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Blood Winter (Horngate Witches #4)

by Diana Pharaoh Francis (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 272 ratings · 49 reviews

NEW GAME. SAME RULES. SHE FIGHTS. THEY DIE.

Max always does her job, no matter how brutal and bloody. That’s how it’s been ever since she was enslaved by a witch, turned into a supernatural warrior, and assigned to protect the coven of Horngate. But her job just got harder....

Waves of wild magic have returned much of the world to a time when fairy tales were real and danger...more

Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Published December 26th 2012 by Pocket Books

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Jan 16, 2013 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

"NEW GAME. SAME RULES. SHE FIGHTS. THEY DIE." I stole the first line from the blurb because that just about sums it up. Max is definitely one kick@ss chick but the trouble is that she's been this way for so long, she doesn't really know how to open herself up for love.

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I LOVE Max and Alexander and to be quite honest with you, I could care less about all the other stuff. Finally, this book brings all the emotional drama ~somewhat~ to the forefront. They still have to fight the bad guys after all....more

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Dec 17, 2012 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review, favourites, action-filled, angel-icious, bad-ass-dude, beyond-awesome, book-boyfriend, demon-dudes, change-of-pov, flawed-character, fantasy, girl-power, hero-i-love, heroine-i-love, high-fantasy, hot-mess-charactcer-s, kick-ass-chicks, mad-butt-kicking-skills, my-heart-hurts, magic-tastic, post-apocolyptic, romantic-elements, sexual-tension-torture-device, smack-your-witch-up, squee-worthy, unusual-creatures-beings-species, urban-fantasy, war-and-oppression

Find more reviews like this one at The Demon Librarian book blog.

Five action-packed stars!

The Horngate Witches series is set in a post magical apocalyptic America and features badass sword-wielding, not quite human, warriors, mildly sociopathic witches, not very angelic angels, and all manner of other weird mythological creatures and beasties. With a splash of romance enough to make me grin like a weirdo, worldbuilding that knocks my socks off, and action by the bucket load, you can see why thi...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Anna (Bobs Her Hair) added it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

2.5

I'm disappointed. (tears) Suffering years of torture and conditioning, this did not feel like the ending Max was destined to have. Blood Winter was hard for me to get through. The pacing was uneven with overly descriptive narrative. The relationship issues between Max and Alexander, with all the repetitive internal angst sessions, wore on my nerves. I'm not sure how it was suppose contribute to the development, as their issues had been addressed in previous books. The secondary characters see...more 2.5

I'm disappointed. (tears) Suffering years of torture and conditioning, this did not feel like the ending Max was destined to have. Blood Winter was hard for me to get through. The pacing was uneven with overly descriptive narrative. The relationship issues between Max and Alexander, with all the repetitive internal angst sessions, wore on my nerves. I'm not sure how it was suppose contribute to the development, as their issues had been addressed in previous books. The secondary characters seemed to serve no function other than to react to the Shadowblades' Prime.

I've mentioned this already, but there was a lot of repetition, which unusual for Francis. Also , something happens to max and it seemed unnecessary. Why?!!! There were times the humor felt cheesy. Why? Why? Why?!!! I feel cheated. This might be a 3 star book, but I'm left with a 2 star feeling. *sobs*

Witches Book 4

Publication Date: December 26, 2012
Blurb

Set in apocalyptic America and featuring a magically enslaved heroine who is “a riveting mixture of guts, compassion, and furious anger as she struggles with a world coming apart at the seams” (Romantic Times), the fourth in a dynamic dark urban fantasy series unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
Winter is coming to Montana and Shadowblade warrior Max is expecting trouble. People are hoarding everything. They are banding together, many flocking to the congregation of Sterling Savage, a fire-and-brimstone preacher. A charismatic cult leader who claims to be the Hand of God, he’s determined to create a human utopia and destroy all magic, starting with witches.

Unbeknownst to him, the “divine” voice he’s been hearing isn’t God but a demon that feeds on hate, death, and destruction. Savage is the perfect puppet for the demon’s ambitions. Max and her people at Horngate are all that stand in its way, and they are woefully unprepared.

