My Rating
Lea Wylder, half-human and half-wolf, the Minderblud forever ostracized by her community neither belonging to the pack nor part of the human world, unable to shift and suffering from crippling headaches has a new vision attacking her, the death of Henrik, the love and light of her life.
Kat Kinney’s fantasy world is elaborate and brilliant and easy to relate to with its multiple layers of racism and class hierarchy woven thru the story. The first book in the series had Lea fighting to save her best friend Salem and understanding the truth of her parentage while in Book #2 Darkwitch, we see Lea embracing her role as a warrior and her need to protect Henrik from all harm. The central plot of Darkwitch that of the infighting between the different sections of society was conceived excellently but what made it fascinating is the numerous threads that have been intricately plotted into it. Lea’s relationship with her mother, her doubts about her brother, Henrik and his evasiveness, the grief of losing her father, a war that may be just around the corner, the political machinations and rumors that plague the colony causing mistrust and discord among humans and wolf shifters alike, Darkwitch had an overflowing cauldron.
There are quite a lot of characters in the story but it was never hard to follow as the author brings in twists and turns to keep the readers hooked on the story. Lea was wonderfully sketched by Kat Kinney, she’s flawed, she’s obstinate but her heart is always in the right place as she fights tooth and nail for Henrik’s life. The element of romance is kept comparatively lighter compared to the first book, well, here Lea and Henrik have to face unforeseen dangers, and more than half the time they are fighting to stay alive.
The war that erupts at the climax was breathtaking, the writing so beautiful that it made me imagine the scene in all its glorious colors. After completing Dyrwolf, I was looking forward to the conclusion of Lea and Henrik’s story and even though Darkwitch can be read as a standalone, I strongly advise reading the duology as Henrik’s and Lea’s change in relationship to love which forms the first part of book #1, Dyrwolf is too endearing to be missed.
Many thanks to BookSirens and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
After twenty years of oppression, Lea Wylder has freed the Colony, one of the last human cities in the Nordvend, from the wolves. But freedom has come at a terrible cost. Radical forces threaten unrest. Wolf shifters and humans are more divided than ever. Lea’s nightmares have returned, except this time it isn’t her own death she sees—it’s Henrik’s, the wolf shifter she saved the previous fall, who possesses a terrible magic that has marked him as a target among humans and shifters alike.
Attacks on the Colony increase by the day. Something lurks out in the dark, frozen woods, just beyond what Lea can see in her visions, and she must discover who is hunting Henrik before it’s too late.
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