Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book was... Okay. I wanted to love it, I wanted the contents to match the beautiful cover, and to prove the other reviewers wrong. And while there was lots to enjoy - the worldbuilding, the relationships between characters, the magic - the writing just felt very... juvenile to me. It read more like a debut, which I know this is not. However, like I said, there were aspects I enjoyed, and I enjoyed them enough to want more, and to want to read the sequel when it's released next year. Hopefully I will find the writing style more to my taste. 3.5 stars, but rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC!

This book was an interesting read. I have Jon Skovron's other series on my radar, but ultimately this story fell a little flat for me. The characters were forgettable and the writing was too descriptive, making the story drag. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys slower paced stories!

Surely that has to be the most gorgeous cover ever to grace a fantasy novel? It certainly got my attention. I did enjoy the book and I particularly liked the sibling relationship between the two pov characters - Sonja and Sebastian, who find themselves on opposite sides of a war. The pace is slow but suits the story and clearly it's laying groundwork for the next book. Something failed to fully connect for me and I can't put my finger on it. But overall this was a good read.

While I thought this was well written overall, I just wasn't invested in the characters or story. The pacing was a little uneven at times and the plot dragged for me. This one didn't work for me, but it's still worth checking out if it sounds interesting to you.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. Views are my own and are not influenced.

I have Jon Skovron’s Empire of Storms series on my TBR, which I haven’t got to you. So, when I saw Ranger of Marzanna on NetGalley I was excited to read it… especially because of that cover. Isn’t it stunning? The cover is also a great example of the atmosphere you can expect to envision when reading this book.

Ranger of Marzanna is told from the POVs of two siblings, Sonya and Sebastian. Sebastian, as it turns out is a very powerful wizard who is recruited into the Imperial army, against the wishes of his father, and moulded into a loyal subject. Sonya on the other hand if a Ranger of Marzanna—loved by the local population; fear by their enemies; and servants to Lady Marzanna, the God of Death and Winter. Lady Marzanna has the power to allow her rangers to cheat death and requests boon… but at great cost to their humanity.

This is a well-written story, which is quite slow-paced. It’s atmospheric, particularly when Sonya is in the wilderness and during the appearances of Lady Marzanna. Out in the wilderness, beyond the Tundra, is the Uaine—an interesting culture we are introduced to in the second half of the book. They remind me of how Vikings are traditionally perceived, minus the seafaring but with the addition of necromancy.

There are a lot of interesting aspects to this tale, like the aforementioned Uaine, Lady Marzanna and also the life of a ranger. However, there is something not quite there, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly. As I already stated this is a well-written book, an easy read and quite enjoyable. There is a place for it, it’s like one of those 6/7 out of 10 movies that you can watch when you don’t want something too heavy that you have to think about too deeply.

The story is quite predictable, and I didn’t think the characters were particularly strong. I certainly wasn’t pulled into the book by any of them, except maybe Sonya—though there was also something lacking there. She is a badass, skilled, flippant and dedicated to both her people and way of life. It was probably the impact of other characters and interaction with her that prevented me from fully buying in. As for Sebastian, I didn’t like him. He’s weak and whiny, but not in a good way.

Two other aspects of the book bugged me. Firstly, the constant use of full names. When characters are speaking it’s fine, as in the society presented in the book it is rude to address somebody both their forename only unless they have permitted you to do so. But there is no need for Skovron to keep writing the full names outside of speech. I found it annoying. The second thing was something I don’t like seeing in any book: broken-speech. Okay, some of the Uaine are not native speakers of the language, so maybe there would be some mispronunciations, such as with names, but it was nearly every word they spoke. It’s just something I’m not a fan of. There is a character in the Lightbringer series who is the same and, though thankfully not in the books too often, and I’ve said the same about that. I know other reviewers who feel the same about that kind of thing.

Side note just before I finish the review. I’ve also added this book to the LGBTQ+ category on the blog. Though same-sex relationships are not active in the book, they are implied within the Uaine culture. I believe this is an area that will be built on in the second book.

Overall, this is a decent read. I wouldn’t recommend putting it to the top of your TBR, but if you have time then you’ll likely enjoy the book. Also, if you are looking for an easy read that isn’t too long and that you don’t need to think about too much, this is an ideal book for that. I will be interested in reading the second book in the series and seeing where this series goes.

The Ranger of Marzanna was a book that I thoroughgoingly enjoyed reading but did leave me with somewhat mixed feelings. I enjoyed the writing, and until the end, the pacing was well balanced, it was a story that carried you along, and the worldbuilding was fantastic, creating a very atmospheric read. I enjoyed the Russian-inspired aspects of the story, and the description, especially when it came to the environment was spot on, as you could feel the chill.
One of my favourite parts of the book, and what stood out for me the most was the Rangers – their religion, and how their relationship with their Goddess worked. The idea of boons and divine intervention coming at a cost, that brought the Ranger closer to her, and the wild was fascinating, and the effect those changes had on the Rangers. It was something a little different, and I hope that this will be explored further in the next two books, especially as we have seen glimpses of what it is doing to Sonya’s character. In contrast, the magic that is used by her brother was less distinctive – although some of its applications were interesting – and I would have liked to have learned more about the rules and restrictions, although that might come later on.
In terms of the characters, I adored Sonya from the start – that is not to say that she was perfectly written, or that there weren’t aspects of her character that felt a little too emotional and extreme. But I certainly connected more with her than any of the other characters. She was flawed and conflicted, impulsive, but learning to how to strategize and lead, and be what the people needed her to be. Her brother, on the other hand, was not a character I could connect with. There was a point when he first questioned what he was doing that I thought that maybe he would be redeemable, but by the end of the book, any sympathy I might have had for him had long since disappeared. I felt that the characters that were against the Empire were more developed and interesting than those that served the Empire, although that may be more due to the context and may change in the next book.
I think the biggest issue that I had with the book was the ending. Throughout the story, we had been building to this conflict, but when it came, it felt incredibly rushed. We got to see some of the build-up on both sides – and again, I thought that the strongest part of the narrative was on the side of the opposing force rather than the Empire, but the battle itself, felt as though it was over in the blink of an eye. That is not to say that there weren’t some stand out moments. Such as the adverse effects that Sebastian’s Elemental Magic could have on his side, and the way Sonya’s ‘beast’ qualities rose to the surface- but for the most part, it was a disappointing conclusion to the tension that had been building.
However, despite the flaws, I did enjoy this book which has bumped up my rating. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, especially after the epilogue which to a certain extent redeemed the ending. And I am hoping that the questions I have will be answered and that the characters such as Sebastian that need more development will have that opportunity to grow.

I liked The Ranger of Marzanna but I didn't love it. I liked the basic concept of two siblings on opposite sides of a war but I just found the novel a bit one-dimensional. None of the characters had any depth and most of them lacked growth. With fantasy novels, I expect carefully woven plot points, lots of layers and unexpected twists and turns that make gasp aloud. I just didn't get that.

We get chapters in the POVs of both Sonya and Sebastian as well as chapters from assorted other characters including their mother Irina but despite this I didn't really connect with them. There are events at the beginning of the novel that I thought would have had a more profound effect on both Sonya and Sebastian but because they didn't the characters came off as a bit cold. Both Sonya and Sebastian were rather naive. Sebastian was so easy to manipulate and everything was black and white to Sonya. I would have liked to have a few chapters at the beginning anout their childhood so I could better understand their (lack of) relationship and Sonya's relationship with their mother.

Saying all that it was a quick, easy read that I liked. I would continue with the series but I would hope to see a more layered story going forward.

I was very excited for the book at the start. An interesting magical system with some interesting Gods, that just sounded very promising. Also, the setting with the conflict between the Empire and the other countries was promising.

Unfortunately, this was not my favourite. It is not a bad book and I think a lot of people will appreciate the adventure and conflict, but it was not really for me. This comes from the characters, I could not relate with any and I knew (from experience of reading other similar books) exactly what they will say and do. The characters were just to typical, they fitted to well in the box. I could not stand the 2 main protagonists and their mother... absolutely no... not my favourite. I was more interested in the other characters and I wanted to know more about them.

On the other hand, the ending is promising. The last page made me intrigued for the next volume and I will give it a try when it will be published.

I feel like I wanted to know more about the Gods and the powers, why is this and that happening. Who is this or that God? Are they really the same? What does this or that God want? This is what kept me reading and I wish it was a little more of that. Also, I wanted to know more about the magic and why and how it actually worked, or more about the training they went through to get there. The last couple of pages hinted to presenting more in the next book, so that is why I still feel a little intrigued.

This eARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the views expressed in this review are my own.
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This was an excellent novel with great world-building and interesting characters. I do think that the pacing could have been adjusted slightly to make the length shorter, however it was not excessively long that it would lose my interest.

I liked the characters but I think they could have been developed further. Furthermore, the writing style was overly simple in describing action sequences to the extent that I felt most action/fight scenes fell flat and were not exciting at all.

Overall rating: 3/5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! The characters (a very good range of personalities), the plot (refreshing and gripping), the writing (reads like melted butter and invites you to soak yourself in it). There are some really shocking moments and more than a few laughs. "The Ranger of Marzanna" is an incredibly well-balanced book. Bring on book 2... soon, please!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I am somewhat torn about this book. It is in no way bad or poorly written, but I just wasn't invested at all. I almost didn't finish it as it did not really grip me even when I was about a third of the way through. However, as I am loathe to DNF books, especially ones I have been given a review copy of, I pushed on. The book did pick up a little further in, but I am still not sold on it. I have mixed feelings about most of it. While the world building had some things I wasn't big on, such as boring cultural tropes (fantasy Russia, fantasy Italy etc..) and generic unexplained magic use, there is also the aspect of the gods, the rangers, and the undead warriors. I particularly liked the way the ranger 'religion' worked and would have liked to see some more attention for this aspect. The characters felt a little double as well: on the one hand they were a little dull and flat and I did not feel any sort of connection with them, but on the other I liked how e.g. Sebastian seemed so genuine and firm in his convictions, not malicious but just ignorant. Still, the plot felt somewhat rushed and the final act was a bit anticlimactic. The epilogue managed to pique my interest, but I am unsure whether I would pick up the second book.

Rating: <b>2.5 stars</b>

<i>I was provided with a copy of The Ranger of Marzanna through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

The Ranger of Marzanna is the first in an amazing new trilogy by Jon Skovron. The Goddess Wars is a trilogy in the dark fantasy vein and it’s one that I am highly anticipating. The Ranger of Marzanna (Book one) is knock you r socks off fantastic!
Think a female version of Tolkien’s Ranger character Strider in a fantastical medieval Russia of a fantasy world with magic abound and battles between warring fractions imminent. Sonya is a fierce and kickass character and one I am SO EXCITED to follow the adventures of.
A veritable Feyre or Aelin but for adults - Sonya is marvellous.

If you’ve not got this on your list, add it now! You’re going to kick yourself if you miss it.

3.75
The first half of this book I thought that this was a standard 2.5-3 star book. The storyline wasn't particularly unique and I didn't feel that invested in the characters. However I found myself really enjoying and connecting more with the characters in the last half. The stakes were raised and there was more action. At first I didn't actually like Sonya much, she was strong-willed and badass but I found her distance and kind of distain towards her family annoying, also her single mindeness unrelatable. However once she started to interact with certain characters, I started to see her as actually quite amusing and I slowly became more fond of her. I also think that the annoyance that I started to have with her brother helped me to become more on her side. I started out feeling sorry for Sebastian and kind of protective of him but as he showed himself to be ruled by his emotions and so corruptible from those around him, he started to aggravate me, which is obviously the author's plan. I wanted to shake some sense into him! There is still hope that he is not completely unredeemable though. I do understand his struggle and he is so young and naive, people take advantage, I feel that near the end he was starting to see through some of the lies that had been told to him.
Galina is a interesting character to read from, when she is introduced you don't realise what a important part she'll play. Her feelings towards Sebastian are complicated, with good reason! She isn't just the sweet, soft love interest as she seems in the beginning.
My favourite characters had to be Jorge and Blaine. Jorge is just so kind and caring. He's loyal and is sometimes the voice of much needed reason to Sonya (I see a few parallels between his role with Sonya and Galina's with Sebastian). When Blaine was introduced was when I started to actually enjoy myself, his humour brought some needed relief from the up to then quite serious characters. I'm especially intrigued to see how all three character's relationship might end up. I see much potential there.
Overall not the most unique plot and set up but the characters have depth and the magic system is pretty interesting, I'm interested to see what happens next.

I liked the world builidng but I couldn't connect to the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

Atmospheric, slow-paced, and well-written, but I have mixed feelings.

I haven’t read the series, but I’ve heard many great things about Jon Skovron’s Empire of Storms trilogy. When I saw that Skovron’s newest book, The Ranger of Marzanna, is a Russian inspired fantasy that has Magali Villleneuve as the cover artist—look at that cover art, it’s stunning—I immediately put this book on my radar. The result of the content, however, isn’t as likable as I hoped. I’ll keep this review briefer than usual; there were several factors that I enjoyed reading and parts that didn’t work for me in almost equal measure.

The Ranger of Marzanna follows the tale of two siblings that finds themselves fighting for a different side. Sonya is training to be a Ranger of Marzanna, and she’s fighting for Marzanna—her goddess of winter and death. Her brother Sebastian, on the other hand, is a powerful sorcerer fighting for the invading empire that Sonya hates. These two characters are probably the biggest reason why this book didn’t work for me. Not only they’re not likable, but I also found their motivations for their actions throughout the book aren’t too well fleshed out. Sonya—as someone who’s training to be a Ranger of Marzanna—tends to constantly switch between happy-go-lucky to an instant killing mode done based on being very emotional and ridiculously rash. The goddess she’s fighting for doesn’t seem to bring any joy but suffering for her devotee. Also, at the beginning of the book, Sonya and Sebastian had their father killed, Sebastian ends up joining the killer side. Why? Because the killer appreciates his talent for magic, and Sebastian was never close with his father anyway. This is such a stupid reason, even for a kid. These two main characters needed more exposition and characterizations for their actions to make sense. Plus, except Jorge and Galina, almost all of the characters were utterly difficult to care for.

“Every father longs to save their child from the suffering they themselves endured. And I won’t lie and tell you there won’t be suffering somewhere along this path. But there is always suffering. On any path. That is an unavoidable part of life, regardless of what you choose to do with it. Suffering is what makes us who we are.”


Admittedly, although the characters failed to compel me, they do have a distinctive voice from each other. This is a well-written book, and the contrast between each character’s POV—especially between Sonja and Sebastian—was well done. Skovron’s world-building felt atmospheric; The Ranger of Marzanna is a Russian-inspired fantasy, and the environmental description implement made me feel cold. It was as if I was there experiencing the whiteness of the scenery and the coldness of the weather. Also, check out this—probably—nod to Assassin’s Creed:

“Apparently one could survive a jump from sixty feet into a wagon filled with straw, but not without great cost.”


The Ranger of Marzanna is a good start to a trilogy, but I seriously have no idea how the content of this book will be able to stand out among countless amazing books in the genre right now. I truly believe that we’re living in the golden age of fantasy at the moment, and it will be challenging for The Ranger of Marzanna to earn its spot inside it; it’s a good read to pass the time, but in my opinion, there aren’t enough noteworthy features in this novel. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with this one.

Official release date: 23rd April 2020 (UK) and 21st April 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions