Split Feather

Daughter of the Midnight Sun #1

by Deborah A. Wolf

Siggy Aleksov sees demons and talks with creatures she knows aren’t really there. Taken from her family as a child, she is dogged by memories of abandonment, abuse, and mental health issues. Siggy suffers from a hot temper, cluster headaches, caffeine addiction, and terminal foul language.

She complicates her life even more when she saves the life of a talented assassin sent to kill her. Deciding to get the hell out of Dodge, Siggy travels to the Alaska bush to find out who she really is. The answer is more fantastic that she could have imagined—and she can imagine a lot. t.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Deborah A. Wolf was born in a barn and raised on wildlife refuges, which explains rather a lot. As a child, whether she was wandering down the beach of an otherwise deserted island or exploring the hidden secrets of Alaska with her faithful dog Sitka, she always had a book at hand. She opened the forbidden door, and set foot upon the tangled path, and never looked back.

Deborah attended any college that couldn’t outrun her and has accumulated a handful of degrees. She has worked as an underwater photographer, Arabic linguist, and grumbling wage slave. Throughout it all, she has held onto one true and passionate love: the love of storytelling.

Deborah currently lives in northern Michigan with her kids (some of whom are grown and all of whom are exceptional), an assortment of dogs and horses, and a pair of demons masquerading as cats.

Reviews

[Sean Rodden · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK…let me begin with some qualifiers: I am not a fan of urban fantasy; I am not a fan of first person narrative; I am not a fan of modern voice.

But I AM a fan of Deborah A. Wolf.

Good writers take willing and ready readers to new and wonderful worlds. Great writers take unwilling and inflexible readers to worlds which the readers would not otherwise visit. And for me, urban fantasy is an ‘over my dead and rotting corpse’ kind of thing. And though it is hard for me to say no to Wolf’s glorious writing, I was still very hesitant and resistant. So I went into Split Feather kicking and screaming…and I came out dancing and cheering!!!

I don’t know what it is. Her style. Her master story-telling. Her wacky imagination and wackier humour. But there is something that sets Wolf apart. Even from most very accomplished, very talented writers. Just a certain special something. I doubt I will ever figure out what it is, and maybe that’s what makes her writing so special.

Has Wolf made me a fan of urban fantasy, first person, and modern voice? No. Has she made me a fan of Siggy Aleksov and Split Feather? YES. I will definitely read this book again. And probably again. Maybe even again.

And you should too.

[Deborah Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I wrote it, so of course I'm going to give it a five star rating.

[Adrian Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on Grimdark Magazine

Big thanks to Deb for sending me out an ARC of Split Feather.

Siggy sees demons, only, she knows she’s a little loopy and they aren’t real. She’s a badass, albeit a haunted one. One night and a (rather one sided) bar fight later and she meets Bane, and things start to change.

This was a fun read, even though urban fantasy isn’t usually my jam. Wolf gets you right in the head of our tortured protagonist, stumbling from danger, to revelation, to life changing twist, and right back into danger again in a roller coaster ride of action and fun. Her depiction of Alaska as a backdrop to the greater majority of the tale, is stunning, like I could feel the crisp air in my lungs and benefit from its invigoration while reading.

Wolf switches gears from grimdark fantasy into urban fantasy like there’s no fantasy subgenre wall that can keep her out.

[Siavahda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really classing this as four-point-five stars, but the book is so good I'd rather round up than down on this one.

I am not the biggest fan of urban fantasy; I'm particularly not a fan of first-person urban fantasy. But I loved the author's book Dragon Legacy (so much that I still haven't finished it; it's so intensely good I can only manage to read it a few pages at a time before I'm overwhelmed by The Awesome), so I decided to take a risk and follow her as she jumped genres.

Definitely one of my better decisions.

Siggy is a tough-as-nails, brittle, definitely-crazy woman of Native American descent - though I'm not sure even she knows it until the grandfather she never knew existed manages to track her down and call her home. Siggy, you see, was wrongfully taken from her family by social services and shoved into the foster system, as happens and has happened to Native children for decades. Split Feather pointedly and eloquently addresses this as a systemic issue at several points throughout the book, which is good, because it's a horrible thing that very much needs addressing in the real world, too. Siggy was taken so young that she has no memories of her original family by the time the mysterious birthday card with a ticket to Alaska inside arrives at her beaten-up trailer, but a series of bizarre and troubling events - namely, meeting the sparklepunk assassin Bane, supposedly sent to kill her but who saves her life instead - convinces her to take the risk and head up north to find her family.

And oh, she can see demons. Or so she calls them - the monsters she hallucinates everywhere, including the one who's followed her around all her life, whispering commands to kill - other people, herself, her demon doesn't really care so long as blood is spilled. So far Siggy has managed to do no such thing, but crippling migraine-like headaches are her punishment for ignoring the monster, and worse, her demon seems to be becoming more powerful, able to snatch control of her body instead of just whispering in her ear.

The thing is, Bane can see the monsters too. So maybe she's not hallucinating after all?

I don't want to give away too much of the book's plot, because what unfolds after she reaches Alaska is such a breath of fresh air in a genre that's gotten pretty stale - definitely avoid spoilers if you plan to pick this up, because it's so very good when each plot twist and turn takes you by surprise. I can only assume Wolf drew heavily from Native mythology for the second half of the book, because the magic and monsters Siggy encounters are like nothing my white mythbuff self has encountered before (although I did recognise Sedna, even before she was named. One small point to me!) Suffice to say that Siggy undergoes some big adventures, faces multiple important and life-changing revelations, and uncovers what is hinted to be some complicated conspiracy of demons - all while finding her place amongst the extended family that welcomes her home with so much love and acceptance that she, traumatised and scarred as she is, really doesn't know how to handle.

My one critique is that there were a lot of surprising time-skips between chapters, which at times made the pacing more than a bit jerky - important conversations or transitions were skipped over, and occasionally I was left scrambling a bit to keep up or figure out what had happened during the time-skip. But bar that one reservation, I have to recommend this to every urban fantasy fan - and even non-urban fantasy fans like myself, because the writing is gorgeous, the characters are fantastic, the plot is alternately heart-wrenching and exciting, and there are so many unanswered questions (some raised on the very last page!) that I'm simply dying to get my hands on book two and find out what happens next!

Well done, Wolf; you've dragged me kicking and screaming back to urban fantasy. I hope you're pleased with yourself.

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can listen to our review of Wolf's other novel, The Dragon's Legacy here The Nerd Book Review

First of all I started reading the book today and finished it already so I would say it was a book I was able to get into the “movie in my mind” stage and stay there and allowed me to just fly through the pages with minimal effort.
I do have a few first thoughts. At first my opinion of this book suffered ever so slightly because The Dragon’s Legacy is my favorite epic fantasy first in a series novel since the first Song of Ice and Fire novel I read about fifteen years ago. Within 3 pages I knew I loved TDL. I don’t have that same love of urban fantasy that I do for Epic or Grimdark fantasy and it did take me a little while to really get into the flow of this book, once I did I though I felt like I was reading about 100 pages an hour.
For whatever reason Deborah Wolf’s writing style just plain works for me in a way that allows me to forget I’m even reading. I can go twenty pages without even realizing it. In the last year since I began to write reviews and think about things I often find myself stopping even in good parts of a book to write a note. A mark of when a novel REALLY works for me is when I get through large sections and realize I haven’t stopped to take a single note for a hundred pages and that is the case with this novel.
A quick non spoiler synopsis.
Siggy, our main character, is a girl in her late teens who is living in a small town in Michigan. She was taken from her family when she was a young child and placed in the foster system. Her story is one that is unfortunately all too common and she was abused by many of the families she was placed with. This has led her to have some real anger issues and she's been in minor trouble with the law many times. She also has one hell of a problem, she thinks she is hallucinating demons. These demons are all over the place and one of them is "her" demon who often tells her to hurt herself or others, something that in the past she has acted upon a few times.
Our story really begins when Siggy goes to a local concert and end up helping the lead singer of a band when he is assaulted by a man who appears to have one of these demons inside of him. This action sets in play a series of events that will affect the rest of this story, and clearly the storyline moving forward in the series.
Siggy needs to get out of town for a while and a mysterious plane ticket from people claiming to be her real family arrives around the same time. Siggy will learn all about her past and be drawn into something bigger than herself as a result of that journey. All of this happens in the first few chapters so I don't really consider any of this to be real spoiler material but anything past this would be so I will leave it at that.
I have already stated that I loved the story but as for possible cons I would say that early on Siggy does get dangerously close to the angry, man hating, girl stereotype but I don't think she goes over that edge and once the story really takes off that part of her isn't emphasized nearly as much. All in all a really solid novel, the only other Urban Fantasy book I've read recently that I would say is in the same ballpark enjoyment level wise for me is Paternus by Dyrk Ashton but that one is over the top action and this novel is much more subtle. I would recommend both novels if you are an urban fantasy fan, or even if you aren't.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that my experience of reading Split Feather had plenty of ups and downs. The premise caught me immediately and I was excited to get into a story of demons, badass fighters and fantasy elements. Split Feather is all these things but it really feels like a set-up novel that is going to go on to bigger and better things; not the glorious blast of the gate I was hoping for. DAW has done a great job of getting me to invest in Siggy’s character and her journey of discovery; but via as story that took too long to establish and finished just as it was getting exciting. I understand this was done for anticipation and suspense for the next instalment but I feel a little more of that ingenious fantasy writing could have been included within Split Feather to keep me sated until the next adventure.

