This first instalment in a new trilogy by Ed McDonald doesn’t have the same humour and gritty edge as Blackwing, that’s not a criticism at all, it’s just a different direction for the author but it’s still a hugely enjoyable read with great potential for the rest of the series.

Raine is a young woman who starts the book saving a young woman in the snow, inadvertently bringing death and destruction to her people. When potential is seen in Raine during the massacre, she is taken to Redwinter to be trained by the Draoihn, warriors with magic, however she holds a dangerous secret: she can both see and speak with the dead.

Raine is a great character but it’s quite hard to relate or ‘see’ her sometimes, this is literally a plot point – a mental barrier has ben placed in Raine’s mind to shield her. However this means you don’t experience an emotional character in the face of a lot of trauma including domestic violence, grooming and, well, a lot of death! There is an element of disconnect because of this, that’s not to say that people don’t sometimes mentally ‘shutdown’ rather than face their pain, emotionally numbing as a side effect of PTSD, but in a book where you are experiencing horror with a person, it dilutes it somewhat to see Redwinter and Raine’s pain through this filter, you can be horrified by her grooming and domestic violence but she never is, for example. That said, this is not necessarily a flaw, it’s a different take on emotional response, but not one you can’t relate to in the empty ‘numbness’ of depression. Nonetheless, Raine is an interesting character, defiant and brave and still understanding herself and I’m looking forward to learning her as the books continue, it’s difficult to not like her.

I really enjoyed the world building, the magic system of the Draoihn of gates and powers and the concept of the veil and The Faded. There are also some really good action/fight scenes and as the book progresses you follow Raine’s progression into a warrior as she learns and trains her skills.

This book has great potential, has high stakes and drama and complex characters and I really enjoyed this first installment and intrigued to read more.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. Once again Ed McDonald has created a world I’m absolutely invested in.

The first book in a new series by Ed McDonald, Daughter of Redwinter tells the story of Raine, a girl whose life has been dogged by her (illegal) ability to see and speak with ghosts. The book starts with her and a cult lead by three aged nuns that is protecting her, under siege by mage warriors. Raine accidentally saves the life of a woman she finds being chased by these same warrior mages - an act that changes her life even further.

This was a really strong start to the book, and I had a real sense of being chased and hounded through the dark woods and tunnels of the ruined castle. After that, Raine is taken in by the very mages that she had tried to save the woman from and the book's pace slows down massively. There then follows long sections of world-building exposition and character introspection and slightly tedious political/noble one-upmanship. This was in contrast to McDonald's first series, where the worldbuilding was fairly vague and left to the reader to pick up hints of along the way with almost constant action and plot-progression. This is saved somewhat by the conclusion of the book, but I really felt the middle half really dragged - I only hope the second book benefits from this investment in time.

A really good book, but some work is needed from the reader to soldier on through the middle.

Unfortunately this fell a little flat for me. Although the world feels epic in scale, we never get the necessary build up of backstory or deceptions to a comfy the atmosphere. The characters feel a little flat in comparison and the overall story feels a bit generic too. At this point I've read that much fantasy that I need something a bit different to make it stand out for me, and the way this plot meanders for too long I found I couldn't really get myself caught up in it to feel any kind of investment in where the story was going.

Well written, but the plot felt a bit lacklustre with not enough world building for me.

This was one of top 3 in 2022. I absolutely loved it.

It felt really fresh, I had no idea where the story was taking me and it was so refreshing just to sit back and enjoy it.

Very much looking forward to the next one.

Unique writing voice but not on the level of Blackwing or the Raven's Mark. I'll still be reading McDonald though.

I fell in love with the cover of this book first, then read the premise and knew I had to read it. It is now one of my all-time favourite books - I even splurged on The Broken Binding copy!!!
Ed has masterfully crafted an epic world filled with magic and intrigue. I can't wait to see what comes next.

I have to admit, I knew nothing about this book, but I liked the cover and the blurb was interesting enough.

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.
The author walks a fine line between YA and adult book, sometimes, Raine got a bit on my nerves, but not so much that I did not enjoy the story from start to finish. There is a sapphic love interest that’s not dominating the story, but interwoven in an engaging way. Raine herself is bisexual, which is a big plus for me, because I just don’t care about the heteronormative love stories anymore.

