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Echoes of Winter
A wolf. A destiny. And only one war to stand in his way.
When Convel leaves his birth pack, he didn’t expect to end up in a war against cougars. As he gathers his strength about him as well as new pack-mates, he is also confronted by Humans – once believed to be mostly dead.
He isn’t alone in his endeavours. He doesn’t know it, but Singer and her rag-tag ‘pack’ are racing towards him for the climax in his life so far. With Sage, the elderly lynx, helping to guide him, will he be successful or will the traitor in his life get what they want?
When Convel leaves his birth pack, he didn’t expect to end up in a war against cougars. As he gathers his strength about him as well as new pack-mates, he is also confronted by Humans – once believed to be mostly dead.
He isn’t alone in his endeavours. He doesn’t know it, but Singer and her rag-tag ‘pack’ are racing towards him for the climax in his life so far. With Sage, the elderly lynx, helping to guide him, will he be successful or will the traitor in his life get what they want?
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First published December 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 1, 2013
There is this `thing' about wolves that hits straight into my heart so I think I was blown away the minute I started to read this story. Dominique Goodall takes you to a journey that has written very vividly. The scenes are beautifully `painted' and you can easily imagine yourself into the wonderful world of Convel, a young male wolf, and grow with him while he's searching for his place in this world.
The Author obviously has a great respect for the nature and she knows what she's writing about. The story is written in a first person allowing you to `be' the wolf and live every joy, misery and discovery with it. Exceptionally well written and one of the rare books I would like to own as a paperback too!
The Author obviously has a great respect for the nature and she knows what she's writing about. The story is written in a first person allowing you to `be' the wolf and live every joy, misery and discovery with it. Exceptionally well written and one of the rare books I would like to own as a paperback too!
May 18, 2013
I am impressed that anyone could write a story in such detail about animals in the wild. This was a very ambiguous endeavor and well executed. I enjoyed the relationships between these animals. After a while they started feeling human-like to me. The writing was very good and the story had some very touching emotional moments.
"That night, the two lay near each other, their eyes half closed as they watched the moon and stars emerge slowly into the sky. Both felt at peace with the other, their tails swished slightly at the time, as their eyelids dropped lower and lower, until, the moon high in the sky, they both slept, hind paws touching slightly, his tail slumped over hers, though hers still slightly swayed, even though she slept."
"That night, the two lay near each other, their eyes half closed as they watched the moon and stars emerge slowly into the sky. Both felt at peace with the other, their tails swished slightly at the time, as their eyelids dropped lower and lower, until, the moon high in the sky, they both slept, hind paws touching slightly, his tail slumped over hers, though hers still slightly swayed, even though she slept."
December 12, 2012
Echoes of Winter – Review.
Echoes of Winter is an extraordinarily realistic tale of what wolves endure to survive. It comes across as though it was written to inspire the next generation whilst aiming to build a keen understanding of the trials they must go through. Not only does it involve wolves as we cross paths with Cougars, Bears, Lynx’s and many more animals. Echoes of Winter crosses the boundaries of reality with fantasy and opens the mind to a world of wonder whilst staying true to each animals characteristics. I’ve never crossed a book that wraps you up so much into the world of your characters where you love some, and love to hate others. This debut novel has it all, and its author Dominique Goodall has every right to be proud of the world she has endeavoured to create.
As we turn the pages we are greeted with a young wolf by the name of Convel, as he returns to his pack having brought winter upon them with his song. It is within his mind that he is born to lead, and lead he shall. Tensions build with his birth pack and he takes the challenge with the Alpha, his father, and wins. After winning over the Alpha, he decides to leave in search of his own pack rather than lead the one he had claimed. What lies in wait for this young wolf waits to be seen within the pages that will hold your attention long after you’ve turned that very last page. It is guaranteed to leave you desperately wanting more. He is the novice within the wolf world but carries with him everything that is needed to run his own pack – will he succeed?
Not only do we follow the tale of Convel, but we also cross paths with Siltin, the Cougar that goes out of her way to control everything and everyone within what she sees as her own territory. She is the character that every novel should contain, the one character you just love to hate but are gripped by her behaviour. The more you read about her, the more you want to understand her behaviour, the more you want to dig deeper to the roots of her reasoning. She is the one character that is willing to kill one of her own just to weave her spiteful thinking into those that follow her, will this be her downfall?
But wait, there is yet more. There is yet another character worthy of mention. A young she-wolf wandering for that place that calls to her, the one place that will become her home. Singer is the young she-wolf that travels not alone as she sets out to find the pack where she belongs. Her story is one of heartbreak, and you can’t help but fall in love with her and feel sorry for what she has had to endure in the past. But the past, as we learn, cannot be held onto while danger waits the lives of those she walks with, and of those she will come to cross. She is strong, yet vulnerable to her own emotions as she is pulled ever onwards to a fight that she knows nothing of. She can’t explain the calling she feels within only that she knows her presence will be needed in order to tip the scales in favour of the hand that deserves it.
Truly it has taken an imagination of a grand scale to write such an engrossing story that holds you right to the very end. How the author was able to keep track of so many characters whilst throwing in some unexpected twists is beyond my current state of comprehension, and deserves some noted credit and attention on its own. I’m sure that it was of no easy task in the long run, or at least it would have a challenge for many authors out there.
You can see with clarity the level of understanding this author has of how her characters would behave in the wild and has strived to keep that reality within her story of imagination and well defined descriptions. To turn the page and read the detail was to jump straight in and be right there as the events unfolded. This is a must read for anyone who holds a spark of interest in wolves of animals as a whole, from the young to the young at heart – this one is one that should fill shelves everywhere. I can only hope that the next book in the series holds the same level of imagination and keeps you as captive as each page of this one has. That very fact waits to be seen, with great interest might I add.
Echoes of Winter is an extraordinarily realistic tale of what wolves endure to survive. It comes across as though it was written to inspire the next generation whilst aiming to build a keen understanding of the trials they must go through. Not only does it involve wolves as we cross paths with Cougars, Bears, Lynx’s and many more animals. Echoes of Winter crosses the boundaries of reality with fantasy and opens the mind to a world of wonder whilst staying true to each animals characteristics. I’ve never crossed a book that wraps you up so much into the world of your characters where you love some, and love to hate others. This debut novel has it all, and its author Dominique Goodall has every right to be proud of the world she has endeavoured to create.
As we turn the pages we are greeted with a young wolf by the name of Convel, as he returns to his pack having brought winter upon them with his song. It is within his mind that he is born to lead, and lead he shall. Tensions build with his birth pack and he takes the challenge with the Alpha, his father, and wins. After winning over the Alpha, he decides to leave in search of his own pack rather than lead the one he had claimed. What lies in wait for this young wolf waits to be seen within the pages that will hold your attention long after you’ve turned that very last page. It is guaranteed to leave you desperately wanting more. He is the novice within the wolf world but carries with him everything that is needed to run his own pack – will he succeed?
Not only do we follow the tale of Convel, but we also cross paths with Siltin, the Cougar that goes out of her way to control everything and everyone within what she sees as her own territory. She is the character that every novel should contain, the one character you just love to hate but are gripped by her behaviour. The more you read about her, the more you want to understand her behaviour, the more you want to dig deeper to the roots of her reasoning. She is the one character that is willing to kill one of her own just to weave her spiteful thinking into those that follow her, will this be her downfall?
But wait, there is yet more. There is yet another character worthy of mention. A young she-wolf wandering for that place that calls to her, the one place that will become her home. Singer is the young she-wolf that travels not alone as she sets out to find the pack where she belongs. Her story is one of heartbreak, and you can’t help but fall in love with her and feel sorry for what she has had to endure in the past. But the past, as we learn, cannot be held onto while danger waits the lives of those she walks with, and of those she will come to cross. She is strong, yet vulnerable to her own emotions as she is pulled ever onwards to a fight that she knows nothing of. She can’t explain the calling she feels within only that she knows her presence will be needed in order to tip the scales in favour of the hand that deserves it.
Truly it has taken an imagination of a grand scale to write such an engrossing story that holds you right to the very end. How the author was able to keep track of so many characters whilst throwing in some unexpected twists is beyond my current state of comprehension, and deserves some noted credit and attention on its own. I’m sure that it was of no easy task in the long run, or at least it would have a challenge for many authors out there.
You can see with clarity the level of understanding this author has of how her characters would behave in the wild and has strived to keep that reality within her story of imagination and well defined descriptions. To turn the page and read the detail was to jump straight in and be right there as the events unfolded. This is a must read for anyone who holds a spark of interest in wolves of animals as a whole, from the young to the young at heart – this one is one that should fill shelves everywhere. I can only hope that the next book in the series holds the same level of imagination and keeps you as captive as each page of this one has. That very fact waits to be seen, with great interest might I add.
October 1, 2013
This book DOES NOT deserve the above 3.0 overall rating it currently has! That is an opinion, of course.
I saw this book at a bargain of $2.99 in Kindle edition and decided to consult with Goodreads to see if it was worth reading as I don’t trust Amazon reviews for they come from people who not know a thing about good or bad writing and seem to like everything about the book or from people who don’t like the book but didn’t explain properly why.
Well the reviews on Goodreads weren’t too in depth either as there was only one review I thought creditable enough to go on and it only hinted to many grammatical mistakes but a potentially good story, so I gave the book a try. Well let me tell you that the people that read this book were either very tolerant or really loved books about wolves because I couldn’t stand it.
First of all, the amount of mistakes in writing in this book was ridiculous to the point that I wondered how this author managed to publish this book without proper editing. They were everywhere; overuse of commas, misuse of conjunctions and lack of punctuation marks. It bordered on amateur.
Then the first 20% percent of the book was like that of a documentary. It was clear that the author did his research on wolves by his description of their life and habits. The wolves portrayed were to be very primal and savage in thoughts and actions yet they were clever and intelligent; a side I wished I had seen more of.
There was very little dialogue between the wolves which I believe was the author’s way of trying to emphasise the point that the wolves could easily communicate through body and energy. This would have been fine in certain aspects such as hunting and playing but it became boring when applied to very daily routine of the wolves, which was a shame as later on in the book, when the wolves did converse more; the dialogue was witty sometimes and made the story interesting. The dialogue would have also helped us to learn more about the characters and the wolves’ different beliefs and stories that clearly shared amongst themselves.
As for the characters, they weren’t very likable. Not even the young protagonist, Convel whose character was a very dominant, strong yet somewhat kind male who I found extremely hard to relate to as sometimes he was gentle, other times he was aggressive and harsh.
Only one character stood out to me and that was an experienced she-wolf called Singer, who reminded me more of a cat than as a wolf for she was independent, cunning and strong yet she was very caring.
What really put me off of this book was its incoherent writing. I got lost many times reading and had to retrace a few paragraphs to understand what happened. One minute a character is described as being 18 months, later on they are three years old. Then a character dies and everyone mourns the death only to find that a few paragraphs down the line, the character is alive and well again. What?!
I felt disappointed because this story could have worked well, even though I was starting to become annoyed with how capricious and violent the wolves could be towards each in order to establish hierarchy. However, what truly let this book down was not the story but the author’s execution which was simply abysmal. Whoever wishes to read this book may go ahead but prepared for incoherent and pitiful writing skills along with never-ending grammatical errors.
December 4, 2012
This book follows Convel and Singer. Both Alpha wolves who have left their home packs for various and not so great reasons. Both are on a separate path that will lead them to their destinies. Both are strong, smart and willing to think outside of the box. That is where their similarities end. The cougars are a threat to the wolves lives and they are lead by a cruel leader. It is up to the wolves to stop them. Not just for their own good but for the good of the land.
Ok so two of my favorite books of all time are Call of the Wild and Watership Down. So I was super excited when I read the first few lines of this book and realized I was reading an epic tale from a wolves POV. Not an werewolf. A wolf. Period. I really love animals and I love learning about them. Even if what I am learning is fiction. I also love apex predators.
The character's are wolves but that doesn't stop them from being awesome. I was attached to them. More so than I am to human characters. I am just not a people person. These wolf characters are more dynamic than most characters and real life people I know.
I enjoyed the fact that, while the wolves do talk, the author also had to convey their thoughts and feeling physically. Talk about showing and not telling. Every nuance was given a physical trait and I could literally see them in my head. I am sure that I was making strange faces while going through the emotions that these characters go through. Groaning in pain. Grimacing, baring my teeth. Yep. I caught myself attempting to do all of those things while reading.
I love the woods. I love them. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my family and I wandering through the woods. The author did my recollections justice with the woods she had her wolves playing and living in. I could feel the coldness of the winter air, hear my feet crunching on the snow, and see the birds in the bare leafless trees.
This book is just rich in detail.
Morte was my favorite wolf character. She's suffered so much but keeps going because she still has love in her heart.
There were times in the book that the story would go into a lull and I would find myself drifting away but I would soon be pulled back in by an action scene.
Also my copy had some continuity errors that made it hard to follow. Sometimes names would be switched around Especially concerning Morte and Amore. These two are sister wolf dogs. Morte was injured and couldn't speak. She is covered in scars. A really intriguing character.
I was given a copy of this book for review purposes. This is my honest review of this book.
Ok so two of my favorite books of all time are Call of the Wild and Watership Down. So I was super excited when I read the first few lines of this book and realized I was reading an epic tale from a wolves POV. Not an werewolf. A wolf. Period. I really love animals and I love learning about them. Even if what I am learning is fiction. I also love apex predators.
The character's are wolves but that doesn't stop them from being awesome. I was attached to them. More so than I am to human characters. I am just not a people person. These wolf characters are more dynamic than most characters and real life people I know.
I enjoyed the fact that, while the wolves do talk, the author also had to convey their thoughts and feeling physically. Talk about showing and not telling. Every nuance was given a physical trait and I could literally see them in my head. I am sure that I was making strange faces while going through the emotions that these characters go through. Groaning in pain. Grimacing, baring my teeth. Yep. I caught myself attempting to do all of those things while reading.
I love the woods. I love them. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my family and I wandering through the woods. The author did my recollections justice with the woods she had her wolves playing and living in. I could feel the coldness of the winter air, hear my feet crunching on the snow, and see the birds in the bare leafless trees.
This book is just rich in detail.
Morte was my favorite wolf character. She's suffered so much but keeps going because she still has love in her heart.
There were times in the book that the story would go into a lull and I would find myself drifting away but I would soon be pulled back in by an action scene.
Also my copy had some continuity errors that made it hard to follow. Sometimes names would be switched around Especially concerning Morte and Amore. These two are sister wolf dogs. Morte was injured and couldn't speak. She is covered in scars. A really intriguing character.
I was given a copy of this book for review purposes. This is my honest review of this book.
July 16, 2013
As much as I really wanted to like this book, I just can't give this a good review. I don't think this book was even edited, as there are numerous typos and incorrect words that make the writing a chore to chew through! Even in the first line a phrase is duplicated! A lot of the writing is redundant, adding nothing to the story and giving plenty of opportunity for extra typos. As there are not many novels from a wolf's point of view, I was ecstatic when I found this: the premise of the book (as the protagonist wolf winds up in a war with cougars in an attempt to defend his new territory)sounded great and the reviews were glowing. I will only endure this because of the rarity of the subject.
August 16, 2013
This was a beautifully written novel, bursting with passion. It is really one of a kind.
I loved this book, it is so different to those I usually read, in such a good way! Goodall has captured the wild personality of the wolf in such a unique way, words can't do her justice! I don't want to give the story away, but I do suggest you pick this up!
It is a tantalising read that is brimming with passion and enthusiasm!
It is one hell of a wild ride I will tell you that!
I loved this book, it is so different to those I usually read, in such a good way! Goodall has captured the wild personality of the wolf in such a unique way, words can't do her justice! I don't want to give the story away, but I do suggest you pick this up!
It is a tantalising read that is brimming with passion and enthusiasm!
It is one hell of a wild ride I will tell you that!
Want to read
January 23, 2021You know I will always love this one sister!
March 29, 2013
When first given the option to read this book, I thought that it was about werewolves. When I started reading it, I was like whoa, wait, these are actual wolves. I really loved the way that the author described certain things. Her description of the moon was just awesome. I felt like I could actually see the moon that she wrote about. The way that she portrayed the animals, and the way they all accepted each other into their pack, even though they were not all wolves, was just amazing. This was a great book. A step away from the norm, but amazing none the less. Great read. Reviewed by Ashley E. of www.faebooks.co.uk
December 16, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It has been quite a long while since I have read a book which was written from the perspective of animals. I forgot how much I thoroughly enjoy it. The author has definitely done their research. She does not rely on words to relay their feelings and thought process, even. She understands the physical nature of them and it makes the story so much more... well, more. I enjoyed the story line and and felt a strong connection to the main characters. This is the first I have read by this author and it will not be the last.
June 16, 2013
An interesting take on a coming-of-age story set from the perspective of a group of wolves who must find a way to work to survive. Convel, a young male wolf, leaves his pack and travels a long distance, finding a new home, a new pack, and then fighting to keep it. I found this an entertaining read, and especially enjoyed how the author used the natural rivalries and alliances of animals in the wild to tell the story with minimum human presence. A fun read!
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