Article contributed by Yakira Goldsberry
Even in a world of strange magic and mages, seeing the dead, speaking to the dead, is considered a dangerous gift. And Raine must live with this secret inside the viper’s nest.
Daughter of Redwinter centers around Raine, a sixteen-year-old girl caught up in a battle between ancient and modern magic, swept away from her nomadic life when one decision costs her her family and home. Now, among the Draoihn, she sets out to master their ways of magic while keeping her innate gift of seeing the dead a secret.
The only way I can think of to describe the plot is slow-burn. While things start off interesting, with Raine finding an injured woman in the woods and dragging her away to safety, the pacing of the story is still slow. There were points when I felt like giving up on the book because I didn’t feel any pull to keep me there. Despite all this, I still had a lot of unanswered questions that led me to actually finishing the book. There are moments that are fast-paced, but it feels that McDonald is making sure you see the world within the book instead of just zooming by with action.
McDonald has some amazingly beautiful descriptions, and the vastness of his world is astounding. If I were a in the story world, I would love to just travel and explore without a set destination. Though, Redwinter would definitely be a top pick of places to visit, purely for the scenery and architecture alone. He does a good job at breathing the world to life with just the right amount of history and legends to pique the reader’s interest. McDonald is an excellent writer, and his words and prose flowed from the page. I found myself underlining a lot of the sentences, just because they were so well-written and sounded pleasing in my head.
As a character, Raine is interesting. She’s tough but tends to stay in the shadows. She’s kind, but sometimes her kindness is used against her. She’s rash, makes poor decisions, and doesn’t easily trust people. She’s a well-rounded character that is lively enough to seem real. However, I think the one thing that kind of let down the story for me is the fact that Raine is such a passive character. All these events and things are happening around her, and sometimes to her, but she never seems to take action and plant herself within the story as the protagonist. If McDonald had made her active, making her own choices and choosing her own paths, choosing to enter into this fight against evil, then that would have made the story that much stronger and entertaining.
One thing I did find fascinating was the magic systems. At first, I found it all to be confusing, but as the story went on and things were explained, I couldn’t help but be impressed. It’s obvious that McDonald put a lot of thought and effort into his magic system and I really do want to see more!
Overall, I would rate this book 7/10 for being interesting and a great start to what should be a new and original series. I wish I could have loved it more than I did, but all of this is just my thoughts and opinions. Some readers’ tastes may differ and find the book much more interesting. That said, Daughter of Redwinter is a thought-provoking story about a girl caught up in the whirlwind of ancient magic and the threat of war, and how even the smallest choices can affect our lives, perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and the Robert Jordan.
Daughter of Redwinter is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Those who see the dead soon join them.
From the author of the critically-acclaimed Blackwing trilogy comes Ed McDonald’s Daughter of Redwinter, the first of a brilliant fantasy series about how one choice can change a universe.
Raine can see–and more importantly, speak–to the dead. It’s a wretched gift with a death sentence that has her doing many dubious things to save her skin. Seeking refuge with a deluded cult is her latest bad, survival-related decision. But her rare act of kindness–rescuing an injured woman in the snow–is even worse.
Because the woman has escaped from Redwinter, the fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, warrior magicians who answer to no king and who will stop at nothing to retrieve what she’s stolen. A battle, a betrayal, and a horrific revelation forces Raine to enter Redwinter. It becomes clear that her ability might save an entire nation.
Pity she might have to die for that to happen…
