With Raven Wine
The Midwinter Dragon, Book 4
by Jean Gill
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 5 Jun 2026 | Archive Date 13 Jun 2026
Talking about this book? Use #WithRavenWine #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
The gripping conclusion to an award-winning series. Don't just read Viking history - live it!
Praise for the series ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A yarn fit for a Norse saga. Full of action, poetry and heart; a thrilling voyage through the vibrant world of the twelfth century." Matthew Harffy
Gifts from the gods come with a price. Warrior-poet Skarfr Kristinsson has crossed the world, facing exile and battles. Forgiven at last by his lord Jarl Rognvald, he is restored to honour but destiny is not done with him yet.
From the holy waters of the River Jordan to the gilded intrigues of Constantinople, Skarfr and his formidable trader-wife Hlif are drawn into a web of ambition, betrayal and vengeance. Hlif’s dangerous gift of dream-walking allows her to cross into the shadow world where the old gods still rule and where fate can be glimpsed, but never escaped.
While the pilgrim fleet is far from home, Orkney descends into chaos. Old grudges ignite, loyalties fracture, and blood is spilled, the 'raven wine' of sagas.
Epic, brutal and lyrical, With Raven Wine is the powerful conclusion to Jean Gill’s award-winning Midwinter Dragon series, a re-imagining of the Orkneyinga Saga, perfect for readers who love Madeline Miller, Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy.
Praise for the series
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Made me want to read on... just one more chapter... and then another, and another. Late into the night!" B A Morton
1st prize winner of the Chaucer Awards
Shortlisted in the Selfies Award
EDITOR'S CHOICE - The Historical Novel Society
"Stunningly authentic." The Booklife Prize
Advance Praise
‘A skilfully written, beautifully researched coming-of-age story set in Viking Orkney…
Everything from fighting to stone masonry is convincingly portrayed, and from the practical to the mystical a scene in Maeshowe brings its known history to life and touches on the magical. A rich and compelling read.’ Lexie Conyngham, the Orkneyinga Murders series
‘An immersive coming of age tale set in Viking Age Orkney filled with court intrigue, sea voyages, and a society where two belief systems battle. The historic details are accurate but lightly woven into the story which takes real skill. As a fan of Viking history and folk tales I loved the feeling of being in their world, listening along to stories of the deadly whirlpool or watching them training and feasting in the Jarl’s court.’ Grace Tierney, Words the Vikings Gave Us
‘A stirring coming-of-age tale forged in love, inheritance and adventure - in ‘The Ring Breaker’ Jean Gill skilfully brings the poetry and magic of the Viking world to life.’ Emily Brand, The Fall of the House of Byron
‘The Odyssey kind of epic, yet softer and kinder on the mind, and quicker-paced, but without losing its glorious intensity and genius.’ Jessica Bell Can You Make The Title Bigga
‘The way Gill has crafted the mysterious historical evidence into a coherent story gives the reader an unforgettable world, harsh and startling, but tinged with magic.’ Jessica Knauss, Our Lady’s Troubadour
‘If you’re a fan of the Viking Age, the television shows Vikings and Valhalla, or the excellent works of authors Kristian Giles and Peter Gibbons, the world of The Ring Breaker will feel familiar. (In this novel) all of a reader’s senses are stirred by rich details of the medieval experience. But what makes for the best Viking tales? The adventures, of course, found in this novel too.’ Lisa J. Yarde, Sultana series
'Ms Gill blends fact, fiction and legend to create believable characters who straddle the real and mystical world in a truly enthralling story' Annie Whitehead, To Be a Queen
‘Absolutely brilliant. A tour-de-force of storytelling, Viking lore, and the rugged landscape of Orkney. This was one of the highlights of my reading year. The characters of Hlif and Skarfr are brave, resourceful and intelligent and I Ioved them both. I can't wait for their next sea-faring adventure.’ Deborah Swift, Italian Renaissance series
‘To read Jean Gill’s historical novels is not so much to see into history, but to live it and breathe it with a feeling of utter authenticity.’ Paul Trembling, Local Poet
‘The captivating story of a young man’s search for his true voice, and struggle with forbidden love...
A vivid picture of the harsh beauty of Viking life—the grey, rough seas and the sailors who sail across them, the struggle among powerful rulers for control of their rocky kingdoms, the mysteries of runes, the weight of prophecy, and the lilt of Norse poetry, all woven together with threads of political intrigue, music, and magic. I will happily follow Jean Gill to whatever time and place she chooses to lead me next!’ Melodie Winawer, Anticipation
Marketing Plan
#RavenWine Can be read as a standalone but reading the previous three books gives greater impact to this final book.
Bk 1 The Ring Breaker is FREE for a limited time
Bk 2 Among Sea Wolves is discounted to 0.99 for a limited time
Bk 3 Hunting the Sun is discounted to $2.99 / £1.99 for a limited time
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798232134716 |
| PRICE | $4.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 364 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 1 member
Featured Reviews
Librarian 1146347
With Raven Wine is the fourth and final instalment of the Midwinter Dragon series by Jean Gill, and it’s a worthy conclusion to a superb series. Skarfr and Hlif, reunited with Jarl Rognvald, continue their pilgrimage through the Holy Land and arrive in Constantinople, a city full of excitement and intrigue. As their journey finally heads back to Orkney, they find the land has descended into chaos and battles for power.
The series is a retelling of the Orkneyinga Saga and manages to bring to life not just the tale it tells, but also the time in which it’s set. The story centres on 12 century Viking Orkney and the barren beauty is brought fully to life. What really sets it apart though, is the way Jean Gill manages to tell the story through the lens of the beliefs these people held at the time: loyalty to their Lords, belief in fate and the Gods as an essential balance to the violence of life, belief in the supernatural, and the poetry of storytelling as a spoken rather than written tradition. Gill manages to make these beliefs imbue all the words and actions of the characters, very much show not tell, and it brings everything fully to life.
The saga tells a wonderful story, following their journey by land, sea and the otherworld in which Hlif can travel, and each place they visit in all four books is brought completely to life. Gill has obviously done a mass of research into Orkney but also for all the other places they visit and it’s the same here for Constantinople. The heat, the noise, the colours, the wealth, the politics, all are vividly retold and the contrast to the Orkney they return to is extreme, as it would be for the travellers themselves.
Skarfr and Hlif are wonderful characters and I’m very sorry to be saying goodbye to them. They are fictional but many of the others in the book are not and I must admit the series has absolutely whet my appetite to visit Orkney.
With Raven Wine could be read alone but give yourself a treat and go back to the start for the whole saga. It’s historical fiction at its absolute best.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.