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A review by wokeupolder
Cold from the North by D.W. Ross
5.0
We really are blessed with the amount of amazing indie fantasy books out there, and Cold From The North is one of the best.
This book had everything I love about fantasy.
Awesome world-building: check
Cool magic system: check
Political manoeuvring: check
Prophecy/chosen one: check
Emotional character development: check
Badass fight scenes: check
D W Ross does a fantastic job of describing the land and climate to the extent that you almost start to shiver as you read. This Norse inspired story is full of rebellious, axe-weilding vikings who are fleeing their home after the invasion of an evil force who look to fulfill an ancient prophecy. If you are a fan of The Wheel of Time, or The Last Kingdom, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy this story. Imagine if Rand and Mat were Vikings.
One aspect that I really liked is how the magic system is portrayed. Melcun's struggle with controlling and accepting his powers is one you seldom see in fantasy. We are used to the "Mary Sue" magic users who develop powers and instantly become the best. But Keltbran is not a place that takes kindly to magic users so he must suppress his abilities and so, struggle to control them.
I'm a sucker for prophecies in fantasy. When they're done well, I think they are the best tropes out there. And the Onyxborn seems to be one of the better ones. I'm so eager to find out more about the prophecy soon.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I'd highly recommend it to all fantasy readers, especially if you enjoy a classic fantasy story, with a modern narrative.
This book had everything I love about fantasy.
Awesome world-building: check
Cool magic system: check
Political manoeuvring: check
Prophecy/chosen one: check
Emotional character development: check
Badass fight scenes: check
D W Ross does a fantastic job of describing the land and climate to the extent that you almost start to shiver as you read. This Norse inspired story is full of rebellious, axe-weilding vikings who are fleeing their home after the invasion of an evil force who look to fulfill an ancient prophecy. If you are a fan of The Wheel of Time, or The Last Kingdom, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy this story. Imagine if Rand and Mat were Vikings.
One aspect that I really liked is how the magic system is portrayed. Melcun's struggle with controlling and accepting his powers is one you seldom see in fantasy. We are used to the "Mary Sue" magic users who develop powers and instantly become the best. But Keltbran is not a place that takes kindly to magic users so he must suppress his abilities and so, struggle to control them.
I'm a sucker for prophecies in fantasy. When they're done well, I think they are the best tropes out there. And the Onyxborn seems to be one of the better ones. I'm so eager to find out more about the prophecy soon.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I'd highly recommend it to all fantasy readers, especially if you enjoy a classic fantasy story, with a modern narrative.