Daughter of Redwinter

You may recall that I enjoyed Ed McDonald's The Raven's Mark trilogy a few years back. In my review of the final volume, Crowfall, I claimed that he had the potential to be the next Joe Abercrombie. I was hoping that like Abercrombie, having written a gripping trilogy would give him the confidence to push the envelope a little further and elevate his writing to another level. Time would tell if he could do that.

Fast-forward to 2022, when McDonald's Daughter of Redwinter was published. Not sure how this could happen, but the release of the first installment in the Redwinter Chronicles completely flew under my radar and I never became aware that it existed until I saw an early review for the sequel in my Goodreads feed a few weeks back. Flabbergasted, I got in touch with the folks at Tor Books to request a review copy. I was really looking forward to reading McDonald's latest to see how he had evolved as a writer.

While this first volume suffers from the same flaws that plagued the opening chapter of McDonald's previous series, Blackwing, this new one also features a lot of the good things that made the subsequent books, especially Crowfall, such compelling reads. What came as a shock for me was the somewhat YA style and tone, which felt decidedly discordant with the tale the author is trying to tell.

Here's the blurb:

Raine can see—and speak—to the dead, a gift that comes with a death sentence. All her life she has hidden, lied, and run to save her skin, and she’s made some spectacularly bad choices along the way.

But it is a rare act of kindness—rescuing an injured woman in the snow—that becomes the most dangerous decision Raine has ever made.

Because the woman is fleeing from Redwinter, the fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, warrior magicians who answer to no king, and who will stop at nothing to reclaim what she’s stolen. A battle, a betrayal, and a horrific revelation force Raine to enter the citadel and live among the Draoihn. She soon finds that her secret ability could be the key to saving an entire nation.

Though she might have to die to make it happen . . .

Once again, I'm forced to bemoan the fact that Ed McDonald came up with lots of interesting concepts and ideas, yet à la Mark Lawrence he continues to play his cards very close to his chest and does not elaborate a whole lot on them. Here's to hoping that, as was the case with the Raven's Mark series, he'll be a little more forthcoming in the just-released sequel, Traitor of Redwinter. Because there's a lot of cool stuff that's introduced in this novel, yet very little answers are provided to our ever-growing list of questions. I particularly enjoyed the trances, known as Gates, that allow the Draoihn to open their minds and perform magic. And yet, too little is revealed about the Draoihn themselves and what they truly stand for. Are they really a force of good standing in the way of a great evil, or is there more to them than that? What about the Sarathi, former Draoihn who wreaked havoc upon the world in a distant past? The politics of the realms remain unclear throughout the book, and the same can be said of those that govern the Draoihn Council of Night and Day. The grave sight and its repercussions appear to be far-reaching, but as things stand we can't really say. As far as the worldbuilding is concerned, the talent and the potential are definitely there and it's up to the author to bring it on. The second installment should show whether or not McDonald can do just that.

In my previous reviews, I wrote that Ed McDonald had a knack for creating engaging protagonists. First-person narratives are tricky things and can easily make or break a novel/series. In The Raven's Mark trilogy, the perspective of Captain Ryhalt Galharrow, that of a battle-hardened veteran whose past nearly unmade him, made for a captivating read. In Daughter of Redwinter, events unfold through the eyes of Raine, a flawed teenage girl who narrowly escapes death only to find herself into even more dangerous circumstances. Early on, I really enjoyed her POV. Even if everything she touches seems to turn to shit, her heart is in the right place and she keeps trying to do what's good. When one of the Draoihn uses his powers to alter her mind so she can't feel the grief that would cripple a normal person, I liked how it affected her perceptions. It's when she's taken to Redwinter that the YA vibe kicks into high gear and it sinks the entire plot to a certain extent. The budding lesbianism/bi-sexuality aspect is executed in half-assed fashion, and the relationships between Raine and the other Draoihn apprentices are full of the teenage angst that so characterize so many SFF YA works. I can't help but feel that multiple POVs would have given more depth to this tale. As it is, the supporting cast never comes into its own and Raine, who showed so much promise at first, doesn't regain her aplomb until the very end.

Another problem is that Daughter of Redwinter suffers from pacing issues. After an exciting beginning, for the better part of the novel the rhythm can be quite sluggish. Still, Ed McDonald is known for closing the show with style. Both Ravencry and Crowfall featured thrilling endgames that led to rousing finales which packed a surprisingly powerful emotional punch. Alas, it wasn't the case with this one. Sure, all of sudden it becomes balls-to-the-wall action and Raine is in the middle of it. But the visit to the Blackwell and its aftermath are extremely rushed after about 200 pages' worth of plot moving at a snail's pace. Moreover, the trial at the end is concluded in desultory fashion that makes no sense when Grandmaster Robilar simply decides that she's satisfied and all's well when Ulovar's trial and its impending death penalty hung like a pall over the entire cast for most of the book.

Despite certain flaws, I feel that Daughter of Redwinter marks the start of a promising series. Here's to hoping that McDonald can raise the bar higher in the second volume and bring the Redwinter Chronicles to another level. There are enough interesting facets to this story that make me want to read the sequel. Hopefully the author can step up to the plate and deliver like he did in the past.

The final verdict: 7/10

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