The story is a classic hero’s journey, but for an epic fantasy, its fairly short with just under 350 pages. The momentum the author builds from chapter one does not die down, and the story leaves you wanting to know more of the world. Many things are hinted at, and I’m looking forward to Book 2 next year.

5/5 Ducks

What can I say other than that this book has made into my favourites of the year?

I loved the writing style of this book, i fell straight into the story and just did not want to put it down!

The magic system was really cool and the politics and monsters were all great!

I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!

Daughter of Redwinter es una novela juvenil con un tono pausado y un tanto melancólico, que sirve para sentar las bases de lo que serán las Crónicas de Redwinter.


Ed McDonald decide presentarnos el mundo y a la protagonista de la obra en una situación bastante apurada, algo que despierta lo suficiente nuestro interés como para seguir con la lectura de un libro que en su parte intermedia puede resultar un tanto lento. Raine, la protagonista, es una joven de 17 años que debe mantener en secreto su capacidad para ver a los muertos, ya que si la descubren será condenada a muerte. En el mundo que construye el autor, la magia está presente en manos de unos cuantos privilegiados que son capaces de abrir “las puertas” con capacidades que avanzan progresivamente (es de suponer que también se incrementa el coste y la responsabilidad). Raine es ajena a todo esto, hasta que se cruza en su camino con una mujer herida a la que en un impulso bondadoso decide ayudar, sin ser consciente de todo lo que esta acción le acarreará.

Estos acontecimientos acabarán con Raine en la fortaleza de Redwinter, en principio como simple ayudante, pero luego se verá envuelta en intrigas y entuertos que deberá desfacer. Me gusta bastante cómo evoluciona el personaje, a pesar de que sus reacciones no sean totalmente naturales por el suceso que acontece al principio del libro. Me parece un personaje bien construido, bastante sólido. En cambio, el resto del elenco del libro son más planos y apenas se distinguen del fondo. No he sido capaz de acordarme de los nombres, pero no por desinterés por mi parte si no porque la caracterización no estaba a la misma altura que la de Raine.

La existencia de una institución encargada de velar para que las fuerzas del mal no vuelvan a alzarse es un recurso utilizado hasta la saciedad en el mundo de la fantasía. El hecho de que en esta novela esta institución esté corrupta tampoco debería sorprendernos, sin ir más lejos nos podemos fijar en The Justice of Kings, pero hay muchos más ejemplos. Me temo que Daughter of Redwinter no es precisamente la originalidad reencarnada, pero tampoco hace falta reinventar la rueda en cada libro.

Daughter of Redwinter es una novela de rito de madurez, aderezada con una cultura y magia atractivas aunque aún se mantengan en tinieblas durante la mayor parte del relato. Se le pueden poner pegas al ritmo y en ocasiones a la propia estupidez de algunos personajes, pero todos hemos sido jóvenes y hemos actuado más guiados por el corazón (u otras partes del cuerpo) que por el raciocinio.

What a fantastic book!

A fantasy book following a girl who can see and speak to the dead. Danger, suspense and excitement follows this story, as wee navigate a cool world with some fierce and fun characters. I liked the writing too- it was easy to follow and I can't wait to read the Blackwing trilogy by this author too.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

I preordered this as I loved the last trilogy by this author. This series is a lot different to that, with a teenage girl as the main character. However it had the same ability to hook me into the story and wasn't a typical coming of age tale . I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the next book.

Thanks netgalley and publishers for letting me read this before my pre-order

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
DNF... I personally didn't care for this very much. The premise was a bit too... twitchy... and I found that I didn't root for the main character at all.

Daughter of Redwinter is a mysterious High Fantasy book, perfect for fans of The Witcher 3 and the works of Joe Abercrombie.

When 17-year-old Raine helps an injured woman in the snow, her life is plunged into chaos. The woman, Hazia, hails from the monastery-fortress Redwinter. Its occupants, magic-wielding warriors called Draoihn, are searching for her and an artifact she stole. Raine, meanwhile, has problems of her own. She fled home at a young age to travel with a cult and she can see ghosts. A secret that, if found out, could get her killed.

After a catastrophe and a perilious journey, Raine soon finds herself in Redwinter, looking to solve the mysteries around Hazia's theft. When warring clans grapple for control over magic, and someone seeks to harm Redwinter, Raine must use all the powers at her disposal to save her new friends.

