It’s snowing here in Minnesota as I write this, so it feels fitting to review this book.

Winter’s fury is classified as EPIC Fantasy. While I think the Furyck Saga SERIES might be epic fantasy, this book only hints at that.

Let’s take a look at the map (slides):

1. The book starts with the main character Jael in Andalla, in Brekka.
2. They mention Hest many times, but I feel like that’s a setup for future books only
3. And then there’s a little side quest with supporting characters to Tuura
4. 90% of the story though takes place on Oss, and the climactic moment involves one woman’s plight. It impacts the broader world, but the story is really about Jael (or yael) coming into her own.

I’ll be talking about The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger in a later video and blog post, but there are many aspects of Winter’s Fury that align with the narrative design of the HEROINE’s JOURNEY.

This is the tale of one woman in a man’s world who is thrown into an unwilling marriage in order to unite two countries with the goal of taking over a third. However, the main plot of Winter’s Fury focuses more on Jael’s coming into her own.

My thoughts on the present reviews/ratings

It’s a 4-star story for sure, but I’ve seen a number of reviews that offer the critique, “It’s like riding a stationary bike.” With all due respect to those reviewers, I believe they simply felt they would be getting a more epic story in book 1—maybe one that was broader in scope rather than focusing so intently on the characters. Honestly, I wondered if that was the case when I picked up this book, and felt like my hunch was justified in the end.

For me, the characters’ inner and outer journeys combined with solid worldbuilding are the most rewarding parts about reading fantasy.

When I rate a book (and I can be fairly harsh on occasion), I have to take an average.

For Winter’s Fury, here are my scores:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Character development: This is a 100% character-driven story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot. The plot was good. But because there were promises made but not fulfilled, I subtracted one star. I don’t mind this, because I expect some of that in series, but it rarely lets me give a 5-star to a single book in the series.

⭐⭐⭐ Writing style for the following reasons.

• • It’s simple and mostly easy to read.
  • There was a good deal of emotional telling.
  • Lots of head-hopping under the guise of omniscient point of view. Yes, that’s a choice. Yes, the author admits the choice. Unfortunately, I found it jarring.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worldbuilding, or maybe slightly lower.

Caveat: I LOVE good, original, and thorough worldbuilding – even if it’s steeped in some real historical lore. Worldbuilding is absolutely my jam!

I felt this book’s worldbuilding was light. Okay, that’s another choice, but it relied on common reader knowledge of Norse Mythology, which makes it not super original.

I’d have liked a better map. Maybe it’s my old eyes, but I can’t read a lot of what’s on there. Hopefully, that’s improved in subsequent books.

All this being said, the world was consistent, and I always had the feeling I was right there with the characters. And cold. I was usually feeling cold.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you like immersive fantasy, this will do the trick. However, be aware that the bulk of the story is one person’s journey.

Have you read it? Let me know what you think.

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