Daughters of a Winter Night takes place in an amazing new world and is such a good read that I need the next book in the series immediately.
Doug Belair wrote Daughters of a Winter Night, and it's a fantasy of epic proportions. The world he created is vast and different from any other fantasy novel I have read. I have only praise.
In Daughters of a Winter Night, we follow Orin d'Shardolay of the Order d'Shardolay – a group of people who can use the flow. Orin is tasked with delivering a letter a half moon's walk from home – which should be a straightforward task. On this journey, he is attacked by mythical beings and is rerouted by a mysterious force. He meets five strangers and, even though he doesn't want anything to do with them, ends up joining their quest. Pretty soon after joining the fellowship, it becomes apparent Time's Tapestry needs them and thus the quest continues.
This book review was first published on Reedsy Discovery.
As Doug did some fantastic world-building for The Daéfinlyr Series, some background information is needed for the reader to understand what is happening with Orin, the other five fellows, and the quest in general. The prologue gives a detailed introduction to Time's Tapestry and how the Time of Men began. It's a lot to take in. But when you're reading the prologue and the following chapters, it makes sense and the puzzle pieces start to fall in place. I was flabbergasted by the enormity of the world he created: from the intricate creation story to the different languages, cultures, and creatures.
Finally, Aeda put words to their fears. "There is no Time in this place," she said. "The Weaver knows nothing of this carduyn." Her tone darkened. "This passage isn't part of Ganelon. Nor does it belong to Gorath's world of Saéthenghal. We Cenfeal are creatures of Time. And now we stand in a carduyn n'ryth, a timeless connection between the two worlds." (Excerpt from Daughters of a Winter Night)
Doug managed to captivate me from the very first line – he blacked out someone's name in a written account. This unknown person informs Orin of the past, time and time again, causing lots of intrigue. When I finally found out whose name it was, I had a proper AHA moment: just one of the AHA moments I can describe (don't want to share any spoilers). Needless to say the characters (who they are, where they're from, how they act, and their beliefs), historical events, and the plot are woven together with the same mastery as, well, Time's Tapestry.
Now, I implore you to read this book. (And I hope book two is released soon!)
You can find Daughters of a Winter Night here.
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