shrugged it off like it was no big deal when discussing it with someone.

I wouldn’t say that I ever connected fully with any of the characters and it may have to do with the pacing. Right from the beginning of the book there is a lot of action but it was also confusing as I didn’t understand the motives of any or really any of the relational dynamics. It led me to be more confused than anything. Even though the second half was better it’s hard for me to form a better connection when I have already felt disconnected.

Overall, this was good but it was hard to get fully invested. The issues I mentioned may not be an issue for other readers and so if you have read his previous works or find this one to sound interesting, I’d still give it a chance.

Thanks to Macmillan/Tor for this eARC of Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald. I picked this up about 5 times and each time I closed it and wandered away after 10 pages. I think this one just isn't for me, so I'm moving it to my DNF shelf and leaving some feedback to close it out. The premise sounds amazing, the cover is gorgeous, and the prose is good. I think for whatever reason I'm just not being drawn into the story at all. I'm not going to rate it based on my DNF, since I don't feel like I'm the target audience and my review just doesn't hold weight.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy of Daughter of Redwinter (The Redwinter Chronicles #1) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

Daughter of Redwinter is a spellbinding piece of fantasy; a unique world with morally grey characters abound, a fascinating magic system, buried history that oozes to the surface, and a young female protagonist you won’t soon forget. Highly recommend.

Are you a fan of McDonald’s Raven’s Mark trilogy? Well, do I have some good news and some not so good news for you (it isn’t bad news, I swear).

I’ll start with the not so good – THIS AIN’T RAVEN’S MARK. Not even close. It is a fairly bleak world with grey characters and all that, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the grittiness that the Misery brought to Galharrow and company. So if you are coming in looking for grimdark or grimheart, you will definitely be a tad disappointed to find it isn’t really here.

Oh, you wanted the good news?

This is a fantastic beginning to what I expect will be another amazing series from McDonald. What he brings over from his previous series is that ability to immediately engage the reader in his world and invest them with his characters. There is an intriguing magic system, ancient lore that is carefully revealed, a dark mystery, and a cast of characters whom not a soul can trust (especially our protagonist) – all wrapped within a world that I cannot wait to explore more of.

But let’s take a moment to focus on our main POV, Raine. She has this ability to speak with the dead, which you’d think would be useful, but really just marks her for death. Raine is young and tends to make rash decisions that put her life in jeopardy, but she is also headstrong and doesn’t take BS from anyone. I was immediately engrossed in her story arc from page 1 because, come on, who doesn’t love an archer story? Especially one that leads to lore and a magic system we only scratch the surface of.

McDonald has a winner on his hands here that is sure to enchant readers worldwide. I liken it a bit to JT Greathouse’s The Hand of the Sun King with its headstrong, naïve protagonist and intriguing magic system tied with a bit of a coming-of-age flavor. It is a definite recommendation and will land on my best of 2022.

Reviewed by my co-blogger, Adam, from Novel Notions

4.5/5 stars

Mysterious, honest, and exciting from start to finish, Daughter of Redwinter has the goods.

As a fan of Ed’s Raven’s Mark series, I had been looking forward to seeing what he had in store next. I’m happy to say that Daughter of Redwinter hits the bullseye in many satisfying ways.

Raine is a engaging character, with a strong and singular voice. She’s only seventeen, so she makes some dumb teenager mistakes that are relatable and honest. But she also has a heart of stone and a peerless resolve, which makes her very easy to root for. She has an extremely cool curse/power she was born into, and it gets more and more interesting as the story progresses. I enjoyed how it plays a key role in shaping the core of her worldview instead of simply augmenting it.

Another source of enjoyment was how unexpectedly different the writing was from Raven’s Mark. Ed writes a tight, clean prose and this felt especially well-edited and polished. Not a page or paragraph wasted; every passage was pertinent and compelling and drove the plot forward while developing the characters further. Raven’s Mark was grim, but I would not classify Daughter of Redwinter as a grim story, though it does have some dark moments and heavy themes. Altogether this book felt like a tightly-packaged, well-produced, very well-written story, start to finish. My only complaint is that I’m not a huge fan of the cover. The font and colors feel off-tone to what the story portrays.

This was less of a classical hero’s quest or a rousing good vs. evil story. More than anything, this book had the structure of a good, dark mystery novel. All grey characters whom you didn’t know what side they were on until they end, some good surprise reveals and misdirections, and some well-developed toxic relationships that are unfortunately all too tangible.

I could go on about the interesting magic system in the world, or the religion and lore, but it’s best to go into most of it blind. All in all, this was a real page-turner, one that kept me guessing, and pulling the rug out from under me. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but tensions are kept high while new questions kept rolling in. This is an exciting entry to a new series and I’m already looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

I flew through this.
It has that combo of nonstop action, interesting world-building and one of my favourite tropes: Found Family.
-You know how in first book in a fantasy series, there is an introduction and lull before things start happening? Well, this book is not like that. First chapter, right away you are thrown into danger alongside our protagonist, Raine. She finds an injured woman who is on the run and against her better judgment decides to help her and this decision will change her life forever. Fast-paced fantasy novels are ideal way to get lost in completely, but what added to excitement for me was the fact I was constantly surprised because McDonald kept flipping usual fantasy scenarios:
For example, it sets the stage with poor pursued girl who is running from old powerful magician and then it flips. Or how I was pretty damn sure that the next step for Raine is to attend this magical school to become Draoihn (a warrior magician) since she showed the potential and she will be so behind everyone and they will laugh at her... <b>because this stuff usually happens in fantasy books</b>, but I was wrong. Plus, I really enjoyed the episodic nature of this first instalment in the series: there is a mystery at the centre of the story and by the end it gets resolved. There is even one "Witcher contract"- like case Raine figures out using her ability. Sure, there is more to be discovered about the world and characters, but I really liked we didn't drag this major question into the next book.
-The world of Redwinter Chronicles is inspired by Scottish folklore. And yes, that means fairies. :) They are actually not in the book as a part of Draoihn magic system: they are magic, but they are incorporated more as a mystical part of the world. Now Draoihn is a complex concept and the best way to describe it is that magical aptitude of those who have the gift depends on their ability to access different realms of the world. The more "Gates", as they are called, you can access, the more powerful you are. Raine can see ghosts and in this world people who have access to the realm of dead are despised and executed which is why Raine has to hide her ability. The part where they explain to Raine (and reader) how someone becomes Draoihn and how they practice to focus their gifts was a bit info-dumpy, but not too much and I have a feeling there is something that will connect all these things together in future instalments in an interesting way. It's a dark and mysterious world, but not overly bleak.
-Raine's ability makes her a troubled individual. You open up a book with her being not in a good place and you find out she never really was because of her curse. When she joins the LacNaithe household in Redwinter it seems like another thing she has to endure. Honestly, as people who will likely kill her if they know, McDonald did an impressive job to make Draoihn, and especially Ulovar and his pupils really fun, and likeable characters. I am so used to magical schools with Draco Malfoys and bitchy girls, I found this so refreshing. Girls have a night out, Ulovar wants to protect them all and romantic interests are both lovely <i>(she is 17, roll with it.)</i> There is even some politics between clans involved and one guy who is a scion of a rival clan was one of my favourites and I hope to see more of Castus in future books because he was awesome. Just genuinely fun cast of characters and you have no idea how relaxing that was.

I did have one issue with the book.
-There is something that happens to Raine in first half of the book that makes her reactions to certain things weird. Entire book is written from Raine's point of view in first person which only accentuated this. I wasn't a fan of this plot thread, because I wondered after did I really think some parts were infodump-y or the way it had to be written <i>because of it</i> made it feel like that. Hence, unlike with other characters, I have to say I liked and cared for Raine despite of it. She is resourceful, intuitive and inherently kind, so I was happy every time she breached this imposed character trait. So, yes, it was an issue, but didn't affect my enjoyment overall.

All in all, I really liked this and can't wait to get back to Redwinter with Raine, Esher, Sanvaunt, Liara, Ulovar and Grandmaster Robilar. (Everyone except Ovitus. Ovitus deserves to be kicked by a donkey.)