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Night Calls Series #2
Kindred Rites
Now that Alfreda has begun to learn the Wise Arts, she is needed at home in the village of Sun Return. The woods around the cabin are alive with poltergeists. Candles light by themselves, and even the rocks dance. There is much work for an apprentice practitioner.
But a more dangerous task calls. For a new family has moved to the frontier; a family with strange ambitions and even stranger powers. And chief among them is an enigmatic man known on the Other Side as The Keeper of Souls....
359 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
12 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
18 books103 followersNOTE TO FANS & READERS: I did NOT write the book "Finding the Strength Inside You" which someone has attached to Goodreads, and coincidentally the author's name is my name. I am contacting GoodReads to see what I can do about this.
In the beginning Katharine Eliska Kimbriel was nominated for the Astounding Award for Best New SF/Fantasy Writer. Katharine’s work has long straddled the line: “too literary to be commercial, too commercial to be literary” – she has a list of itinerant occupations to prove it.
Published novels include the historical dark fantasies NIGHT CALLS, KINDRED RITES, and SPIRAL PATH. On the science fiction side you will find FIRE SANCTUARY, FIRES OF NUALA, and HIDDEN FIRES, stand-alone tales that take place on the same planet.
Katharine prefers being managed by Burmese cats and a handful of gargoyles. Her occasional hobbies have included ballroom dancing, brewing beer, antique roses, and macrobiotic and paleolithic cooking. She also plant trees. 110 so far.
Go to https://bookviewcafe.com/bvc_author/k... for the most recent publishing info. She posts ghost events at her blog (https://alfreda89.dreamwidth.org/), other stuff at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/katharine.ki...), Mastodon (https://raggedfeathers.com/@KatKimbriel), and BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/catkimbriel....).
She is a founding member of Book View Cafe (https://bookviewcafe.com/blog/). Due to her spending more time living science fiction than writing it, she makes no promises on when her last update to anything happened. Due to Life, Interrupted, she has't updated her web site in 15 years and it's not looking good for the site....
In the beginning Katharine Eliska Kimbriel was nominated for the Astounding Award for Best New SF/Fantasy Writer. Katharine’s work has long straddled the line: “too literary to be commercial, too commercial to be literary” – she has a list of itinerant occupations to prove it.
Published novels include the historical dark fantasies NIGHT CALLS, KINDRED RITES, and SPIRAL PATH. On the science fiction side you will find FIRE SANCTUARY, FIRES OF NUALA, and HIDDEN FIRES, stand-alone tales that take place on the same planet.
Katharine prefers being managed by Burmese cats and a handful of gargoyles. Her occasional hobbies have included ballroom dancing, brewing beer, antique roses, and macrobiotic and paleolithic cooking. She also plant trees. 110 so far.
Go to https://bookviewcafe.com/bvc_author/k... for the most recent publishing info. She posts ghost events at her blog (https://alfreda89.dreamwidth.org/), other stuff at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/katharine.ki...), Mastodon (https://raggedfeathers.com/@KatKimbriel), and BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/catkimbriel....).
She is a founding member of Book View Cafe (https://bookviewcafe.com/blog/). Due to her spending more time living science fiction than writing it, she makes no promises on when her last update to anything happened. Due to Life, Interrupted, she has't updated her web site in 15 years and it's not looking good for the site....
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 15, 2016
This was the second book in the Night Calls series and was a great continuation of this series. There are three book in this series, the third one is called The Spiral Path and has already been released. I have really been enjoying these books; there is a lot of magic, fantasy elements, survival, and herb lore.
The whole story has a very traditional fantasy feel to it which reminded me of fantasy books I read back in the 90's. The pace is deliberate and the story takes some time to build. However, I don’t really mind because I find Alfreda’s training to be so interesting. There is a lot of traditional witchcraft and herblore in this book which is very intriguing. This book also had a lot about survival skills which I enjoy reading about.
Alfreda is really tested in this book when she is kidnapped by a relative of the Keeper of Souls. She has to put both all of her survival skills and magical skills to test. I really love how steadfast and competent Alfreda is. She is an awesome heroine.
I love this alternate world where dark magic haunts the night and really enjoy how magic is blended into a frontier type lifestyle.
Overall this was a great addition to this series. I enjoy Alfreda as a character and the harsh world she lives in. I also loved learning about the herblore and survival tactics that were featured in this book. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy traditional fantasy type stories and don’t mind a story that moves at a more deliberate pace.
The whole story has a very traditional fantasy feel to it which reminded me of fantasy books I read back in the 90's. The pace is deliberate and the story takes some time to build. However, I don’t really mind because I find Alfreda’s training to be so interesting. There is a lot of traditional witchcraft and herblore in this book which is very intriguing. This book also had a lot about survival skills which I enjoy reading about.
Alfreda is really tested in this book when she is kidnapped by a relative of the Keeper of Souls. She has to put both all of her survival skills and magical skills to test. I really love how steadfast and competent Alfreda is. She is an awesome heroine.
I love this alternate world where dark magic haunts the night and really enjoy how magic is blended into a frontier type lifestyle.
Overall this was a great addition to this series. I enjoy Alfreda as a character and the harsh world she lives in. I also loved learning about the herblore and survival tactics that were featured in this book. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy traditional fantasy type stories and don’t mind a story that moves at a more deliberate pace.
November 1, 2014
If you're here, you've hopefully read Night Calls (if you haven't yet, start there), and probably need very little prompting from me to continue learning and growing along with Alfreda.
I don't know that there's much to say other than Kindred Rights continues along in the same style as NC1, with the same masterful writing and the continuance of the delightful plot. I'd judge this volume to be more suspenseful than the first; Kindred Rights has a bit more of the typical how's-she-going-to-get-herself-out-of-this-one plot, although there's still plenty of the serenity that made NC1 so wonderful. If you liked the first book, there's no doubt in my mind you'll enjoy this one too.
If I had to choose between which volume I liked better, I think this one has a slight edge. Very slight, really, because I have nothing bad to say about Night Calls. There's more suspense here, like I mentioned, and Alfreda has matured quite a bit, both emotionally and in the craft, which allowed the author even more latitude to spin a yarn. (Book three was just released today, and even though I'm not very far in, I have a hunch that one might surpass both its predecessors in sheer entertainment value.)
It's been a long time since I've stumbled across a series that has me as excited as this one. Start with book one if you haven't met Alfreda yet...but if you have, for goodness's sake, stop reading reviews and start reading the book!
I don't know that there's much to say other than Kindred Rights continues along in the same style as NC1, with the same masterful writing and the continuance of the delightful plot. I'd judge this volume to be more suspenseful than the first; Kindred Rights has a bit more of the typical how's-she-going-to-get-herself-out-of-this-one plot, although there's still plenty of the serenity that made NC1 so wonderful. If you liked the first book, there's no doubt in my mind you'll enjoy this one too.
If I had to choose between which volume I liked better, I think this one has a slight edge. Very slight, really, because I have nothing bad to say about Night Calls. There's more suspense here, like I mentioned, and Alfreda has matured quite a bit, both emotionally and in the craft, which allowed the author even more latitude to spin a yarn. (Book three was just released today, and even though I'm not very far in, I have a hunch that one might surpass both its predecessors in sheer entertainment value.)
It's been a long time since I've stumbled across a series that has me as excited as this one. Start with book one if you haven't met Alfreda yet...but if you have, for goodness's sake, stop reading reviews and start reading the book!
January 3, 2020
Technically 4.5 (maybe). For some reason the start of this book didn't grab me as fast as the first. Possibly because Allie doesn't seem to notice, or be that interested in boys. But her best friend says two boys are interested in her, and then when Shaw, one of the boys and an old friend of Allie's, tells her to beware of the other boy and his cousin, she wonders if he is jealous and then proceeds to pretty much ignore his warning. Which paves a a nice easy path to getting to the next part of the story, but so seemed a bit out of character to me. So far Allie has been pretty pragmatic, and very determined to take her studies seriously so she can protect her family, friends, and town. Even in book one when she had hopes for being with Ward? Wade? something wtih w, she still didn't allow it to get in the way of doing what she had to. Now, suddenly, she ignores advice from a trusted source about two people she has just met.
On the other hand, it turns out that the one boy....Erik? Erik, isn't actually evil, he is just forced into doing bad things, so I guess we could just assume she was going off her own intuition about his true nature. *shrug*
Whichever, the birthing part was interesting, the Ida(something, wow, my brain is swiss cheese today) visiting part and the dance were rather NOT interesting (to me) and then once she is kidnapped things picked up.
So a small dip at the beginning, but it quickly righted itself.
On the other hand, it turns out that the one boy....Erik? Erik, isn't actually evil, he is just forced into doing bad things, so I guess we could just assume she was going off her own intuition about his true nature. *shrug*
Whichever, the birthing part was interesting, the Ida(something, wow, my brain is swiss cheese today) visiting part and the dance were rather NOT interesting (to me) and then once she is kidnapped things picked up.
So a small dip at the beginning, but it quickly righted itself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2014
Review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2014/02/20/...
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: Purchased
“…we are all Death’s pupils, we practitioners—students of the great healer.”
When magic broke free in my blood, I chose to follow our ancient family path and become a practitioner. I’m learning to heal, and to protect innocents. I dip into minds, stalk vampires, and set wards by the light of the moon. I can hear the children of the night calling.
But there are other families…and other paths. Families with twisted ambitions and frightening powers. On the frontier, folk whisper that one clan is the most dangerous of all.
Chief among those dark sorcerers is a man known as the Keeper of Souls.
And now he wants to keep mine.
This blurb came from Goodreads.
Yesterday I reviewed the first book in this series, Night Calls, and I am very happy to report that Kimbriel made me almost miss my bus stop at work because I had to read just one more page. Alfreda was well on her way learning the arts of a practitioner when she discovered that not all who could see the world’s extras delighted in them for the same reasons. As a result, she learned some very interesting lessons and kept me extremely captivated.
I loved seeing Alfreda back visiting her family and friends for a little while. Just as she had changed, she learned her family had as well. Watching her take on the role of instructor to her younger brothers while ignoring one of the side effects of her growing power was extremely cute. I thought the way she patiently walked the boys through figuring out what they should do and why boded well for her future training others, provided she survived to that point.
Speaking of lessons, Alfreda’s formal training continued to increase in complexity. I had the sense that while there was a particular order to the lessons, life’s circumstances were the ultimate decider once the apprentice achieved a solid foundation. Kimbriel did a great job of showing how every piece of information and lesson was critical. Not just practitioner and woodcraft lessons, but also those about human nature in general. The importance of loyalty, sheer determination, common sense, and a willingness to seek allies all came in handy. I loved how Alfreda was forced to use everything she learned throughout her life if she wished to survive her encounter with the dark sorcerers.
Kimbriel avoided the sophomore slump with Kindred Rites, and if anything, managed to ensnare me deeper in this series. Alfreda’s growth and the slow reveal of things left hidden earlier kept my curiosity peeked. The inclusion of two entities as prominent characters added both a bit of levity, and a sense that nature does have an order and will accept assistance in maintaining that order. I thought the final decisions Alfreda made regarding the survivors of her encounter with black sorcerers both emphasized her basic character knowledge, and set up some very interesting potential situations for future installments.
I give Kindred Rites an A
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: Purchased
“…we are all Death’s pupils, we practitioners—students of the great healer.”
When magic broke free in my blood, I chose to follow our ancient family path and become a practitioner. I’m learning to heal, and to protect innocents. I dip into minds, stalk vampires, and set wards by the light of the moon. I can hear the children of the night calling.
But there are other families…and other paths. Families with twisted ambitions and frightening powers. On the frontier, folk whisper that one clan is the most dangerous of all.
Chief among those dark sorcerers is a man known as the Keeper of Souls.
And now he wants to keep mine.
This blurb came from Goodreads.
Yesterday I reviewed the first book in this series, Night Calls, and I am very happy to report that Kimbriel made me almost miss my bus stop at work because I had to read just one more page. Alfreda was well on her way learning the arts of a practitioner when she discovered that not all who could see the world’s extras delighted in them for the same reasons. As a result, she learned some very interesting lessons and kept me extremely captivated.
I loved seeing Alfreda back visiting her family and friends for a little while. Just as she had changed, she learned her family had as well. Watching her take on the role of instructor to her younger brothers while ignoring one of the side effects of her growing power was extremely cute. I thought the way she patiently walked the boys through figuring out what they should do and why boded well for her future training others, provided she survived to that point.
Speaking of lessons, Alfreda’s formal training continued to increase in complexity. I had the sense that while there was a particular order to the lessons, life’s circumstances were the ultimate decider once the apprentice achieved a solid foundation. Kimbriel did a great job of showing how every piece of information and lesson was critical. Not just practitioner and woodcraft lessons, but also those about human nature in general. The importance of loyalty, sheer determination, common sense, and a willingness to seek allies all came in handy. I loved how Alfreda was forced to use everything she learned throughout her life if she wished to survive her encounter with the dark sorcerers.
Kimbriel avoided the sophomore slump with Kindred Rites, and if anything, managed to ensnare me deeper in this series. Alfreda’s growth and the slow reveal of things left hidden earlier kept my curiosity peeked. The inclusion of two entities as prominent characters added both a bit of levity, and a sense that nature does have an order and will accept assistance in maintaining that order. I thought the final decisions Alfreda made regarding the survivors of her encounter with black sorcerers both emphasized her basic character knowledge, and set up some very interesting potential situations for future installments.
I give Kindred Rites an A
February 5, 2014
A few months have passed since the events of Night Calls, and Allie--Alfreda Sorensson--is continuing her study of magic with her cousin, Marta Donaltsson, in the tiny frontier village of Cat Track Hollow, having progressed to the point of learning the ritual to contact Death. After a Christmas visit to her parents in Sun-Return, Allie's friend Idelia comes to visit Allie in Cat Track Hollow.
Allie is just thirteen, and Idelia is not much older, but it's the American frontier in the early 1800s, even if a different 1800s than our own history, and Idelia is hoping to be betrothed soon. That doesn't prevent her from enjoying a chance to flirt with Charles Hudson, son of a locally prominent family, and his cousin Erik, recently arrived from some long-separated branch of the Hudson family. Allie doesn't entirely see what all the fuss is about, even when Idelia tells her that Erik is more interested in her, Allie--although she's a bit more interested when Shaw Kristensson arrives to escort Idelia home to Sun-Return, and the two appear to regard each other as rivals. The last thing Shaw says to Allie before he and Idelia leave is a warning to be wary of the Hudson men, because their eyes are "like mirrors."
Allie doesn't quite know what to make of his advice, and in any case she has to stay on good terms with the Hudsons in such a tiny community. When Marta sends her off on an errand to undo a witch's spell souring a neighbor's milk, and Erik offers her a ride, she sees neither any way to refuse, or any reason. He offers her some cider--and she wakes up in a darkened storeroom nowhere near home.
What she slowly discovers is that she's been stolen by an ancient sorcerer-a worker of dark magic--so that he can bind her power to his and use her to help continue his immortality. Much of his extended family is not happy with the little kingdom he's made, bu they're bound too, and don't have any way out.
Allie's on her own, with nothing but her own incomplete training and her cunning, and only one possible ally--Death.
It's hard to express how much I enjoyed this book. Allie is smart, strong, loyal, and thirteen. That's a little older in her time and place than ours, but not much. She's just getting to find out who she'll be as an adult, when she's thrown into a terrible situation where she may be the only person who has the particular strengths, and freedom to use them, that might get her and others out alive, and kill an ancient horror that used to be human, but isn't anymore.
She doesn't just have to figure out the right thing to do; she has to stay strong and disciplined enough to do it, at an age when she should still have adults to protect and guide her.
This is all very, very well done. The characters are believable, the setting feels real, and the magic is convincing, with real limitations, rules, and costs.
Highly recommended.
Allie is just thirteen, and Idelia is not much older, but it's the American frontier in the early 1800s, even if a different 1800s than our own history, and Idelia is hoping to be betrothed soon. That doesn't prevent her from enjoying a chance to flirt with Charles Hudson, son of a locally prominent family, and his cousin Erik, recently arrived from some long-separated branch of the Hudson family. Allie doesn't entirely see what all the fuss is about, even when Idelia tells her that Erik is more interested in her, Allie--although she's a bit more interested when Shaw Kristensson arrives to escort Idelia home to Sun-Return, and the two appear to regard each other as rivals. The last thing Shaw says to Allie before he and Idelia leave is a warning to be wary of the Hudson men, because their eyes are "like mirrors."
Allie doesn't quite know what to make of his advice, and in any case she has to stay on good terms with the Hudsons in such a tiny community. When Marta sends her off on an errand to undo a witch's spell souring a neighbor's milk, and Erik offers her a ride, she sees neither any way to refuse, or any reason. He offers her some cider--and she wakes up in a darkened storeroom nowhere near home.
What she slowly discovers is that she's been stolen by an ancient sorcerer-a worker of dark magic--so that he can bind her power to his and use her to help continue his immortality. Much of his extended family is not happy with the little kingdom he's made, bu they're bound too, and don't have any way out.
Allie's on her own, with nothing but her own incomplete training and her cunning, and only one possible ally--Death.
It's hard to express how much I enjoyed this book. Allie is smart, strong, loyal, and thirteen. That's a little older in her time and place than ours, but not much. She's just getting to find out who she'll be as an adult, when she's thrown into a terrible situation where she may be the only person who has the particular strengths, and freedom to use them, that might get her and others out alive, and kill an ancient horror that used to be human, but isn't anymore.
She doesn't just have to figure out the right thing to do; she has to stay strong and disciplined enough to do it, at an age when she should still have adults to protect and guide her.
This is all very, very well done. The characters are believable, the setting feels real, and the magic is convincing, with real limitations, rules, and costs.
Highly recommended.
September 30, 2015
I finally got around to reading more of Allie's adventures. And I enjoyed reading about them. But....
Although it's only been a year since I read Night Calls, after a couple of chapters of this sequel I came to the conclusion that I needed to go back and reread the original book. Since I had just finished reading another sequel that *didn't* require me to go back and reread the first book in order to relocate my footing in the story, I was definitely frustrated by the difference.
Then there's the fact that it turns out that this alternate America really isn't as alternate as it looked in the first book. Washington *wasn't* actually a king (some people just called him that), and a lot of the other vague hints we got in the first book were just wibbley wobbley instead of pointing to real differences. The only really substantial difference, it turns out, is the existence of magic, which is far less interesting than the originally hinted-at alternate history.
Those things aside, this is a compelling story that is much more focused than the original book. It takes some time to build up to the actual plot arc, but once it's there, the story moves quickly.
I'm rounding up to 4 stars because I did enjoy the story, but in reality it's in the 3.5 to 3.75 range, because I can't let the things I mentioned at the beginning of this review just slide.
July 9, 2016
I actually liked this book better than its prequel. Where Night calls felt rather disjointed to me, with Allie learning random magic and solving random problems while describing rituals in great unnecessary detail, Kindred rites had a clear story line. Yes, there are multiple problems for her to solve, but she learns some things she needs for the last conflict in the beginning of the book, making it seem like one story and not a few short stories in a row that happen to be about the same person. The only thing I think could have been left out was the poltergeist. Why was it there? I don't think it added anything to the story, and all of a sudden it's gone and we never get an explanation as to why. The attractive things about these books are Allie's character and the cosy atmosphere. And I liked that Allie was doing a few more things on her own.
July 26, 2013
The continuing tales of Allie (Alfreda) is a lyrical and compelling addition to one of the most under-rated series in fantasy, ya, paranormal, horror lite fiction.
I love dark fantasy the Tales of Alfreda fits the genre perfectly. Set in an alternate America during the age of pioneers, where magic can be a gift or a curse. There is more to fear in the dark than you thought.
Never gory, never extreme, Kindred Rites is so much more than its' marketing implies.
Kimbriel is on my see a new book buy it list. No questions asked. I am eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series. Try it Mikey, you will most definitely like it. (Though do start with book one...)
I love dark fantasy the Tales of Alfreda fits the genre perfectly. Set in an alternate America during the age of pioneers, where magic can be a gift or a curse. There is more to fear in the dark than you thought.
Never gory, never extreme, Kindred Rites is so much more than its' marketing implies.
Kimbriel is on my see a new book buy it list. No questions asked. I am eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series. Try it Mikey, you will most definitely like it. (Though do start with book one...)
May 31, 2023
Allie continues her apprenticeship with her cousin Marta in book two Kindred Rites. Then she gets kidnapped.
Fortunately, Allie's dad has taught her how to survive on her own in the forest, even in winter, after she escapes. But she can only hide so long before her kidnappers catch back up to her.
Unfortunately, Allie's kidnappers are a clan of evil sorcerers, led by the dread Keeper of Souls.
Highly recommended for all who enjoy dark fantasy, perils of pioneer days in early 1800's Michigan Territory, and plenty of character-driven action! (I don't like horror. This book was creepy but stopped a long way from actual horror.)
Fortunately, Allie's dad has taught her how to survive on her own in the forest, even in winter, after she escapes. But she can only hide so long before her kidnappers catch back up to her.
Unfortunately, Allie's kidnappers are a clan of evil sorcerers, led by the dread Keeper of Souls.
Highly recommended for all who enjoy dark fantasy, perils of pioneer days in early 1800's Michigan Territory, and plenty of character-driven action! (I don't like horror. This book was creepy but stopped a long way from actual horror.)
October 11, 2015
Well -- I'm biased, because I wrote the book. But I love Allie passionately, and as long as she'll tell me stories, I'll write them down. This book is a first person narrator. Oh, for the curious -- no, I've never read Scott Card's Alvin maker books.
A review --
"Take Little House on the Prairie, mix in a large dose of magic, shake well for adults and settle in for a very fun ride. I want the next installment of Alfreda Sorensson’s adventures right now."
---Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels
http://www.ke-kimbriel.com
A review --
"Take Little House on the Prairie, mix in a large dose of magic, shake well for adults and settle in for a very fun ride. I want the next installment of Alfreda Sorensson’s adventures right now."
---Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels
http://www.ke-kimbriel.com
February 3, 2015
This is an alternate history occurring in America after the Revolutionary War (at least I assume there was a Revolutionary War since there is a reference to George Washington as President). It is about a young girl learning to use her magic abilities. I got this as a free e-book and didn't realize until I was reading the author's information at the end that it was the second in a series. Hopefully the first one (which I came home an bought) will answer some of the things that puzzled me when I was reading this one.
January 6, 2009
The continuing adventures of Allie. You know how you wish that really good book you were reading could go on for another 100 pages? This one really needed them, and oh how I felt the lack. I love this book, and reread it whenever I read Night Calls, but be warned, I've been waiting for the next book in the series now for more than a decade.
October 23, 2015
This second book in the series was better than the first (but do read them in order). More suspense. Allie is growing up and learning more magic, but as her Aunt has warned her, there are evil things that want to control young magic users.
June 9, 2009
Great story about a young witch learning to control her powers in the pioneer wilderness. Love, love this story--a definite recommend.
September 12, 2018
I love this series so much! If you like alternate history with magic (and monsters), you really need to read this and the first book, Night Calls.
January 21, 2015
Great combination of magic and survival skills in this young heroine. I look forward to the next adventure.
February 13, 2015
I love this series! Too bad there aren't more books. :( Look at my review of book one to get a better feel for what it's like - book two is more of the same, i.e. awesome.
February 13, 2015
Loved it!
February 17, 2015
Oh yeah, so good . . .
As good as the first and better. Once the plot thickened, well it stayed that way till the last 5 pages, Here I come Book 3
As good as the first and better. Once the plot thickened, well it stayed that way till the last 5 pages, Here I come Book 3
August 10, 2016
I really like the characters in this book, strong but not over bearing. The end felt a little rushed but I really enjoyed it!
March 1, 2021
Alfreda is a fun to read protagonist, matter of fact and determined to succeed. This book features a creepy evil I could do without, but it's a gripping read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews