Winter Witch

Pathfinder Tales #2

by Elaine Cunningham

Fury of the North

In a village of the frozen north, a child is born possessed by a strange and alien spirit, only to be cast out by her tribe and taken in by the mysterious winter witches of Irrisen, a land locked in permanent magical winter. Farther south, a young mapmaker with a penchant for forgery discovers that his sham treasure maps have begun striking gold.

This is the story of Ellasif, a barbarian shield maiden who will stop at nothing to recover her missing sister, and Declan, the ne'er-do-well young spellcaster-turned-forger who wants only to prove himself to the woman he loves. Together they'll face monsters, magic, and the fury of Ellasif's own cold-hearted warriors in their quest to rescue the lost child. Yet when they finally reach the ice-walled city of Whitethrone, where trolls hold court and wolves roam the streets as men, will it be too late to save the girl from the forces of darkness?

From New York Times best seller Elaine Cunningham comes a fantastic new adventure of swords and sorcery, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Role Playing Games, Gaming, Adventure, Adult, Sword and Sorcery

361 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Elaine Cunningham is an American fantasy author.

Reviews

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave's Quick Judgement -

THE DEFENSE
- The world-building for the Pathfinder universe is fascinating and made accessible for new readers
- Ellasif and Declan are both fun characters with often-funny dialogue
- Skywing the dragon just may be the greatest sidekick ever
- Action sequences are beautifully detailed
- Second half of the book contains many surprises

THE PROSECUTION
- Many elements will seem very familiar to readers of high-fantasy

THE VERDICT
"Winter Witch" may not reinvent the wheel, but it sure keeps it spinning really fast! A fun and exciting read that's sure to please most high-fantasy fans.

Dave's Much-Wordier Review

Ellasif - just because she's the star doesn't mean she's the hero...

Ellasif's childhood ended at just ten-years-old. That was when she became a big sister as well as an orphan. A little girl made a promise to her dying parents that she would do anything to protect her little sister. Moments later, a fierce warrior kept that promise by slaying the monstrous winter wolf that killed her parents and threatened her sister. For the next few years, Ellasif trained as a shield-maiden so she could keep her sister safe from the outside world. Unfortunately, once her sister is condemned as a witch, Ellasif realizes that the true threat comes not from invading goblins or trolls, but from her own people! Betrayed by the very warriors she once fought beside, Ellasif discovers that her sister has been given over to the dreaded winter witches of the ice-encased city of Whitethrone. Abandoning her former life, Ellasif embarks on a quest with a single purpose, do whatever it takes to get her sister back, even if it means murdering or betraying anyone she encounters. Ellasif will do anything to save her sister from monsters, even if it means becoming a monster herself...


Declan - sometimes true power can only be obtained by refusing to wield it...

At a young age, Declan discovered he had an amazing inherit magical ability. Anything he drew had the potential to become real. Declan studied as a wizard for years, until the day when he watched someone he loved become consumed by a quest for power. Now, Declan has forsaken any ties to magic, vowing to use his artistic abilities only to create and never to destroy. Studying under an esteemed cartographer, Declan's only ambitions right now are to become a humble mapmaker and make the girl he's in love with as happy as she makes him. However, when both his mentor and his girlfriend are kidnapped by the agents of Whitethrone, Declan fears that the only way to rescue his loved ones is to embrace the very magical abilities that he has tried to deny. When a shield-maiden named Ellasif offers to escort Declan to Whitethrone, he begins to wonder who is truly more dangerous, the witches he seeks to confront, or the barbarian woman he travels with? In order to save his loved ones, will Declan be forced to become the very thing he despises?

I must confess, I approached "Winter Witch" with some trepidation, as I knew it was part of a series based on the Pathfinder role-playing games, something I know nothing about. Fairly recently I started reading the Forgotten Realms series, which are based on the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and while I enjoyed those books, I often felt lost. Sometimes it was assumed the reader had a working knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons, and as a result things weren't properly explained. This made it sometimes confusing for someone like me, who has no real experience playing Dungeons and Dragons. Admittedly, back in high school, I did try to get into it, but the D&D crowd didn't really want me there. Let me just give you a moment to let that sink in... "I wasn't cool enough to hang out with D&D geeks!!!"

"why didn't the D&D gang want to hang out with me...I'm jovial, dammit!!! Actually, now that I look at that picture, maybe that crazed grin of mine WAS a bit of a deterrent...

Well, I am happy to report that I had no such problem absorbing my first Pathfinder tale! The book is much more accessible than the Forgotten Realms series, and even includes a glossary to help noobs like myself keep track of all the various people, races, and cities found in the world of Pathfinder. And what a fascinating world it is...only made even more compelling by the charisma of the two stars of the book. Ellasif is strong, brash, and snarky, with a tongue that cuts sharper than any sword. Declan is awkward, compassionate and likeable, his gentle nature being a perfect contrast to Ellasif's ferocity. And as funny and charismatic as these two are, they sometimes get overshadowed by Declan's sidekick Skywing, a loyal yet spirited miniature dragon whose telepathic link with Declan provides most of the book's greatest laugh-out-loud moments. Skywing just may be the most charming dragon I've seen since Rachel Weisz voiced the dragon in "Eragon"...that's totally meant as a compliment, by the way. I really enjoyed Weisz's performance in "Eragon", even if it was the worst-reviewed movie she's ever been in...and we're talking about an actress who also appeared in the reviled "Lovely Bones" adaptation, as well as two Keanu Reeves movies that were bad even for him...

Rachel says, "I REALLY need a new agent!"

While the book is often entertaining when Ellasif and Declan are trading barbs, fortunately they do not only fight each other. There are many action sequences throughout the adventure, and these are where Elaine Cunningham's writing abilities really shine. Cunningham manages to depict swordfights and magical duels with such detail that they rival even R.A. Salvatore's famous talent for vividly describing fight sequences. As the story progressed, the only thing I found lacking was the originality of the setting. Anyone who's read more than zero high-fantasy novels will recognize many of the elements that appear in the book's first half (Enchanted weapons...check! Raiding goblins...check! Hero has to fight a potential ally to prove her strength...check!) Still, despite the admittedly "been there, done that" feeling that lingered while reading the book's first chapters, I was never bored and always entertained. And this issue went away in the book's second half, when Cunningham upped the ante by having Ellasif & Declan face tougher opponents, while also delving deeper into their internal struggles. Ellasif's temptation to abandon Declan if it meant rescuing her sister, people avoiding Declan once they witness his magical powers, these themes took the story in directions that left me unsure (and dying to know) where they would ultimately lead. It doesn't hurt that the lead villain of the book, the winter witch known as Mareshka, is cunning and manipulative, so much so that she seems to hatch schemes within schemes, finding different ways to exploit Ellasif's and Declan's weaknesses. While not quite as charismatic as her opponents, Mareshka is an effective enough opponent that her mere presence ensures the reader will remain firmly entrenched on the edge of their seat...

"Now tremble, mortals, as I prepare to hurl my icy blue balls at you, they are the last things you will ever see! MUAH-HA... Declan, why did you start snickering as soon as I said "blue balls"?!? Oh, GROW UP!!!"

"Winter Witch" wasn't just a great book, it was a perfect introduction to the Pathfinder world! I enjoyed it so much, I've already created a "Pathfinder" shelf on GoodReads, and I can't wait to fill it with more books!

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Winter Witch was enjoyable, but it had a few issues that kept me from rating it higher. The setting felt fleshed out but that's mostly a given because this novel takes place in an established RPG campaign setting. The main characters were well written and had mostly clear motivations that made sense but almost everyone else (including the main antagonist) just sort of felt like they were to there only to provide precisely enough motivation necessary to keep the main characters on track for the end of the book and nothing more.

The book is a travel story, and can't really be described as an adventure. I would say that a good three fifths of the story were devoted to getting the main characters to their final destination, and while the setup didn't feel rushed the ending really did. Once at their destination the events that compelled the main characters from the beginning are quickly and almost laughably easily resolved, leaving the main characters just enough pages to fall in love and wander into the sunset together.

[Lou Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. A collaboration between Elaine Cunningham and Dave Gross,I found it had a depth of world-building and a sense of fun to rival any non-tie in fantasy novel. I was surprised that one of the inaugural titles for Pathfinder's tie-in line would open with such a graphic and gruesome description of childbirth. From the start, that opening established that this wasn't by-the-numbers fantasy. The northern cultures described were fascinating, the characters were great, the plot well-divided between humor, action, and pathos. I was very, very impressed. I plan to both read Dave Gross's other works and to read more Pathfinder Tales. Bravo!.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first quarter or third of the book is rather leaden, weighed down with plot threads (some only existing to get the story started) and oddment references to cultures, ethnicities, or things going on that feels like filler material gleaned from a setting document. I don't have a background with the setting, and can't really muster an interest in the particulars.

But after Declan joins the caravan and leaves the city behind, things smooth out greatly. The adventure is fairly solid, featuring interesting plot twists--What exactly is Ellasif's game with regard to Declan?--but in larger themes there are no surprises.

The one thing that stands out is Mareshka's characterization, who for all her witch powers and status in society turns out to be delightfully nutty: weird and unstable and petulant in an "overly attached girlfriend" sort of way, though she never crosses the line into out-and-out crazy person.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short take:

The first chapter is thrilling and far more brutal than I expected. The subsequent shift in setting didn't completely sell me, though I liked the magicks presented. The premise driving the 'quest' is thin and overcomplicated, given the ultimate goals of the people involved. Still, I enjoyed the romp through this portion of the world and I was curious to see how it all wrapped up. This is not a title I would recommend to someone starting out with the pathfinder books.

[Αταλάντη Ευριπίδου · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. And, to be fair, the writing is actually good but, unfortunately, it's the only thing that's good about it. "Winter Witch" tells the story of Ellasif, a shield maiden from the distand Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and Declan Avari, an apprentice mapmaker from Korvosa. And there lies the first of my numerous problems with this novel: it felt very generic. I could have easily pictured this same story taking place in any other RPG universe or even a completely original world. It didn't feel unique or specific to Golarion at all. My second problem lies with the characters. Ellasif is completely unlikeable and, whereas Declan is mostly ok, he is also kind of boring. My dislike towards Ellasif had bloomed until the middle of the book, when we learned some things about her background story. However, this was the wrong way to go about it, I believe. When I've grown accustomed to despising a certain character for 200 pages, it's tough to make me change my opinion, especially since what I learn doesn't change the fact that said character is a mean, hot-headed, manipulative bitch. And lets go for the third problem now. "Winter Witch" is unbelievably predictable. Everything I thought would happen in this book happened. I mean, for real. Everything! It was all so cliche, I kept thinking "I've seen this before" or "I've read that one before". Last but not least, the pace was very weird. Up until the middle of the book, nothing much happens. It's basically like a road-trip where people get to share feelings and learn about one another. And then, all of the sudden, it becomes action-packed. I don't know, I all felt a little too formulaic to me, I think. As if someone walked up to the writer and told her: "you're gonna write a book for us, we don't care what you write, we don't give a damn about your characters, but it needs to have at least 5 action scenes" and,so, she crammed them all together. And, oh, right, I almost forgot. What on earth? What exactly is Declan supposed to be? Is there even such a class in Pathfinder? I wouldn't even mind about that had everything else been alright, but it wasn't. Ultimately, I'd say "Winter Witch" is an ok book but definitely not the best Pathfinder Tales have to offer.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elaine Cunningham

I have read as much of her writing that I could get my hands o n. I started with Elfshadow in 1991, it was the first book in what would become my lifelong enjoyment of Faerun, and haven’t stopped since. She has written for Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasist Enterprises, taken us into her own worlds with the Changeling Detective Agency (just to mention a few) and now she opens us into the Pathfinder world.

Her latest book, entitled White Witch, is co-written Dave Gross. In the second book in the Pathfinder universe we are introduced to Ellasif, a barbarian woman, and Declan the its-complicated. Both of these characters defy the stereotypical norms but without drifting away from the basics we hold dear. Ellasif is a barbarian woman without the obvious rage, the Viking influence, the chainmail bikini or the ‘Female of Fantasy’ figure. Declan is a wizard who has forsaken magic and taken up a life of art to become a cartographer.

They each start off on what seems to be a classical quest but things aren’t what they seem (when are they ever?). The two quests intersect and things start to go haywire. Ellasif, on a quest to find her adoptive sister, begins to unfold the mystery and truth of her damsel in distress and Declan begins to learn of his powerful destiny and of his unique abilities. The characters are in-depth and thoughtful, the pair quite believable in their existence, a true testament to the writing.

The writing focuses on the pair of characters and their independent quests and not a world spanning event. This allows for a stronger story that draws on the characters and the world for its inspiration and strength rather than a threat or catastrophe.

The book is a great story that raises above its D20 origins and stands on its own. You don’t need to be a Pathfinder, roleplaying or Elaine Cunningham fan to enjoy this book but you will be afterwards.

[Lou Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. A collaboration between Elaine Cunningham and Dave Gross,I found it had a depth of world-building and a sense of fun to rival any non-tie in fantasy novel. I was surprised that one of the inaugural titles for Pathfinder's tie-in line would open with such a graphic and gruesome description of childbirth. From the start, that opening established that this wasn't by-the-numbers fantasy. The northern cultures described were fascinating, the characters were great, the plot well-divided between humor, action, and pathos. I was very, very impressed. I plan to both read Dave Gross's other works and to read more Pathfinder Tales.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was the first of the Pathfinder Tales I've read and I found it to be an excellent introduction to the World of Golarion. Elaine Cunningham always focuses on the characters in her writing and I found myself really invested in both Ellasif and Declan.

[D. H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What lesson might men take away from this story?
Give the people you love choices. Don’t control them.

What lesson might women take away from this story?
If the community you’re in doesn’t lift up ambitious talented women, find a new community.

How easy was it to read?
I couldn’t get in to it. I kept stopping and reading other books.

Closing thoughts?
I wish I had someone I could play D&D with because these books just aren’t the same.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 60%. So, Elaine Cunningham knows how to write. This book is undeniably well-written, and her prose can be truly beautiful. The characters are fine, interesting enough but nothing too special. The plot is where things start to fall apart. This book is slow and dull, and even the bits that are supposed to be interesting fall short for me. This book is great for fans of Pathfinder, but as someone unfamiliar with the world, I didn’t much care for it.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story wasn't particularly absorbing, but it wasn't particularly disappointing, either. The characters were engaging, or at least interesting, enough that I kinda-sorta cared about what happened to them, but at the same time managed to portray the common foibles of real people, complete with some believably awful decision-making -- maybe just a little bit too much of that at times, but not so much it turned me off the read. It managed to avoid a lot of the pitfalls of RPG-based novels, but there was the minor annoyance of the main character having a special power as a sort of combination deus ex machina and MacGuffin which managed to avoid becoming an awful detraction from the story's readability, but was probably its second greatest flaw.

The greatest flaw in this story was its overall unremarkable quality, but I enjoyed it somewhat.

[LibraryDanielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

not quite what I expected from the short descriptions I read in other pathfinder books, but still good. I had expected an adventure story with lots of witches and magic, but instead got an growth adventure. where the main characters go off in search of what they think they want, but end up with something different entirely.
this isn't to say I didn't like winter witch, because I did. I read it in less than 24 hours, and wish it had been longer. I do think it could have been longer though. the ending felt a little pat to me. a little like the forced endings where it is "andeveryonelivedhappilyeveraftertheend." not exactly, but close.

June 19-20 2013

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing spectacular but not bad either - it's about what you would expect from a "D&D novel." I've been reading the Pathfinder novels primarily to see how they're using the Golarion setting (I'm a fan of Paizo's RPG setting) - as such the first two have been decent enough, "beach" books. They're certainly nothing I would actively recommend nor even dream of reading more than once, but they're a good time-waster. Having recently reread the original Dragonlance novels (after 25 years), the Winter Witch is certainly better written, although the story isn't as engaging.

[Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book. I am already a fan of the Pathfinder setting, but this book made me shake from the cold. It captures the excitement of fantasy without getting bogged down in to the game that spawned the setting.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, I just wish it went into more depth about Irrisen.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent fantasy. I do believe I am going to look more seriously at the Pathfinder setting after reading this book. =)

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! LOVE THIS BOOK SO SO MUCH! I am so grateful for my wonderful dear friend David for sending it to me! *hugs*

~*~ Review to come

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, after completing my first NaNoWriMo, I received this book as a prize. Seven years later, as I try to read all the “unread” books on my bookshelf, this book finally made its way into my “read” pile. Full disclosure: I haven’t ever played any tabletop Role Playing Games (RPGs), be they Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder. Because the Pathfinder universe defines this book's setting, I didn’t have any of the prior background to help me understand the setting better. Still, as this book was a conventional example of the “high fantasy” genre, it was relatively easy to get up to speed.

Of course, partly because it is a conventional example of the fantasy genre, Winter Witch didn’t have that many surprises. Characters going on adventures to prove themselves / save someone / avoid responsibility seem to be pretty typical in this genre and this book certainly had all of them. While I did appreciate the “magic” of the mapmaker turned wizard (or would that be a self-renounced wizard, turned mapmaker?) as a unique and interesting ability, it certainly read as a simple tie-in to the Pathfinder RPG via the “dungeon master” role. Similarly, the aggressive female protagonist was somewhat unique for her gender, but could easily have been any male warrior trying to save their little sister.

Despite being released three years before Frozen (2013), parts of the plot feel very similar. Ice magic. Separated sisters. Love interest betrayal. I know Frozen is based on a much older story, so I’m curious if the inspiration for this story was the same. If anything, I would expect a book like this would receive an uptick in sales just on the comparison. Either way, the story was predictable, and the only amusing part was when the mapmaker tells everyone that they should let everyone else do whatever they want.

An average fantasy story with a modicum of interesting attributes, I give Winter Witch 3.0 stars out of 5.

For more reviews of books and movies like this, please visit www.benjamin-m-weilert.com

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a couple of weird things about this book.

1) Though it's not on the cover, on the inside this book is credited as "by Elaine Cunningham ... with Dave Gross." I assume Dave helped out with the world of Golarion some, but I remember being on like page 300 & thinking, 'there have been ZERO werewolves so far. Are we SURE Dave Gross wrote any of this?' Then thankfully in like the penultimate set piece, some werewolves show up and I was like WHEW.
2) There is like a 35-page prologue that was just godawful & went on forever. I was so bored so quickly that I was like, I'm gonna skip ahead & see if the book itself has anything worthwhile; maybe I'll fill this in later. I skipped, and the story immediately pulled me in, and I did not suffer AT ALL for skipping the prologue (everything important about it is explained away throughout the book).

Beyond all that, the story itself is your basic 'guy has a crush on a woman & goes to the ends of the earth to get her back, but also is being manipulated by secret forces around him' sort of tale. Though I'm blanking on his name right now, I really enjoyed the main character, and the way that he keeps denying being a wizard - 'i'm just a mapmaker who knows some spells & happens to talk to an animal that's always at my side!' - and the way that he faces uncertainty on his quest.

The other main character, his frienemy from the barbarian tribes, is less likable, though not horribly so.

The end section of this features so many twists & turns (one of which seemed RIDICULOUSLY implausible) that I now honestly forget how everything finished up, but overall, meh. I'm glad I read it, but I'm never going to bother with a reread.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy was an advanced reader's copy so that might have been part of the problem.

The story just didn't hold my attention. Very long and draggy in parts and in a few places, the story skipped chunks and then went back to them. I was confused. Hopefully, that part was re-written in the final editing.

I did really like Declan's ability to be a cartographer wizard (map magic), but I could not really support Ellasif's point of view. Her sister is born a witch and is stolen away. The village Ellasif is from was going to kill her sister, for being a witch.

Ok, her sister gets stolen away and Ellasif takes it upon herself and a motley crew of pals to rescue her sister and bring her home. Bring her home to the place that does not want witches and tried to kill her in the first place and Ellasif knows this.

I just couldnt get beyond that .

I did finish the book but it is not one of Elaine's bests. I am not sure if it was because it was set in the Pathfinder world - I usually read Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance - or if it was because it was an Advanced Readers copy - or just the story in general.

[Mark Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is labeled as book 2 in the Pathfinder Tales series of books but don't worry if you have not read the first book as this is a standalone book and can be read anytime. Also, even though this book is set in the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game universe you don't need to be familiar with the Pathfinder game system to enjoy the book.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fairly simple fantasy novel, which is not a bad thing; sometimes, I want to read just a simple story and not a multi-book saga. The two main characters were interesting and while certain elements of the story were fairly predictable I still found myself reading the next chapter to see what will happen next.

Don't know if the author has written any other books with the characters from this book but if she has I will have to check them out.

[Victor Sanchez · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I just (metaphorically) threw this book to the wall.

This is, by far, one of the worst romances I had ever read. And it would not be that bad, if the romance was no a)telegraphed from the very first sentence and b) was 90% of the plot. The only, THE ONLY, reason why they are together, why they feel their "attraction" is that Ellasif has a vagina and Deccland has a penis.

Thats it. That's the only reason.

They have no chemistry, they have no common interest, and they don't even have a single pleasant conversation. But oh, they kissed. They kissed in front of Decclan girlfriend, whom he thought had been killed and made into bread and I'm so happy that Silvania is the villain because Decclan is such a piece of shit boyfriend that I'm honestly baffled why they decided to even make them a "couple" in the first place instead of just having Decclan go forth to save her because he is a decent chap.

Maybe they explained it in the last 10% of the book, but I give up. It was an unpleasant novel, with cliche characters with he depth of a 5 second film video, terrible fighting, and idiotic villains. It should have been made an adventure path, because the only noteworthy thing of this book was the space worldbuilding for your sessions.

[Shannon Schmelzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second venturing into the world of Pathfinder.

In this book, we head up to the northern wastes of Irrisen. Getting to know the culture of the very viking like Ulfen people as well as the insanely villainous city of Whitethrone that includes, among other things, a road paved with human skulls.

I enjoyed our main characters here, primarily being Declan and Ellasif.

The plot contained some good twists and turns, I was concerned about some things early on in the plot, but I was proved that I needed to have more faith in these two authors as it all came together very well.

My only complaint on this one was the romance. Really wasn't needed and it added nothing to the story for me.

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off well enough, with several interesting characters in completely different locales that make you wonder where/how their paths will cross. Unfortunately, about two thirds of the way into the book, the pace drops and all excitement's gone. It trudges through the remaining 33% in a ho-hum fashion, as if the author also lost interest. The farther in you get, the worse it gets. All interesting story elements are tied together in a rather ridiculous conclusion that feels completely silly and contrived.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable fantasy romp with some strong building blocks that it never quite assembles into what they could have been. It has entertaining lead characters, a potentially great sidekick, and a solid (albeit very Snow Queen-y) hook; but the development of those lead characters is thin, the sidekick isn't given anywhere near enough time to shine, and the villain's machinations make very little sense.

Undemanding and readable, but could have been more.

[Elilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup beaucoup plus aimé celui ci que le précédent ! J'essaye de me dire que ce n'est pas uniquement parce qu'une femme l'a écris x') mais on sent clairement une sensibilité différente en tout cas, même si l'auteur du précédent a participé. Je me suis sentie bien plus immergée dans l'univers (peut être parce que j'aime plus ce pan, que sais je), j'ai préféré les personnages, l'intrigue ... Bref, un plaisir, et en plus dans un univers que j'aime beaucoup !

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, would love to see a second entry into the series, as a player of the Pathfinder game I enjoyed it greatly. The use of magic weapons and the comedy of skywing were amazing high points.

If the main character could go into a rage like the class can in the game it would make for an amazing scene.

[Ashish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty nice. Started strong, good characters and story, relatable. The ending faltered a little - the surprise villain was a little too overpowered but also not very bright, which doesn’t make for a very good antagonist. You leave feeling a bit cheated… it should have been better given its initial promise.

[Vinciente Verrazzano · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some parts in the book where it felt like the author was just trying too hard to come up with something that the reader would not be expecting, causing it to feel unnatural as the story progressed.