Conducting terrible, bloody ceremonies to boost his own power and that of the demon riding him, Savage starts a war between his congregants and two other powerful gangs in the city, fighting for food, fuel, clothing and territory. When he manages to capture Max’s niece, brother, and several teenagers from Horngate, Max tries to free them but finds that Savage has twisted their minds. They worship him—even her brother, who is a witch and whom Savage intends to burn at the stake. Going undercover in the cult compound, Max swiftly realizes just how seductive Savage is. His charisma is reinforced with magic. His followers adore him and will do anything for him. Anything.

But courage, loyalty, and friendship are powerful forces—and Max doesn’t like to lose.

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Jan 20, 2013 Casey Evans rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are two parts of this, my thoughts on the series and those on this particular book. This is a good series, it could have been a great series. That it's not, I put a lot of blame on the editor for. There are a lot of loose ends and a double pile of logical inconsistencies that keep this from being a great series, which is something a good editor should have caught. The author takes some of the blame too, but it is harder to see it when it's your baby. It is somewhat frustrating because the...more There are two parts of this, my thoughts on the series and those on this particular book. This is a good series, it could have been a great series. That it's not, I put a lot of blame on the editor for. There are a lot of loose ends and a double pile of logical inconsistencies that keep this from being a great series, which is something a good editor should have caught. The author takes some of the blame too, but it is harder to see it when it's your baby. It is somewhat frustrating because the characters are strong and very likeable, but things just don't add up in random areas and you're often left going, "HUH? That doesn't make sense."

If it takes a huge amount of food and work at the beginning of the book to keep a nearly dead shadowblade from dying, don't have it so that by the fourth one it seems to take a jug of juice and 20 minutes to cure the same sort of thing. Also, if you're going to claim this place is meant to be a sanctuary, then spend some time making it one. Cover a little of how its run and maybe try to bring some people in. As it is, I never really got a sense of how many people might be there, or even really a good idea of the size. The green houses are mentioned many times, but given no real description or a sense of where they belong in the giant scheme of things past those mentions.

The loose ends are also really bad. Frequently there are plot lines that just... disappear. There'll be a lot of time spent on a sub character and then there's never a mention of them again. THIS is particularly frustrating. If you take the time to name a character and give them some kind of story, at least put them away properly. If you're taking them somewhere, mention where they end up, don't just totally forget them. This is something that happened at least three times.

If there is a potentially best book of the series, I think it's the third one, though it would have been so easy for all of these to be great. It's just a damned shame that someone dropped the ball and didn't catch the weak points.

Book 4: *warning, there may be spoilers!*

This book pissed me off. It felt like a book that was written to just write something. SO many issues with it... First off, the super antagonism between Max and Alex, before she had reason to keep distance, knowing about Scooter; there was none here. It felt manufactured to add drama and it irked me. You can have a lot of tension without this kind of antagonism.

Second you've got serious inconsistencies with the rest of the series. This is where that "almost dead, needs a huge amount of additional healing/food" goes to a jug of juice and 20 minutes. First with Alex, then with Max, like 3 times in ONE DAY. It just was very obviously off. Then it's mentioned that Max's dog had to stay next to the other to keep from burning up -- but nothing happens to her when she's snatched and she's never mentioned again??? ARGH! There were a lot more, but those were the worst.

My biggest issue is with the bad guy. This a REALLY BAD GUY, but in the confrontation with him, this very canny EVIL person got fairly dumb and was supposed to somehow be JUSTICE? uhm... there's nothing involving justice about people impaled a la Vlad the Impaler and RAPE. It did NOT work; any of it. Especially the resolution/solution to him. It was almost if the evil character was replaced at the point of confrontation with another character. This alone really ticked me off. It was just wrong, wrong, wrong.

However, there were a few other points that got me. The whole "deamon" horde thing, they went out to help a farmer, then suddenly have this issue? *head scratch* It felt so out of place. Then the whole camp of people and Gregory healing everyone up... it didn't flow. I don't even know where the camp came from, there hadn't been any mention of them previously. It was also very disjointed when they're running around town in the various houses.

But if I have one issue that really pissed me off, it was the ending. Okay, they made up great. WHAT THE FUCK happened to everyone once Max lock broke her way out of the mistlands? NOT ONE CLUE. Not even about Giselle who is arguably one of the biggest characters. THe last thing mentioned about her is when Shoftiel takes her. Well. She's seen at one point. But there is no resolution to ANYTHING else. Not to any of the people that were taken, not to the situation with Horngate's future, not the many people or issues they ran into over the course of the book. NOTHING. Just yay, they kissed and made up. I feel robbed. There was more to this story than just that!

I believe this was supposed to be the last book in the series and I'll be honest, it was a really crappy ending and it would have been better to do nothing than this.

(less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Rebecca Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: done

I am just sorry to see the series end! I can only hope that the reason Dianah left some loose ends is so she visit Hornegate again - maybe in a off shoot or short story. On the other hand, out of the four books this is my least favorite and can't pin a reason to it only it's a little harder to follow than the rest. Having said that, this is by far my favorite series in the paranormal genre, which is my favorite genre. Diana brings her unique world alive with her in depth characters and makes bri...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Van rated it 3 of 5 stars

3 1/2 stars.

Blood Winter is the latest and final (according to author’s interview) book in the Horngate Witches series, centering on Max and her covenstead ,Horngate. The book takes place 4-5 weeks after Max survived a challenge against the Korvads in Chadaré, and arrives safely home to Horngate following the completion of Scooter’s request. Things in Missoula are getting worst and worst with food shortage, and people scrounging for whatever they can find. With the Magic in the air already creat...more 3 1/2 stars.

Blood Winter is the latest and final (according to author’s interview) book in the Horngate Witches series, centering on Max and her covenstead ,Horngate. The book takes place 4-5 weeks after Max survived a challenge against the Korvads in Chadaré, and arrives safely home to Horngate following the completion of Scooter’s request. Things in Missoula are getting worst and worst with food shortage, and people scrounging for whatever they can find. With the Magic in the air already creating havoc, a preacher who says he’s the right hand of god is stirring up trouble by creating a following to condemn all witches, demons, or just about anyone who isn’t with him. What the Earth’s Last stand cult doesn’t know is that their leader is a witch himself, and he’s targeting Horngate.

Max and the gang are all back, and like the first book everything takes place at Horngate/Missoula. No more leaving to another state or another dimension like the other books. Francis does an amazing job at creating another emotional-action packed novel that will have you flipping nonstop till the end. Max definitely has a lot on her mind this time around, still grieving over the deaths of ---, her relationship with Alexander, and the Earth’s Last stand cult. The pacing of the book was on the dot as usual, there’s never a dull moment in the book, and the author packs an emotional punch in every scene. While the majority of the book was well-done/written, there were two things that bothered me in this book; Max and Alexander’s relationship and the story/plot. After the ending of Shadow City, I thought Max knew what she wanted, Alexander.

In Blood Winter, Max and Alexander are together but not really official. Max would show her affection for Alexander in private, but brushes him off/gives him the cold shoulder when in front of the other blades/sun-spears. Max constantly questions herself for treating Alexander the way she does, but doesn’t fix it till near the end of the book. At one point in the book Alexander gives Max the same treatment she gives him, and she gets really butt-hurt and puts on a front that she doesn’t care. I just wished they talked about their feelings to one another instead of just waiting around till someone makes the next move. I also found the story plot line not that interesting (Sterling and his cult) but towards last couple of chapters things started moving forward, and the real reason behind the attacks are revealed which made up for the previous half of the book’s problem (my frustration with Max and Alexander’s relationship).

