Series: The Redwinter Chronicles #1
Release Date: June 28th 2022
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 345
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

If you can see the dead, you will soon be one of them…

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…

Review

Ed McDonald’s Raven’s Mark series is one of my all time favourite trilogies so I was incredibly excited to read his newest release, Daughter of Redwinter. The story follows Raine, a young woman with the ability to see the dead. Having this ability is a death sentence and if anyone finds out she will be killed. When Raine finds herself at Redwinter, she wants nothing more than to be trained as one of the legendary Draoihn, but instead is forced to serve the apprentices she hoped to train with. When Raine uncovers a plot to harm the van of the LacNaithe clan, Raine has to use her ability to save everyone she knows.

Daughter of Redwinter is a book that feels completely different to McDonald’s previous work. While the story is dark, it doesn’t feel quite as grim. This first instalment is compelling and while it took me a little while to really get into the story, I was completely captivated. The story is well executed and I was definitely on the edge of my seat for the latter half of the book. There were some surprises I didn’t quite expect the ending has made me absolutely desperate to pick up Traitor of Redwinter.

The Raven’s Mark series has really detailed world building and this is true of Daughter of Redwinter also. The magic system based around gates was fascinating and Raine’s ability to see the dead made for some particularly eerie and dark scenes. McDonald explains the magic and history clearly without info-dumping and I can’t wait to see how the world expands as the story continues.

Raine is a really fascinating protagonist and she undergoes so much in one story. I loved seeing her grow as a person and can’t wait to see where the story takes her. I particularly liked seeing her friendships grow with the other girls at Redwinter. I also really liked Sanvaunt and Ulovar and hope we get to see more of them in book two.

Daughter of Redwinter is a tense, gripping start to a new fantasy series. If you’re looking for a book that will have you turning pages long into the night, then look no further than this.