Split Feather follows Siggy Aleksov and her quest to find out the true roots of her family. Having been discarded as a child and cast into the perilous fostering system, Siggy has grown up an outcast in her own life. Also she is cursed with the ability to see and be influenced by other worldly demons. After saving the life of an assassin sent to kill her and narrowly avoiding another murder attempt, a reeling Siggy receives a message from an old man claiming to be family. Siggy is desperate to know her true origins and after being forced to leave town by her would be killer, Siggy makes her way to Alaska to meet her grandfather. What she finds in Alaska will change the course of her life forever and after many trials and tribulations, Siggy begins to understand what she is meant to do with her life. This story takes us beyond the safety of reality and into hell and beyond. I was impressed with the story in Split Feather but I have to admit I was rather annoyed it was cut short at the end.

Deborah A. Wolf is a stand out fantasy writer in 2017. Split Feather is a testament to her abilities to write memorable and well mapped out fantasy novels with complex plot components and brilliant mythological foundations. I am genuinely excited to read another instalment as the ending of Split Feather got me really pumped up. By the end of the novel the story was turning out exactly as I had been wanting but as these elements came into fruition, it ended! So harsh. I could have done with another act to sate my desire for a more complete and pleasing story, but I am happy to wait.

DAW writing is confident, complex and at times incredibly badass; DAW has put a lot of thought into Siggy’s character and how she develops over the course of the tale. The pacing was neat and DAW was able to create a bold and unforgiving story that blew me away in the third act. It did take about half the novel for DAW to really hit her stride but when the novel hits its sweet spot I was blown away. I was pleasantly surprised that Siggy’s mythology was completely personal to her and not just another story re-purposed for her own plot line. I did some digging because I was interested in exploring the characters within but they are completely original and I am fascinating by them. The second half of the novel is by far the best as it takes what DAW had been slowly building in the first half to another level. If you have/are reading Split Feather and are waning slightly I implore you to stick with it as it certainly pays off.

Siggy is an easy character to align yourself with. Siggy has had a hard life and it is only getting harder. She is literally battling her own demons and on her good days she can fend them off with ease; on the bad days her demon is able to creep into her mind and play around a bit. I was compelled by Siggy’s character. A fighter but also vulnerable and challenging. I was with her all the way on her journey and it was certainly a journey to remember. I am seriously trying not to go into too much as I don’t wan’t to ruin the essence of the novel. Character wise I was a bit disheartened that all the really interesting individuals on had fleeting appearances and I sincerely hope they show up in further entries in the series.

There are plenty of settings, atmospheres and themes to dig into here. As I said before this was a tad more mythological than I was originally expecting and that was a welcome and fantastically original surprise. Siggy is out of her depth in Alaska but as events unfold she learns that there is much more to her heritage than she could ever have imagined. The story takes place in many different settings so be prepared for one HELL of a ride. There are some hard themes included but they are only touched upon superficially so DAW is focused her writing more on delivering a ferocious tale of demons, killers and mythology that most fantasy readers will adore.

Overall I highly recommend Split Feather but I caution you that this is mainly a set-up novel that I am sure will pay-off down the line. DAW is taking the fantasy genre by storm and she is certainly working her way to becoming a household name. I am seriously excited to see what DAW can deliver when she settles into that confidence she has shown with her first two novels. Try Split Feather, it is a fantasy adventure that shouldn’t be missed.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book made me realize that everyone should have a MC that looks like them, and represents their community. Being a Seneca woman, deer clan I can say that I love this book. From the native perspective of ' don't piss of grandma, and hutlani ' to the modern phrasing of 'omifuckinggod' lol I Will recommend this book to every native reader I know. Thanks for the bear-y tales. ;)

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would advise you to skip the blurb, as it continues at some length and gives at least a couple of major plotpoints that you’d be better off reading within the story. The other warning – while it mentions it, if you are offended by strong language, then this isn’t the book for you. There is extensive use of the f word throughout, because as Siggy admits – she is a potty-mouth. However, I really warmed to the punchy first-person narrative which manages to portray an abused, troubled young woman without a scrap of whining or self pity. In fact, despite the bleakness of her life, she is frequently very funny, which worked well in bonding me to her and ensuring I really cared about what happens to her.

Her life doesn’t make for pretty reading – the foster-care system she ends up in is clearly broken and has left her to fend for herself with a sub-standard education and dealing with issues she shouldn’t have to. As well as having to cope with a demon who constantly plagues her.

I really like this aspect of the book. The demon can be taken at face value as one of the otherworldly creatures inhabiting this fantasy novel – or the demon can be seen as the personification of her own self-loathing. Either way works well and I enjoyed the fact that Wolf gives us an opportunity to read that layer into the story. The writing is sensually very rich – we know most of the time what Siggy is smelling and how the landscape impacts upon her as senses as well as emotionally. Not only does this give us another layer of information, it also underlines the impression of Siggy’s otherness. Of course, with such a vivid protagonist, we also need a suitably horrible antagonist – and Wolf delivers a couple, who are also both women, which I really enjoyed.

The other interesting aspect of this book is there is no romantic attachment, which – given Siggy’s messed up emotional state, was something of a relief. She isn’t in a fit state to be falling love. Yet all too often in this genre, a heroine staggers away from a series of incidents dire enough to have Superwoman buckling at the knees, only to fling herself into the arms of a handily available man, professing her love. Frankly, she’d be better off with a long, hot shower and a lie-down. Alone.

All in all, this is a really good start to what promises to be a fascinating and engrossing series. Recommended to urban fantasy fans who like gritty, vivid protagonists and a well-told story.
9/10

[Becky Hodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah A. Wolf has created a fantastic character in Siggy John Aleksov. Separated from her family at an early age and sent into possibly the worst foster homes in history, Siggy has a lot of anger issues. She's also crazy. Or at least she assumes she is, because seeing demons isn't normal, right? This is a young woman who longs for a family, for people to love her and to love in return. But you really wouldn't get Siggy to admit that. Stubborn and crazy, yet also heroic and kind, intelligent and humourous.

In a short space of time her world goes from difficult and confusing to completely insane. She does, however, find out who her family is, or at least who her mother's people are.

The author paints a beautiful and vivid picture of Alaska and her people. Tales of Raven, Wolf and Bear are interwoven with the world in which Siggy lives. It's a truly captivating novel and one I shall read again with pleasure; I suspect it's one of those books that you get something different out of every time you read it.

I cannot wait for the next book with Siggy John Aleksov in.

[Ashley Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost put the book down a few times because the character was so negative about being institutionalized or treated for mental illness. However she is a shaman which is a completely ignored part of indigenous culture in psychiatry. The book is so good and has none stop action that I had to keep going. I think it’s important to hear voices from foster children and protagonists that aren’t Virgin Mary Sue from the land of barely anything bad ever happened. The band Bane and the Bean Sidhe and the gods of the native ppl of Alaska were all great learning opportunities. The part where her grandfather sings his troubles and the dancers catch his tears was so powerful. It’s so important for ppl to express themselves and tell their story. The girl in the story finds her family and takes her place as a demon fighting shaman after going to hell. However hell has knitted hounds and good food. Must read.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The majority of this book was for me a 5 star rating and the only reason I gave it a 4 star rating is that there were a couple of minor moments where a development did not feel quite paced right and a moment or two where the character did not ring quite as authentic as she does for the main. These moments are however outweighed by a story that had me gripped from start to finish and empathising with the character to the point of feeling her rage at one very pertinent part of the novel.
Also added bonus points to the scenes with the protagonist and her grandma - there is a bounty of beautifully affectionate yet pretty badass humour there :)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a paranormal fiction with a strong bad-ass female lead! I really believe that Siggy was tough, I don't know why but a lot of other books I have read with tough female leads often don't seem believable. I think the difference is solid writing. I also enjoyed the inclusion of native people and legends, and the fact that there was NO ROMANCE. Also something that tends to be rare in paranormal fantasy. Romance plots aren't terrible but it is nice to have a book without one for once.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was initially put off by yet another orphan girl abused by the system. Once into the story it does take an orginal twist developing into an Alaskan Tribal myth story.

The dream sequence for the protagonist to recover her soul was well done. There is enough unaswered elements that book two will be worth reading.

[Jesse Iaquilino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of urban fantasy, I had a good feeling about this one. I was right. Excellent character, nice to see a POC instead of the usual fare. Quite an interesting concept as well and I’m looking forward to the next book. Would love to learn more about Bane and Honey, Siggy is def a hoot of a character.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This captivating book kept me turning pages, curious about what would happen next as new creatures continued to enter the story, whether squawking, singing, or mischief-making. I was a little disappointed by the disjointed narrative in the second half of the book, but I enjoyed the reading experience, and the imagery was incredible.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c2017: (8) Hovering around a three and finally settled on a 2 because of the last quarter of the book which seemed to stall a bit. Nice character and I look forward to seeing both her and the author grow. Recommended to the younger members of the crew.'That much I had figured out already.'

[Cassandre Bolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Siggy! I want to visit Alaska now and meet all these people that inspired this! Also thanks for all the amazing strong diverse characters in addition to our flawed fighting badass hero! Can't wait for the next one to find out what happens to her!

[Donna M. Downes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting!

This is a story unlike any other I have read. It took me beyond my own imagination into a world that could have blown my mind if I wasn't already half way there myself. I love the characters, storyline, and the concepts. Deborah A. Wolf I do want to read more!

[Rachel Deryck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being part Inuit, this book felt like home. I love the integration of my culture's beliefs and stories into this amazingly imaginative story. I hope this series continues and Siggy goes on to do many more amazing things!

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my usual read. but it was interesting.

[Jeannie Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different but in a good way.

[Yeukai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly different, what if a mental part of you was missing?

[Noone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another one of those books with this extreme contrast of horrific life circumstances to extremely cheesy and wholesome family reunion with instant acceptance and generally everything going right contrary to the MC constant pessimistic expectation.
You might recognize the type.

There is an important mystery around native American tribes' stuff too. But it's very clichéed too.

The main conflict is very hard to believe.

The author uses intentional repetition as a literary tool a lot. At times it works really well but in some spots, it just feels weird and out of place. Even though it is obvious that it is intentional it nonetheless seems like an editorial oversight sometimes.

This book has another very unusual contrast. The MC has a temper and curses like a sailor which clashes extremely with the way the writing tries to build this mystical but whimsical atmosphere. On one hand, I found this contrast interesting because it felt fresh but on the other, it hurt the believability of either aspect instead of creating something more than the sum of its parts.

[Stormy McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, with surprisingly good editing. (A concept that is almost as rare and mythical as hen's teeth these days.) 'Split Feather' contains elements of mythology, magical realism, and urban fantasy. Told in first-person, the characters tend to curse a fair bit, and the phrase "whatever, yo" is used more than necessary in non-dialogue text.

That being said, I enjoyed the 2/3 of the story set in Alaska, and especially liked the foreshadowing in the town names. More explanation of Bane and his employers would have improved the beginning and ending sections. A vague reference to an undefined organization was not enough to understand the whys and wherefores of the story's beginning. Perhaps that is going to be in book two in 2025...

[Susan Spraker · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting

It took a few pages to get hooked. Her characters are so intriguing that you have to pay attention to what they are at varying changes in life. I was expecting there to be more trauma with the knife that she waited so long for. Guess it will be in the next book

[Pat Vacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of Siggy, a young woman who’d had a hard, ugly start to her life. She sets out to Alaska to find her soul and discover her true self. Whether you believe in actual demons or only see them as an allegory for the evils we fight within, this is a well crafted tale with beautiful writing. And I love a happy ending.

[Joe Miguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding story, told with wit, smarts, and a real sense of wonder, by a writer I'm proud to call an old friend. I can't wait to read the next chapter in Siggy's adventures, and I look forward to seeing what other stories Deborah Wolf has to tell.

[Valerie Worster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings

There are so many parts of this story that I liked. Mostly the beginning and the end, but the mystical stuff in the middle was a little much for me. The humor is a fun addition.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.

Starts out fast, slows a bit in the middle to introduce a bit more strangeness, then speeds back up. Definitely setting the table in preparation for an odd and entertaining feast to come. I will be reading the next in the series...

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Urban fantasy has a unique setting. So many of this genre place the story in large cities. This takes place in the tribal lands of Alaska. Other than that, the plot is stereotypical. An orphan girl abused as a child by the system finds out she's not crazy just special.