Overall it was a good read, but it didn’t meet my expectation. While this is the final book in the series, I felt like there were still unanswered questions (or at least questions I had). For example, where did the Salamanders/Grims go? What happened to the angels Tutresiels and Xaphan? Regardless of it being my least favorite of the series, it is still one of the best urban fantasy series I have ever read. I highly recommend this series and if you plan on starting it, it is best to start at the beginning with Bitter Night. This is a unique urban fantasy with a complex world and realistic characters that build on top of one another and readers will be missing a lot if books are read out of order. Hopefully this will not be the last of this world and characters; Francis says she might one day visit this world again whether it be short stories or novellas. With all four books already available, it might be a good time to check this series out now…you won’t have to wait a year between books like I had to! (less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Francis Nti-frimpong rated it 4 of 5 stars

People are hoarding everything. They are banding together, many flocking to the congregation of Sterling Savage, a fire-and-brimstone preacher. A charismatic cult leader who claims to be the Hand of God, he’s determined to create a human utopia and destroy all magic, starting with witches.

Unbeknownst to him, the “divine” voice he’s been hearing isn’t God but a demon that feeds on hate, death, and destruction. Savage is the perfect puppet for the demon’s ambitions. Max and her people at Horngate...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Stephanie Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one will be the hardest to review as I don't want to give anything away to followers of the series. We get a ton of questions answered along with seeing some major changes in the characters we know and love.

Max is back and is still reeling from things that happened in Shadow City. She and Alex are spending time together in the bedroom but things just don't seem to be moving forward from anything other than a sexual standpoint. Max still has a ton of issues and she just hasn't let him in yet...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Lisarenee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Notes: I read the eARC of the book and quotes will need to be checked against the finished version.
My Synopsis:
"The Lord of Heaven and Earth bids us not suffer a witch to live," the man declared in a singsong cadence. "We must not suffer evil in our midst, or we will become evil; we will defile our Lord's name by our very existence. We must do His work, no matter the cost. He sacrificed His only son for us; we must be willing to sacrifice no less for Him!"

Someone claiming to be the right hand o...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Soo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

A cloying red dust clings to skin and is found scattered everywhere within the covenstead and seems to be the connecting evidence as new horrors arise. The Grims and Spike follow a magical event and leaves Horngate behind. A fanatic has formed a riotous following and is spreading mayhem to those who fail to follow his faith. Max and Alexander are emotionally crippled by their love and pain of loss. There's no down time to take in everything that's happened. There's no rest to shut out the world,...more A cloying red dust clings to skin and is found scattered everywhere within the covenstead and seems to be the connecting evidence as new horrors arise. The Grims and Spike follow a magical event and leaves Horngate behind. A fanatic has formed a riotous following and is spreading mayhem to those who fail to follow his faith. Max and Alexander are emotionally crippled by their love and pain of loss. There's no down time to take in everything that's happened. There's no rest to shut out the world, grieve, laugh, cry and breathe again to keep going forward. It's a fight against insurmountable odds and the key is the love & faith those of Horngate covenstead have for each other and their sanctuary.

Whew... The story is devastating. I had to push myself to read this book. I wasn't ready for the story to turn into what it did. I've read my share of horror stories and thrillers. I don't think I've responded to them quite the way I did to Blood Winter. In the first three books of the series, I would have described the books as dark, gritty, flippantly sarcastic, quietly rewarding and adventurous. None of which prepares me for this book.

(view spoiler)[The change was too much. It's not like there weren't brutal, horrific things happening in the story before. But it does not COMPARE to what happens in this one. I cringed inside when I read about children being staked to wooden crosses and being tortured. It sucked. It's heartbreaking. It doesn't stop there. It just grows more dark, injuries that defy healing, emotional trauma, and vaguely described monsters that reign terror & destruction.

Quite hopeless. Bleak. Disturbing. Awful.

The visceral, ghost rape of Max by Shoftiel--I'm not sure if that was necessary. Was it? It's not the first time I read of a character being raped in a story but this one punched me in the gut. It was quick and merciless. Then there is hardly a reaction from it by Max. That doesn't happen.

If the point of this story is to pull a reader into a dark, foaming sadness and lethargic helplessness, then it succeeded. However, the transitions between the pit of despair and what goes for normalcy in the novels is non-existent.

I wasn't surprised that a powerful Angel is behind the destruction. Yet, I'm VASTLY unsatisfied with the way Max defeats him. The answer conveniently plops into her hands?

Out of no where, Max comes back and knocks Sterling in the head and ends his magical warfare. COME ON!!! So much happens that the fix is totally unbelievable! Maybe it would be different if the storyline went back to Max and tells the reader how she ends up knocking Sterling out.

Max deals with a heavy burden of loss. She takes every death as a personal debt that weighs on her heart and soul. A good chunk of the novel talks about how awful she feels about the losses of Niko and Simon, etc. Then she gets raped and there's barely a reaction to that before she goes on and does what she needs to do? Argh!

I admit, the last few chapters made me feel better. The overall tone lightened and the narrative felt like what I've come to expect from this series. It was good for it to feel the way it should. At least, I'm not walking away feeling totally horrified. This is not an easy book to read. It doesn't make it bad. Yet it does make it very different and inconsistent with the other books in the series.

I'm glad that Max and Alexander remain together and are stronger for the emotional fights they fight with themselves and one another. I'm glad they all have the same smartass, intelligent humor. That's my favorite kind, after all. (hide spoiler)]

I hope Diana Pharaoh Francis finds another way to finish the series. I'm left with too many unanswered questions and I do want to know what happens to all the characters I've gotten to know. I don't want this book to be the last. That would be a shame.(less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This book had a lot of plot holes. I do not understand how it got published as it was. There's a lot less polish with this book than the first in the series, and the characters are getting harder and harder to like. Too much stupidity to live syndrome started popping up in this series, and I absolutely hate that. A lot of this book feels like filler, where the ultimate place the story ends up is not that much farther from where the story began. The ending was rushed, the conflicts between severa...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to say that this was another great addition to the Horngate Witch series. I'm also heartbroken to hear the rumor that this may be the last one. NO! I'm hoping that it is only a rumor since this book didn't feel like an end of the series type of book. It's not a cliffie book. It is complete, but threads left open with one of them I really need a resolution. NEEDS! Nope, not an ending at all... *sigh*

Anyway...

Within this book we are dealing with what seems like a zealot witch with a lot of...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Douglas Meeks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Blood Winter by Diana Pharaoh Francis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SETTING:

Ages ago, the Guardians of the Earth created an army of creatures—faeries, banshee, chimeras, oni, lamia, kelpies, angels…the Uncanny and Divine things that populate myth and legends that most humans suppose never really existed. It was an army meant to contain the human population, to keep them from overrunning the earth…hungry parasites taking more than the host can provide.

The army failed. The Guardians were too benevolent...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't think I took a real breath during this, the last book of the Horngate Witches series. I am going to miss them and I am really hoping there might be some kind of spin off series (or two).

This was more than action packed. It was action packed with a punch that collapsed your lung. Max takes a beating and serves it right back up (of course, after downing the Ugly Juice and healing a little bit).

The relationship issues between Max and Alexander, were rough. Though it was hard, I have seen pe...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, urban-fantasy

I bought this yesterday to read on the plane while traveling after the holidays, and I'm so glad I did. This is an outstanding addition to the Horngate Witches series. Max is one of my favorite urban fantasy heroines, and I love that we get to see her inner turmoil about her relationship with Alexander. She's busy finding a balance between being tough and vulnerable with her friends and lover. If you haven't read the first 3 in the series, I would suggest that you go back and start the series ov...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Alexia Chantel rated it 3 of 5 stars

The end of the Horngate Witches series, Blood Winter is a nice ending to this urban fantasy series.

You still get your action, you still get your characters you have come to care for, and you still get Max and Alexander tip toeing around their attraction. Well Max is still hesitant, Alexander repeatedly puts himself out on the line..waiting and waiting. Yes there are some twists, but perhaps a little too late?

A satisfying ending overall. If you read the whole series you can see Francis grow as...more

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May 07, 2013 Karyogini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-on-2013

I believe this is the last book of the series. Thank goodness because I was having a hard time grasping who is what since I read these books far apart. However, I also feel sad that it has ended. I love Max. She is one wicked badass. She needs all the TLC people are willing to give her.

The story continues to be over the top crazy. Not to crazy that you can't understand what the hell is happening. Just right... If there is such a thing.

I just love the dialogue of this series.
"You must love blue b...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Mikaela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, urban-fantasy

This review is a bit late, since Diana Pharoah Francis was kind enough to ship the book from the States. It was well worth the wait. This is the latest book in the Horngate series, and while it stands reasonably alone, I though think you will get more out of it if you have read the first three books beforehand.

The world was believable in the way it described the new normal. Both for Horngate, and how the Sunspears and the Shadowblades need for calories strained their limits. I admired the ingeni...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Claudia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I really loved this series and the previous three books were fantastic so I was excited for the next book ... which is according to some the last book.

It was a very good book but unfortunately it did not hold what the others promised. It was a very good book regarding the story but in my opinion it felt more like there should be a next book because there are so many open strands left.

there are some spoilers in the next part - so if you haven't read the book yet, you should not read on.

the relati...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Since the wild magic has returned and all manner of creatures have sprung up, Max at the Horngate Covenstead face challenges from numerous fronts. Everyone is starving, with food and water supplies dwindling and now a new cult has sprung up. The leader is a charismatic man who promises his followers protection and survival, while turning them all against magical creatures and especially witches. Max must face the fury head on, as always, but will it cost her too much this time??

I’ve read this se...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Kay_Vee rated it 5 of 5 stars

More 5 than 4 stars; 4.5 stars

At first I wasn't sure about the series, as it wasn't what I was expecting. While it's does have some dialog issues that get a little tired I will say with each installment I have grown to really love the series. The characters are complex and interesting and the author is willing to take risks and sacrifice characters to move along the story line and create realistic consequences for the world she has built for them.

When I read the blurb for this book I was a litt...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Christal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches-warlocks-and-mages, urban-fantasy, mind-bullets, multiple-leads, 2013-rlftci-book-count, 2013-rlftci-covers, angels, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, magic, war, 2013-nbrc

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Well, let’s go ahead and rip the band-aid off quickly… Blood Winter is the fourth and final novel in the Horngate Witches series. At least if the series had to end, it ended with a bang. This novel was non-stop action, battles, romantic angst, loss, love, and triumph.

If you aren’t familiar with the Horngate Witches series, it is pretty unique in the world of urban fantasy. The setting is a post-magical-apocalypse America, the Midwest t...more See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Well, let’s go ahead and rip the band-aid off quickly… Blood Winter is the fourth and final novel in the Horngate Witches series. At least if the series had to end, it ended with a bang. This novel was non-stop action, battles, romantic angst, loss, love, and triumph.

If you aren’t familiar with the Horngate Witches series, it is pretty unique in the world of urban fantasy. The setting is a post-magical-apocalypse America, the Midwest to be exact. The main characters are some badass warriors called Shadowblades and Sunspears. They have been bound by a coven witch, Giselle, to provide her and her covenstead, Horngate, with protection. In exchange, they get to be superhuman – strong, able to live through almost anything, and un-aging. The downsides — The Shadowblades cannot be in the sun; it pretty much melts their skin off and extended exposure will kill them. The Sunspears are poisoned by darkness and continued exposure will also kill them. The series focuses mostly on the ‘Blades with Max, their leader or Prime, trading narrations duties with her lover, Alexander. Their two POVs guide the series and through them we learn all there is to know about Horngate and the world of the witches.

Blood Winter finds Max and Alexander together as a couple, but Max is still trying to learn to live with her guilt over those she has lost. She is scared of opening herself up to Alexander and then losing him too. Alexander is confused by Max’s back and forth affections and doesn’t know where he fits in her life. Their relationship is constantly tested throughout the book and, even though the ending was sweet, I would have liked a little more to wrap up their story. I want to know how they are doing a week, a month, a year, ten years after this book. Do they finally learn how to love each other and let themselves be loved in return?

While she’s trying to figure out her relationship, Max is also dealing with a new threat to Horngate. Benjamin Sterling, a blood witch, is passing himself off as the “Hand of God” and collecting a cult of “believers.” He intends to destroy all the other magical beings, starting with the witches, and take their powers for himself. Max has fought tougher foes than another witch, but little does she know that Sterling has a silent partner that is much stronger than any witch. She has to bring this partner down and then hit Sterling when he is at his weakest, all while trying to keep the non-magical civilians and Horngate safe.

