this was an enjoyable read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the storyline itself. I look forward to reading more from the author.

This book fooled me with the opening scene of our protagonist literally kicking ass... Unfortunately, it turned out this one wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed the first 30% and thought the book was off to a great start. I liked getting to know Maddox, I thought she was a strong, imperfect and independent woman. I also liked the setting of Greyport and I thought the characters there were well distinguished.

However, once Wulfric is introduced and she leaves Greyport, it all went downhill for me from there. Our once kick ass heroine, slowly devolves into the 'little girl' everyone is always saying she is.. Even though she is well into adulthood.

She becomes a weak, lost, little dog, who's only purpose seems to be to whine and ask Wulfric questions, so Wulfric can answer them and let the reader know what's going on. I wasn't a fan of this type of story-telling.

This book just wasn't my personal cup of tea. This final copy was also riddled with typos.

I loved this book, It was a fun read and it was definitely different then what I am used to reading! I couldn't put it down, this author knows how to write a good novel!

****Review****


Action-packed world with a kick-ass heroine



This is a world I would love to visit. I found myself on an emotional roller coaster, Maddox Black only wants to open the damned gates but every step of the way she has to fight outside sources ready to kill her. I was hooked from the first page to the last. I actually groaned out loud (Annoying my partner in the process) when it ended.
This is a series I am going to follow closely. E.Earle has a unique was of writing drawing the reader with every page. Truethfully I am hoping the next book Wulfric and his little wolf evolve the relationship, they way he said mine made me instantly think they was mated.
Thank you to Netgalley/ E.Earle/BookGoSocial for the ARC in exchange for a honest review

I initially had a problem with this book - I was about to give up about 10% of the way through - much sooner than normal, but then suddenly the story improved and much that had been obscure began to make senses. All after she met The Hunter.
Maddy’s father was rather more than he seemed and thus his journals were rather more than just journals of his travels. Thus they became very important and more than The Grim were after them. Although it was stated that only Maddy and her father could read them as they were in a special code. And her mother was more than just a woman from the Half Woods too. And over the course of this story, Maddy begins to learn that she is more too. Powers have been inherited from her father as well as her mother.
Is it a good story? Well it is a gruesome story and not one to read at bedtime unless you want nightmares. The author has let their imagination run riot in the ‘how awful can this creature be?’ vein of story-telling. Will I read more of this story? Probably not as it is just a bit too gruesome for me, but I would like to know that the children are rescued unharmed, more than that doesn’t bother me. 4 stars in the end.

I thought the story was excellent and the gruesomely vile creatures and characters Maddox meets along the way fuel the story so well. It did have similar elements to The Witcher that I appreciated, even more so by the fact that the similarities were not blatant rip offs or TOO similar.
My only complaint was with the editing process. Words were left out of sentences, words were used in place of other words unintentionally, etc. This is the only reason this book AND the second book in this series were not given 5 stars. It becomes far more distracting for my brain than I would like and did end up taking away from the overall experience of reading an otherwise awesome story.
However, I enjoyed this first installment so much that I immediately bought the next one on Kindle so I could find out how the story progressed. I love the imagination and the characters' drive to accomplish what needs to be, regardless of how they are perceived. The author's ability to create and imagine a fun, dark, and adventurous narrative is wonderful, and stories like these are the reason I'll be a lifelong reader.

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read book 2! I hope to see the relationship between. Wulfrik and Little Wolf develop into something “more.” ;)

The only thing negative about this book was the formatting. I assume the printed book reads smoother than this digital copy.

I really enjoyed this book and the main character Maddox. It brought you in right at the beginning and was hard to put down. It fed information about the setting/characters at just the right pace, which I don't often find in these epic adventure stories.

I love Earle's writing style, it was very easy to fall into this story and Maddox is a great spirited character who's easy to like and relate to.
Her journey, her rebellious nature and determined search for her father's book is engaging and keeps you turning pages.
A great read and easily recommended!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC!

I liked the way the author plunges the reader into her version of a swashbuckling hunt for identity in a dark world. How can any young female reader not love a female lead like this who shears her hair off in a moment of rebellious rage? It is easy to make the leap into the reality of the sea witch's daughter and the family stolen from her cousin. Overall, I find E.Earle very talented and I became interested in this world she created.

A heroine wanting to claim her father's journal. She want to open passageways to return semblance of prosperity to the town. She works hard to acquire a fishing sloop from a captain. While walking in the footsteps of her father, she is hindered by what her mother. She cannot accomplish her goal without new partnerships and take on a bigger journey.The story was written well and I enjoyed the writing style. The characters was sympatic and understandable. The plot nice made, very good story.