The beginning of this book was explosive. You were immediately thrown into the action, and the descriptions were vivid and powerful. For the first quarter of the book, I was unable to put it down. The action scenes were formidable, albeit very brutal. In the middle parts, the plot slowed down in and focused more on Raine's character, as well as the connections she makes in Redwinter. Since I liked Raine as a protagonist, I didn't mind this. The mystery aspect of the book got a bit lost here, though. I would have preferred it to be prominent throughout the story. Moreover, I agree with other reviewers that the third quarter of the book should have been shorter. There was too much introspection and not enough action. Many scenes could have either been cut or drastically shortened. The last quarter, however, was exciting again. I genuinely did not see some of the twists and turns coming.

I instantly took a liking to the protagonist, Raine. From the first scene where she -albeit reluctantly- saves Hazia, I knew she would be one of my favorite female protagonists. Her narration was very distinct, and her dry observations made the book for me. Moreover, her tenacious nature and will to determine her future made her a great protagonist. Raine fights, fails, and gets back up.

The book is quite character-focused. For a 17-year-old, Raine has seen a lot of horrors and you couldn't help but feel for her. We learn she had a very complicated past with her mother. At the start of the book, she was also in an abusive relationship with an older man. As a result, she has quite low self-esteem and is distant to others. Because of her experiences in the beginning of the book, she also struggles to feel empathy and doesn't know who she can trust. Seeing her come into her own and form meaningful, healthy relationships, was really great.

Raine undergoes great development in the book, mainly coming to terms with being mistreated in her life. There were also discussions about privilege here, which I approved of. More often than not, heroes in fantasy are from the higher classes or at least rise to them. Having Raine be decidedly lower-class was a great layer to her character.

Other authors would have written Raine to be Not Like Other Girls and had her look down on other women. Not Ed McDonald. Raine shows nothing but respect and admiration for the women around her. We see women in positions of great power here, be it in the actual plot or the lore of the world. Raine also forms very close attachments to two female apprentices of Redwinter. I loved that. We need more female friendships in fantasy. A sapphic romance also got teased, which I didn't expect but was delighted by!

As for the side characters, I enjoyed them a lot, especially the apprentices of Redwinter: Sanvaunt, Esher and Liara. Although I would have liked Esher and Liara to be in more scenes, I'm excited to see more of them in the sequel. There was also the fantasy version of a girls' night out in this book and damn, I loved it so much. Again, more female friendships in fantasy, please!

Another aspect I loved is how McDonald wrote a dude with a Nice Guy Complex. As in, he was not nice at all and quite annoying. Ovitus, the heir of Redwinter, is a self-entitled prick who sees the women around him as stand-ins for his romantic fantasies. Nevermind their actual wants or personalities. On top of that, he is self-pitying to no end. He was basically like Samwell Tarly from GoT. Except here he doesn't get the girl and THANK GOD for that. Every scene he was in I wanted to punch something. You wouldn't necessarily expect a male author to write a plot like that so props to Ed McDonald.

The book also tackles a lot of heavy themes, like abusive relationships, domestic violence, grief, trauma, and depression. Despite that, the book was not as dark as you would think. The darker elements were well-balanced with humorous parts and Raine's witty narration.

The worldbuilding was expansive and imaginative. I will say a lot of the Scottish inspiration went over my head, apart from the clans. I'm sure the initiated will appreciate them. You could tell that McDonald put a lot of effort into crafting the history and lore of his world without it being overbearing. We learned just enough about it to keep the story interesting. For the forgetful, like me, there is a glossary at the back of the book. The magic system was well-crafted. Without spoiling, it reminded me a little of the magic system in Malazan. The setting also reminded me a lot of The Witcher 3 game, which is one of the highest compliments I can give.

All in all, Daughter of Redwinter was a terrific beginning to the series, and I gave it 4/5 stars. Fans of The Witcher or John Gwynne's Malice need to pick this up!

Books with covers like this immediately catch my attention, which is why I am here today to speak about Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald.
I've never read anything by the aforementioned author, but reading various reviews around, I've only read praise about his previous publications, but being new to him, I didn't know what to expect.

Raine has a gift, namely that of being able to communicate with the dead. It is something, however, that she has kept hidden for a lifetime, because this could put her life at risk.
Everything, however, goes to hell when she rescues an injured girl in the snows.
The woman escapes from Redwinter, a fortress-monaster of Draoihn, where people live who are not subject to any laws.
These people pursue the girl Raine has rescued, and she, in an unprecedented act of kindness, decides to help her and discovers that her gift might save the world, but put her life at risk.

Daughter of Redwinter is one of those novels that starts off with a bang but gets lost along the way after that.
I found the beginning really gripping, the worldbuilding created by the author, the terminology, the slight historical influence.
It's well written, smooth flowing, but after a while it gets lost and I'm not as passionate about it as the beginning. As if the author focused only there and the rest comes as it goes.
The basic idea is intriguing, and although this first volume did not excite me, I will not fail in reading the books to come.

The brilliant start to an epic fantasy series, it has a strong and intriguing main character who draws the reader into her world. With magic and mystery along with treachery and deceit and a cast of conspirators that are dark and deadly. This book has everything a fantasy reader could hope for and more.
This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author and I’ve loved every one of them. Superb.

Thank you to the publisher Tor and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, underage relationships, horror, ghosts

At first 'Daughter of Redwinter' failed to hold my attention completely but by the halfway mark I was desperate to know how things would end for Raine and the other characters of Redwinter. This is a complicated fantasy, made up of clans and a wonderful magical system but it's so well written and rounded that I didn't automatically feel overwhelmed. Raine as a protagonist is engaging and hugely enjoyable, though she seems far older than 17. Her relationships with the other characters develop quickly but don't reach the heights that I was hoping for (at least not in this first book) by the end. However, the action, horror and tension were all brilliantly done, as well as the twist towards the end about the identity of a certain character. The 'Daughter of Redwinter' has no clear heroes or villains, which I liked, and the worldbuilding was excellently woven into the story. I do wish that more had been done with Raine's ability to see the ghosts of the dead, as it emphasised just how much it affected her life. Overall, this book was an good dark fantasy that could have been developed a little further.

Daughter of Redwinter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I confess it was the cover that attracted me to this, it’s beautiful. Then I realised the book was written by Ed MacDonald.

An exciting fantasy that is filled with danger, loyalty and friendship. Looks like the start to a great new series.

Raine appears to be young and naive at the opening, pretty much dooming the cult that she lives with by an act of kindness.

Yet Raine survives as does her secret! What follows is a well fleshed out universe, with an exciting new magic system and danger never seems to be far away. I was kept reading and actually bought the audio to enable on the go listening.

This is much less dark than MacDonald’s previous books. I cared about Raine from the outset and was pretty much hooked from page one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gollancz Orion Books

My geatitude NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest reviw.
"Daughter of the Redwinter" is the first book in the "Redwinter Chronicles" series. This is my first book by Ed McDonald. An exciting epic fantasy full of danger, mystery and suspense.
The main heroine, Raine has the sinister ability to commune with the dead and she has to keep it secret as it can cost her life. When she rescues an injured woman that has an important mission she is caught up in a copelling development of events.
The worldbuilding stands out as the a veil separates the real world from a hidden realm populated by demons and other evil beings. There are multiple intriguing hints that this is much more than it seems at the surface.
An enjoyable read with a bit slower burn in the midlle section, but with engaging characters and an intese climax.

Daughter of Redwinter started out great: fast-paced and full of action, it didn’t let you rest before it threw you straight into the world headfirst. And then it slowed down.

Let me put this one bluntly: this is a book that I felt was too long. Had it kept up the pace from the opening 120 pages or so, then the fact that it was almost 500 pages wouldn’t have registered to me. Instead, for the middle 250 pages or so, it slows to an almost snail’s pace (it feels, at times), before finally, finally, picking back up in the final 120 pages.

A large chunk of the middle section didn’t drive the story forward, didn’t really provide much character development either. And this might have been okay, if I had felt like this was providing the world and characters with depth, but there was a shallowness to it all. It had some cool concepts, for sure—what comes to mind is the magic system—but, while that was fleshed out, a lot of the world wasn’t. As I said, this wouldn’t have mattered so much if it had kept up the pace, or even if there had been a slowburning mystery unfolding in the background. Instead, that mystery was shoved in at the end, all the investigating done in a rush, and the twist coming almost out of nowhere (I’m not necessarily against this, but I do think twists work a little better if you seed very tiny hints in amongst it, so that the reader might go back and think “oh, that’s where it was”).

The characters, too, suffered from this. Our narrator was, perhaps understandably, most so, although at times it felt as though everything happened too easily for her, she came up trumps whatever she tried (though definitely not as badly as in some other books I’ve read). It’s the side characters who suffered most, even those who were supposed to be some kind of example to the main character. One in particular, Ovitus, seemed to be only there to provide some kind of comic relief—almost every word that came out of his mouth was about Liana, no matter the topic that began the conversation, he would always find a way to bring it back to her—the “joke” being that he was unsuitable for pretty much everything (including her) because he was a scholar and also fat (this latter one perhaps being unintentional, but it sure got brought up more than his scholarliness when it came to why he was unsuitable). I say comic relief, but the truth is, he was never funny. While never quite reaching this level of two-dimensionality, the other characters could each be summed up fairly rapidly, in a few words.

I think the only reason I might say that this book merited being rounded up to 3 stars from 2.5, was that there was promise to it all. As I said, the opening and closing 120 pages were fun, they were action-packed and, if the book had continued like that, then there are a number of things in this review that wouldn’t have mattered as much.

As it was, though, this was not an auspicious start to my reading Ed McDonald.

Ed McDonald is an absolute wizard when it comes to creating characters. They are people on page that you just start to feel strongly for. It is as true for Raven’s Mark trilogy as much as it is true for Daughter of Redwinter. It’s one of those books that make you realize that, in fact, you had simply been enjoying your previous reads on an average level, and this very title just made you go – oh, but this is how a reading experience CAN feel… This sweet, sweet reading pleasure.

There is quite a lot to unpack about this book, but never too much at once. Most importantly, although the book is so much more, there is an important piece of the bigger picture that shapes our female character Raine… I don’t want to give away spoilers but I can, vaguely, say that it’s to do with how she’s being treated and we get to explore the ins and outs of her response; and it was the most real depiction I have come across in a while. Ed has managed to respectfully and beautifully and carefully deliver a situation and solve it. I know it makes no sense if you haven’t read the book, but if you will, or if you have, you’ll know what I’m on about…

As a character, Raine goes from small to gigantic in the grand scheme of things and this is only to state the fact as explained in the blurb already. But her development is far from simple. Ed McDonald has crafted an intriguing story which starts with big problems in a small village which then snowball into epic proportions. And as Raine is trying to find her place in the world, she will be no stranger to cruelty, death and difficult choices. I thoroughly enjoyed how McDonald was able to put the essence of Raine on paper, how her thought processes were unraveled to change her yet again from one person to the next. There were moments of joy, stillness and gentleness; but also sweeps of depression. Dark, oppressive melancholy. It was put on paper masterfully and that is the secret sauce, the ability to write the character emotions so well, you simply connect. Click.

So, it is true that the character development of our MC Raine is no walk in the park. She is young, has already had a far from perfect childhood and life will throw challenge after challenge her way. Thing is, when most people would grumble under pressure, Raine is made of tougher stuff. You see the way she matures right in front of your eyes and that’s magical.

Daughter of Redwinter is not only about Raine though. Yes, she’s an important piece in a large game but it’s that game, the way of life, the culture, the Draoihn that also captivate. Who they are, what they do, WHY they do what they do. There is a rich story in between the covers of this book and yet McDonald doesn’t overdo it with frills; doesn’t delay the reader from getting on with the story; doesn’t digress. I like this flow that the author seems to write in, it’s confident and it makes all the difference.

As Raine becomes mingled with the bigger picture, more characters are introduced and thus also various relationship dynamics. There’s nothing overly sappy… What I mean is, you won’t have to read through some entirely cringey puppy love scenes. The whole aspect of potential feelings and love has rather been wrapped in a theme of ‘finding oneself’ and there’s nothing wrong with that. It adds an air of lighter tension to an already pregnant-with-danger atmosphere.

So, you see, Ed McDonald has yet again delivered. I would absolutely recommend this fantasy title to all fantasy readers. It has it all, it’s not overly graphic, or overly descriptive. It’s a pleasurable read and I hope the story continues…