I loved this plot line, though it was very different from the previous book. I thought it was great to see Max back in action, directly defending Horngate and its people. Getting to see the Blades and Spears work together again was also exciting and it was nice to see some of the newer characters integrated into larger roles. Max and Giselle’s relationship was as prickly as ever, but it seems like their understanding is working for now. I liked the historic echoes Sterling brought to the story with his crusade against the witches, even though he himself was one. I didn’t see the twist coming with his partner, but I’m glad that his magic made a certain “reawakening” possible.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. I was engaged the whole time and couldn’t wait to find out the fate of Max and Horngate. Though I am very sad to see the series end, I highly recommend it to new readers. It is a superbly created world overflowing with complex characters.

Be sure to check out the interview we did with Diana Pharaoh Francis specifically discussing the Horngate Witches series here!(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-and-demons, post-apocalyptic, fairy-tale, urban-fantasy, horror

This is the 4th and (sniff, sniff) final book in the Horngate Witches dark urban fantasy series. I'm heartbroken. It took me a month to work up to reading this book because I just didn't want the series to be over. I love this series! I can't get over how WRONG it is to end with this book. There are so many under-utilized characters in the series that should have been developed and woven into more of the story. Scooter, Spike, and the Grims, for example. And the sunblades - all of them. Not to m...more This is the 4th and (sniff, sniff) final book in the Horngate Witches dark urban fantasy series. I'm heartbroken. It took me a month to work up to reading this book because I just didn't want the series to be over. I love this series! I can't get over how WRONG it is to end with this book. There are so many under-utilized characters in the series that should have been developed and woven into more of the story. Scooter, Spike, and the Grims, for example. And the sunblades - all of them. Not to mention Max's relatives. How about developing the witches and angels more as characters? There is still the potential of Horngate itself - when will all the people start filling the halls? There's almost no one so far, and the initial promise of the series is that hundreds of people will join Horngate and make a thriving community that will survive the apocalypse. Instead, we only get 4 books that make it to the beginning of the first winter of the apocalypse. That's just not enough! There are so many characters in this book that SHOULD be invited to move to Horngate, but the author doesn't even hint at the future by taking that small step.

I also hate the shift from the Scooter story in book 3 to the story in book 4. Book 3 seems so unnecessary - why have Max go on an adventure on another world at all? That's the kind of thing an author does when she's running out of ideas to freshen up a long series. She didn't need to send Max on an inter-dimensional field trip if that field trip wasn't going to have a huge impact on the books to come.

And the Alexander love story subplot seems clumsy - not quite believable, an afterthought - but maybe this author doesn't have the experience with romance writing that she has with fantasy and violence.

It seems likely that the author was forced by her publisher to wrap up the series earlier than she intended, but I read a few online interviews and the author didn't say that at all. I'd feel better about the faults in this book if I knew the author was forced to collapse several books of ideas into one final volume. It would explain the loose ends.

Anyway, I still LOVE this series and HIGHLY recommend it. This story has Max and Horngate getting involved with the locals. A band of crazies led by a witch preacher have targeted witches for death and bring their fight to Horngate. The preacher is unbelievably powerful and the outlook is dire. One of the shadowblades dies. Eventually, the angles wake from their comas.
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Jan 07, 2013 mrsj rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: must-get-list

Love love love love love loved love love love LOVE this!!!!!!!!!

It seems forever to be waiting for this book and I am sad that this is the last book of the series.

I mean..

Oh...

I guess it is really goodbye .
At least Blood Winter did not disappoint.

