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A review by bory
Windborn by Alex S. Bradshaw
4.0
An excellent book, held back by some minor frustrations.
I really, really liked Windborn. The characters, from Edda to Valna, are well-crafted. You get where these people are coming from and why they take the action they take, even if you don't necessarily agree with them. Yes, Edda's motivation is a twist on the "girlfriend in the fridge" trope, but it is different enough from the norm that it's not a drawback. Even the antagonist, at the end, you can empathize with... to a point.
The magic system is interesting, though the Windborn powers themselves are rather uninspired.
The story flows, with no major lulls or problems along the way. The action is excellent and plentiful, but it's also where my one semi-major issue with the book comes from. Edda... kind of really sucks as a Windborn. Maybe it's because I've watched Avatar: The Last Airbender one too many times (not possible), but I have seen how cool ice manipulation can look and be in battle, and Edda just kept her ass handed to her for some 80% of the book.
It would have been nice to have some closure for the supporting cast - Runar, Valna, and especially Fjola, whom I was genuinely sad to part ways with mid-book.
Let me just say, it's a breath of fresh air to have a Viking fantasy story without the Norse gods prancing around, for a change.
Overall, though, this is a great read. Highly recommended.
I really, really liked Windborn. The characters, from Edda to Valna, are well-crafted. You get where these people are coming from and why they take the action they take, even if you don't necessarily agree with them. Yes, Edda's motivation is a twist on the "girlfriend in the fridge" trope, but it is different enough from the norm that it's not a drawback. Even the antagonist, at the end, you can empathize with... to a point.
The magic system is interesting, though the Windborn powers themselves are rather uninspired.
The story flows, with no major lulls or problems along the way. The action is excellent and plentiful, but it's also where my one semi-major issue with the book comes from. Edda... kind of really sucks as a Windborn. Maybe it's because I've watched Avatar: The Last Airbender one too many times (not possible), but I have seen how cool ice manipulation can look and be in battle, and Edda just kept her ass handed to her for some 80% of the book.
It would have been nice to have some closure for the supporting cast - Runar, Valna, and especially Fjola, whom I was genuinely sad to part ways with mid-book.
Let me just say, it's a breath of fresh air to have a Viking fantasy story without the Norse gods prancing around, for a change.
Overall, though, this is a great read. Highly recommended.