This took ages to read, I pushed it back over and over again - it was published nearly 5 years ago. Mea culpa!

I just couldn't get into the story, which might be partly because it is the second book in a series, and partly because I was bored by the extremely slowly progressing story.

I don't think I'm a fan of Patrick's writing and i just wasn't interested in the characters and the world building didn't grip me either

Witchsign by Den Patrick is a slow burn of a novel, but promises a solid foundation for the Ashen Torment series. Den, whose previous stories included the dark fantasy series Erebus Sequence, writes Witchsign as a novel that can be appreciated by adult and YA readers alike.

Their town of Cinderfall is colored in gray shades, whether it be from ash or dirty snow, brother Steiner and sister Kjellrunn have only known the gray their whole lives. Steiner is a fledgling blacksmith apprentice; his goals in life are to take care of his family, especially his eccentric sister Kjellrunn, find a wife to love, and live in as much comfort as he can fight for. Kjellrunn has always known she was a little bit different. Instead of chasing boys and persuing relationships as some of the other girls in her village, Kjellrunn seeks out the calmness and solemnity of the forest. It brings her quietude, beauty, and color.

A ship arrives, as it does every year, full of the Empire's Invigilators. Invigilators are servants of the Empire and, specifically, the Emporer that seek out and sense those with witchsign. A set of power of the elements. Some have the ability for fire, some earth, some wind, and some water. If an Invigilator detects the witchsign than that child needs to report to the ship the following morning and be taken away permanently. No one knows what happens to the child. They are just gone. The Inviligators are rightly feared by parents and children alike. The time of the Invilligators has come, and it is Kjellrunn's turn to be tested...

The story is told almost entirely from the perspectives of the two kids, Kjellrunn and Steiner. Kjellrunn is left in the village and shunned by the whole community save for her dad and uncle. Steiner is mistakenly shipped away to an academy/prison that sits on a rocky island surrounded by rough seas called Vladibodgan. The island's location is a great secret and only know to those of high ranks in the Empire, and ships that bring supplies to the island. The kids' lives have taken drastic turns from each other. Steiner must survive his ordeal. He doesn't have Witchsign, and that is of great embarrassment to the invilligators in charge. Kjellrunn shunning leaves her unable to get food for her family; her family's smith is also being shunned and told to move to another town. Kjellrunn only wants to survive and help et her brother back at all costs. At the same time, Steiner wants to get off of the island and protect his sister.

I think this parallel of intention between Steiner and Kjellrunn is the heart of the story. Both are desperate to save the other. This desperation fuels the characters desire chapter by chapter. It is an exciting perspective for a reader to watch the scenes unfold and know that they might miss each other if they are successful.

As far as characters go, Steiner and Kjellrunn are pretty standard. At least at this point. Steiner is a sort of angsty teenager but, at his core, has morals and strength. Kjellrunn is also similar, angsty, but where Steiner has a core strength, Kjellrunn has a lot of emotion. I think this part is a means of differentiating her from other characters in the book. She feels a connectedness to the world and nature specifically that is not experienced in other characters. Both characters have moments where they are irritating. Steiner is very much a hothead, and Kjellrunn is a bit flighty. I think that as the story progresses, we will see these two characters mature. Their natures both will be tempered by experience, and they will grow as people.

There are also some great side characters in this book. The book mainly focuses on the siblings; however, we get insight into the side characters and interact with them. I get the impression that their presence in the main character's life will play a crucial role in future books.

I generally enjoyed Witchsign. Some moments slowed the pace down, and I was looking forward to switching perspectives. I think inevitably when reading Witchsign you will be either Team Steiner or Team Kjellrunn. Both have similar goals, save the other person. But I found myself on Steiner's team. I looked forward to the parts that featured him while not being wholly engaged in Kjellrunn's plight. Maybe that will change in future books, and Kjellrunn will be a character that will have more growth and be more enjoyable for me to read. But as it stands, she seems almost as a side character.

The worldbuilding shines in this book. Patrick expertly creates a unique world. Some elements build on popular mythology in fantasy novels, but generally, the world feels very fresh and inventive. I loved the magic system. The last 20% of the book moved at a lightning pace. The action, coupled with the sold world creation, made it fly page to page. I hope that this pace continues in the next novel, Stormtide, and I am looking forward to seeing what new plot twists Patrick will pull.

Loved it like the first one! Love the author's writing, the world building and characters.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Unfortunately I find that I am unable to read and review this book as I did not particularly enjoy the first. Whilst Witchsign was well written and had an interesting premise, it did not manage to convince me to continue reading this series.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK/Harper Voyager for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Stormtide’, the second in Den Patrick’s Ashen Torment series, in exchange for an honest review. It was published in the U.K. on 30 May 2019.

I am a little late with my review as I needed to read the first in the series before starting this one. I enjoyed ‘Witchsign’ on audio and so opted to purchase this also on audio. Both books are narrated by Thomas Judd.

‘Stormtide’ continues the story of reluctant hero Steiner and his family, companions and adversaries that began in ‘Witchsign’. I especially enjoyed that the mysterious Silverdust had his own chapters.

The pace slowed a bit here though I appreciated this as it allowed for more character development and world-building. I felt that it sustained its energy while setting up for the finale. There was still plenty of action.

I love the Scandinavian inspired mythology of this series. Dragons and gods feature in interesting ways (...no spoilers).

Special mention for the exquisite cover art for both books. I had wondered about how whales would feature (again no spoilers but it was amazing).

I will certainly be eagerly looking out for news from Harper Voyager about the final book in the trilogy.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This book had an intriguing premise. However, the writing left much to be desired. I felt as though this book was more relationship heavy and based than focusing on fantasy. Perhaps this is because it is the second book in a trilogy. However, the prose started off descriptive and lyrical but it became such that it drew me out of the story and I lost interest unfortunately. I am sure that there are others out there who will enjoy this book.

Stormtide picks up right from the end of Witchsign and the characters are quickly split into three groups: Steiner, his father and Kristofine, Kjellrun and lastly Kimi. Each thread of the story helps to expand the world created by Patrick and push the story on further.

Yes, there were times when Stormtide dragged a little and it did suffer a bit from middle book syndrome but on the whole it was very good. The last third of the book was excellent and I was so excited to read it that I didn’t want to put the book down. It has gods, it has dragons and it has an evil empire so what more could you want?

I still enjoy the characters even though they could be a bit whiny at times but, thankfully, they get over that by the end and come across as actual heroes and not petulant teenagers (Yes, Steiner, I’m looking at you). I get that Kjellrun is affected by what happened in book one and I sympathise with her about that but I was so relieved when she actually got over it and started acting like the adult she almost is.

Stormtide is a well written book and the pacing is mostly ok and despite there being a couple of instances where it dragged a little, it was exciting. I liked getting to know the characters better and I enjoyed Kimi having an expanded role in this story. Silverdust has his own chapters as well which were very interesting to read. We get to learn more of the Emperor, the past and the world is expanded greatly which all serve to make this a very interesting book.

I enjoyed Stormtide. It was a fun and quick read which builds on Witchsign. I like the characters, I like the world and I enjoy the story. Now I just have to wait for book three