What I really like about this book will be the non-stop action, the frustrating mystery of that "Hand of God", the complicated romance, the witty exchanges among the characters and of course, Max.
Max is the heroine that I know she has my back and I c...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Dr susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, need-to-buy, read-again

What a fantastic birthday present! ....So, I delayed reading Blood Winter for a month, because the anticipation was like my birthday, Christmas and a favorite series book release all rolled into a big, sparkly ball of happiness. I adore Max and the world of Horngate, and I finally caved. I reread Shadow City, and started Blood Winter. Today, halfway through the book , a Goodreads friend tells me Winter is the last Horngate book. Immediately, I crawled whimpering into a corner, and hit the author...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: requested, from-publisher-author

BLOOD WINTER is the fourth book in the Horngate Witches series. This is a series you will want to start at the beginning with.

Max the female heroine has come a long way from the hate filled distant Shadowblade we first met in BITER NIGHT. Max has stepped up to the plate for the members of her team and for the Horngate community and continues to put them first even though she might not make it out of a situation. As for Max and Alexander's relationship. As in previous books there is a lot of up's...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Rachelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 06, 2013 JenniferJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, 2013d-170, urban-fantasy, witches

Firstly I am so sad because I have to say goodbye to Max who has been an extraordinary character. She has always been so kick ass and proud but in Blood Winter we are shown her more vulnerable side as she struggles with her feelings for Alexander and her personal contempt of blaming herself for any of her "teams" deaths even though things weren't really her fault. While most "loose ends" get tied up I still feel a longing for another chapter at least just to see what happens in the future betwee...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, magic, uf, post-apocalyptic, witches

This book had a different tone that the last ones. Part of it is because Max isn't quite so mad at Giselle anymore and all those at Horngate don't feel the need to hide anymore. I like both of those changes. What I didn't really like was all the teen like angst that started up between Max and Alexander.

I really liked how those from Hornsgate started to venture out into the rest of the world. They met some interesting people, I loved Liam and Bambi and Kara and her group. It was nice to see they...more

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May 11, 2013 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow what a fantastic series, I loved it. Whilst I thought Blood Winter the weakest of the four books, I still found it action packed and thoroughly engaging. I read these books back to back and found myself at times having to take a deep calming breath as they certainly had me on the edge of my seat. Great writing, great world building, excellent series.

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About Diana Pharaoh Francis

I was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern California (outside a town called Lincoln which is now part of an enormous sprawl). I taught myself to ride a horse at the age of six, as no one had the time to teach me—they were all busy learning how to irrigate, how to cajole an angry bull into another field, how to pull a calf… Afraid of heights, and absolutely sure I was going to die, I managed to sc...more I was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern California (outside a town called Lincoln which is now part of an enormous sprawl). I taught myself to ride a horse at the age of six, as no one had the time to teach me—they were all busy learning how to irrigate, how to cajole an angry bull into another field, how to pull a calf… Afraid of heights, and absolutely sure I was going to die, I managed to scramble up on the back of a very patient and lazy strawberry roan destrier, and plod off into the sunset.

Thereafter, I spent much of my early life on horseback, or so far buried into a book that the rest of the world ceased to exist (much to the annoyance of my family—it took several attempts to get my attention). We all had very specific jobs on the ranch and mine was horses and cattle—out rounding up at dawn. And since I rode bareback, my standing request was to wake me up 5 minutes before everyone else headed for the barn—time enough to dress and eat my Wheaties, and no sleep time wasted on saddling.

After high school, I attended college after college, racking up a BA and MA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in literature and theory. My very patient and supportive husband traipsed across the Midwest and back to Montana for me (though my husband insists that he’s been running and hiding and I just keep finding him), where I now teach at the University of Montana-Western. We also a son Q-ball, who in our humbly unbiased opinions, is the most wonderful son ever produced, and a daughter, Princess Caesar, who is the most wonderful daughter ever produced.

I have a fascination for the Victorians, weather, geology, horses, plants and mythology, I like spicy food, chocolate and cheesecake, and I have an odd sense of humor. (Or so I’ve been told. Often.) Incidentally, the Pharaoh is in fact my real name, and oddly enough, is of British origin.

Some of my current favorite sf/f writers are Ilona Andrews, Carol Berg, C.E. Murphy, Patty Briggs, Lynn Flewelling, Rachel Caine, David Coe, and Anne Bishop.(less)

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Blood Winter (Horngate Witches #4)

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