Title: Daughter of the Beast
Author: E. C. Greaves
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Hardcover / Paperback / Ebook
Release Date: March 4, 2022
Star Rating: 7.5/10
*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing Daughter of the Beast, which was Bookborn’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Summary
When her sleepy village is raided by the Vulkari, the fearsome warrior women of the Ancient Wilds, only Zyntael Fairwinter is taken.
Claimed as a daughter by their infamous matriarch, Zyntael, she is trained to hunt, to fight, and to kill—all for a purpose, which remains ever out of her grasp.
In the company of their unruly young, she might find sisterhood. In their unique customs and beliefs, she might find beauty. And in the violence of their raids, she might even find glory.
But it is the reason for her capture that Zyntael truly seeks. It is a truth that must be earned from the very Spirits of the dead; a future paid for in the blood of those Zyntael once called her own. It is a purpose that promises the liberation of not just she, but of all the Ancient Wilds, from an evil far greater than any marauding warrior women.
Warrior or no, however, the Vulkari are not like other women. The Vulkari are monsters.
And sometimes, only the truly monstrous have what it takes to save the world.
Our Thoughts
So what did our judges think? Find out:
Julia
This was a really fascinating read, which I devoured quickly.
I loved how the book “grew” right along with the main character. We start with a young girl, only 10 summers old, who gets kidnapped by the Vulkari, dog-like warrior women. As we see the whole story through the main characters eyes, we have no idea why she was taken, instead of killed.
Throughout the story, she both grows up and turns from a naive kid into a fearsome warrior. This fits the narrative extremely well, as we can easily learn about the world and different cultures along with her, and it just feels like a natural part of the story.
I really enjoyed how this allowed the book to combine a fast paced and quick start with a coming of age feeling, which then blends into a lot darker and deeper story.
The change from hating her captors, to slowly becoming part of their culture felt plausible and well done. I was hooked just seeing her change and adapt and find her way in her new sisterhood.
(Btw, this is not a spoiler, it’s even in the blurb!)
This sisterhood was another bit that I simply loved. They are so very different by nature, and yet they are definitely found family. While Zyntael might always be the weakest in physical aspects, she’s strong willed and manages to stand her ground despite being so much less powerful. I loved the banter and dynamics forming. There are long running jokes and loyalties, which make the relationships feel very genuine and three dimensional.
There’s a lot of Slavic mythology, and probably even a lot more than I even noticed, being not well versed in it at all. I absolutely love a book that has plenty of non-human characters, so this was a definite strength for me!
My one slight complaint is the pacing not always being super smooth. The switch between action scenes and the normal day to day life didn’t always go perfectly.
It almost feels a bit slice of life at times, a quite bloody life to be sure, which I personally like a lot. Exploring different worlds and cultures and learning along with the main character is a favourite bit of fantasy for me. The contrast between a matriarchal society and the typical “women are so important, men have to protect them,” on the other hand was nicely done, and I liked the varying views throughout this world.
Max
I had high hopes from the first third of the book, but (without giving too much away) the story becomes a real downer. It’s well written, and I like the protagonist, but relying heavily on the old fantasy type of ‘entire races being evil’ as the focus of the story just left me cold.
[Editor’s Note: We had more scores than reviews for this book, as some of our judges have been hit with horrible real life things throughout phase two. So, while they managed to read and score, they didn’t manage to write up, what they felt were good enough reviews for the blog, for all the books.]
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And again, you can see the list of all the finalists and their scores here. Our judges are Adawia Asad, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Lana Taylor, Robert Max Freeman, Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene