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Tales of a New World #3
Wind Rider: Tales of a New World
#1 New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series, P.C. Cast, brings us Wind Rider, an epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…
Mari, Nik, and their newly formed Pack are being hunted. Thaddeus and the God of Death will stop at nothing until they are obliterated from the earth. But Mari and Nik have one goal: to reach the plains of the Wind Riders, in order to band together to stop Thaddeus from destroying all that Mari and Nik hold dear.
But will the mysterious Wind Riders accept the Pack, or will Mari and Nik and their people be rejected by the mighty Riders and be forced to flee for their lives? And what happens when a rogue Lead Stallion gets too close to the Pack, rejecting all Wind Riders and turning to a stranger for companionship instead?
In the next installment of the Tales of a New World series love and goodness are put to the ultimate test. Will the Wind Riders and the Pack be strong enough to withstand the God of Death? Will the Great Goddess of Life awaken to join the battle, and if so, will it be as Death's consort, or will the Goddess stand with Mari and her people against the great love of her eternal life?
515 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2018
235 people are currently reading
6819 people want to read
About the author
P.C. Cast
163 books28.3k followersPC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
October 24, 2018
The Pack is all about love, acceptance and peace but BEWARE! Death is close at their heels!
In this 3rd installment of Tales of a New World the Pack is traveling to the plains of the Wind Riders. Their journey is fraught with danger as they travel through new lands, meet new communities, and race from Death. Each day brings them closer together, strengthens them and carries them closer to their goals.
Death is planning to follow and where he goes, so does destruction, decay, monsters and the deaths of so many and so much. There is a strength in Death's camp that he is not aware of and it is rising to the occasion, collecting information and building an arsenal of her own in the hopes that she may come up with a plan to send Death back to his slumber.
Join in on this heart racing excursion and leap in to a book that teaches true love, acceptance and the strength of the Pack!
In this 3rd installment of Tales of a New World the Pack is traveling to the plains of the Wind Riders. Their journey is fraught with danger as they travel through new lands, meet new communities, and race from Death. Each day brings them closer together, strengthens them and carries them closer to their goals.
Death is planning to follow and where he goes, so does destruction, decay, monsters and the deaths of so many and so much. There is a strength in Death's camp that he is not aware of and it is rising to the occasion, collecting information and building an arsenal of her own in the hopes that she may come up with a plan to send Death back to his slumber.
Join in on this heart racing excursion and leap in to a book that teaches true love, acceptance and the strength of the Pack!
November 13, 2020
"Warum dürfen wir nicht einfach mit uns selbst glücklich und zufrieden sein? Was ist daran so falsch?"
Ich bin enttäuscht. Ich bin sauer. Über das Ende (was genaugenommen ja keines ist). Wisst ihr, wenn auf einem Buch groß aufgedruckt ist "Dritter Band der Trilogie", dann gehe ich davon aus, dass es eine Art Auflösung geben wird. Einen Abschluss irgendeiner Art. UND KEINEN VERDAMMTEN CLIFFHANGER, WENN DIE GROßE KONFRONTATION, AUF DIE SCHON SEIT BAND 2 HINGEARBEITET WIRD, IMMER NOCH AUSSTEHT! Ich weiß, dass ich mit dieser Meinung so ziemlich alleine dastehe, immerhin ist dieses Buch unfassbar hoch bewertet, aber das Ende hat für mich doch sehr viel verdorben. Es sah irgendwann schon nach einem sehr überstürzten Ende aus, was ich auch schade gefunden hätte, aber es passiert einfach NICHTS. Ich hatte kurz überlegt, nur einen Stern zu geben, aber dafür was das Buch doch zu gut. Mari geht mir zwar auf den Geist, da sie einfach zu perfekt ist. Immer ruhig, immer die perfekte Lösung, immer alles tolerierend... Sie hat nicht eine einzige Ecke oder Kante. Ich habe schon Muskelkater in den Augen gehabt vom ständigen Verdrehen, wenn sie nur den Mund aufmacht.
Die neue Perspektive von River fand ich richtig toll, selbst wenn auch River mal wieder ein wenig zu perfekt war. Aber nicht ganz so schlimm. Und die Autorin hat hier einen aromantischen-asexuellen Charakter in einer wichtigen Rolle in ihre Geschichte eingebaut, was man derzeit ja noch nicht so oft liest. Rivers Geschichte und war neben Bast und dem Bärenmarder (wo auch noch einiges zu erzählen wäre...) das Beste am Buch.
November 2, 2018
*4 Stars*
ARC kindly received from Pan MacMillan Australia, in exchange for an honest review.
I'm really enjoying this series. Having only just read the first two books in this series so that I would be up to date for this release, all the details were fresh in my mind. Cast continues the story of Mari, Nik, their Pack and also their enemies, but along with their POV's we are also introduced to the Wind Rider peoples, and in particular, one character, River.
I really enjoyed getting to know the Wind Riders and River and her Anjo, and of course I enjoyed the parts with The Pack. This was an excellent continuation of this story, with characters who continue to change and grow, learn to love, learn to accept and want to make a better life for themselves.
Death is also still on the hunt for them, and whilst I wanted to just get through his chapters because I can't stand the character (which is the point), those chapters were still integral to the story, and I assume in the next novel will probably bring things together even more.
So many things happen in this book, one of my favourites being the changes to do with the companions. I am very curious to see how things play out there in the next book and I was also so happy when these parts of the story occurred.
Cast has created a world that I have become invested in, where I am rooting for The Pack and for the life they are so desperately chasing. There are so many layered characters and I truly cannot wait to see what happens next.
Review also on my blog - Wind Rider - PC Cast
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ARC kindly received from Pan MacMillan Australia, in exchange for an honest review.
I'm really enjoying this series. Having only just read the first two books in this series so that I would be up to date for this release, all the details were fresh in my mind. Cast continues the story of Mari, Nik, their Pack and also their enemies, but along with their POV's we are also introduced to the Wind Rider peoples, and in particular, one character, River.
I really enjoyed getting to know the Wind Riders and River and her Anjo, and of course I enjoyed the parts with The Pack. This was an excellent continuation of this story, with characters who continue to change and grow, learn to love, learn to accept and want to make a better life for themselves.
Death is also still on the hunt for them, and whilst I wanted to just get through his chapters because I can't stand the character (which is the point), those chapters were still integral to the story, and I assume in the next novel will probably bring things together even more.
So many things happen in this book, one of my favourites being the changes to do with the companions. I am very curious to see how things play out there in the next book and I was also so happy when these parts of the story occurred.
Cast has created a world that I have become invested in, where I am rooting for The Pack and for the life they are so desperately chasing. There are so many layered characters and I truly cannot wait to see what happens next.
Review also on my blog - Wind Rider - PC Cast
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March 1, 2019
Ugh!!!! And this series is finished. (Sad face) Hopefully the way it ended there is a book Four in the works. I highly recommend this series if you haven’t gotten your hands on it yet
November 7, 2018
Warning...this is more of a rant than a review. I apologize in advance (but not really :P).
I REALLY wanted to give this book at least 4 stars but P.C. Cast really laid it on thick with the needless and exaggerated flattery and group praise in this book. I'm talking about flattery & praise to the point of being awkward, annoying, and mortifying. It's generally okay to acknowledge when a character makes a smart decision regarding an important issue, but we definitely don't need to read 4-6 character's exaltations of how great and smart that character is...only to move past it, get about 5 pages or a chapter further, and cue the rounds of praise again *insert eye roll here*. It almost seemed like P.C. Cast was using these interactions to fill pages because she was running out a writing material (but..for now..I refuse to believe that she would do something like that and I'll just chalk it up to writer's block). I understand that Mari's group or The Pack are supposed to be a positive light in what seems to be turning into a pretty dark and messed up world, but this issue almost ruined the Tales of a New World series for me.
Having said that, I still enjoy the storyline and concept behind the Tales of a New World series. I feel invested in the characters, their well-being, and I have enjoyed the world building. I will continue to read this series - at least for the next book - but Wind Rider has made me very VERY cautious.
I REALLY wanted to give this book at least 4 stars but P.C. Cast really laid it on thick with the needless and exaggerated flattery and group praise in this book. I'm talking about flattery & praise to the point of being awkward, annoying, and mortifying. It's generally okay to acknowledge when a character makes a smart decision regarding an important issue, but we definitely don't need to read 4-6 character's exaltations of how great and smart that character is...only to move past it, get about 5 pages or a chapter further, and cue the rounds of praise again *insert eye roll here*. It almost seemed like P.C. Cast was using these interactions to fill pages because she was running out a writing material (but..for now..I refuse to believe that she would do something like that and I'll just chalk it up to writer's block). I understand that Mari's group or The Pack are supposed to be a positive light in what seems to be turning into a pretty dark and messed up world, but this issue almost ruined the Tales of a New World series for me.
Having said that, I still enjoy the storyline and concept behind the Tales of a New World series. I feel invested in the characters, their well-being, and I have enjoyed the world building. I will continue to read this series - at least for the next book - but Wind Rider has made me very VERY cautious.
May 29, 2023
This book was so amazing and left me feeling all kinds of emotions. I'm actually still teary-eyed from the ending so I'm gonna have to write (& film) a proper review for this another time. Suffice to say that I LOVED THIS BOOK! Aargh
November 1, 2018
Wind Rider follows on directly from the ending of Sun Warrior and if you’ve been following the tale, you’d know exactly where they are going. The tile also kinda gave that away! The first chapter of this book, however, did not open with the Pack but rather introduced a very interesting new perspective; River -daughter of a Wind Rider. Every few chapters, there is a chapter about River and I absolutely adored her adventures!
Nik & Mari and their Pack continued their journey to find a new home they can settle into. As they travel through dangerous territories, led by Antreas and Bast, the Pack bonded through working together and helping each other as they struggle through the unfamiliar and threatening surroundings. I did feel that these chapters dragged a bit. It just took them forever and a day to reach their destinations. Whilst their adventures could be an exciting read, I felt there was something forced and therefore, a bit awkward. There were bits where Mari felt proud of her Pack of one thing or another (it happened multiple times) and while I understood the need to highlight just how well the Pack is getting along, I feel like the author needed to justify the direction Mari has taken?!
Death had established himself in the Tribe of Trees. We read his terrible deeds through the perspective of Ralina, a Storyteller of the Tribe of Trees. Death kept her close at hand as he wished his godly feats to be told in stories through time. I found Ralina to be most admirable character. She chose to stay to help the her people and her strength, courage, and canniness will ensure that the world will hear of how the horrific destruction Death swept throughout the lands.
I have definitely enjoyed the secondary perspectives a lot more. They didn’t give me the awkward feeling Mari’s did. I’d like to read more about them & their struggles. Plus all romances that sprung all around were rather cute! I want to read about those too.
It was strange that the end of this book did NOT actually complete the story. Despite the note, “third novel in the compelling ‘Tales of a New World’ trilogy“, which should mean that this is the finale, the story definitely did NOT end. Without giving too much away, I don’t believe the climax has yet been reached so I’m confused. Are we expecting a spin-off trilogy or something? I don’t know… so, it’s rather unsatisfying since I expected a well-rounded finish to this tale and I do want to finish this tale so I hope for at least another book to be coming soon.
[Edited: I've just been informed this 'trilogy' is now actually a quartet. So there is one more book to look forward to!]
Thanks to Pan Australia for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
Nik & Mari and their Pack continued their journey to find a new home they can settle into. As they travel through dangerous territories, led by Antreas and Bast, the Pack bonded through working together and helping each other as they struggle through the unfamiliar and threatening surroundings. I did feel that these chapters dragged a bit. It just took them forever and a day to reach their destinations. Whilst their adventures could be an exciting read, I felt there was something forced and therefore, a bit awkward. There were bits where Mari felt proud of her Pack of one thing or another (it happened multiple times) and while I understood the need to highlight just how well the Pack is getting along, I feel like the author needed to justify the direction Mari has taken?!
Death had established himself in the Tribe of Trees. We read his terrible deeds through the perspective of Ralina, a Storyteller of the Tribe of Trees. Death kept her close at hand as he wished his godly feats to be told in stories through time. I found Ralina to be most admirable character. She chose to stay to help the her people and her strength, courage, and canniness will ensure that the world will hear of how the horrific destruction Death swept throughout the lands.
I have definitely enjoyed the secondary perspectives a lot more. They didn’t give me the awkward feeling Mari’s did. I’d like to read more about them & their struggles. Plus all romances that sprung all around were rather cute! I want to read about those too.
It was strange that the end of this book did NOT actually complete the story. Despite the note, “third novel in the compelling ‘Tales of a New World’ trilogy“, which should mean that this is the finale, the story definitely did NOT end. Without giving too much away, I don’t believe the climax has yet been reached so I’m confused. Are we expecting a spin-off trilogy or something? I don’t know… so, it’s rather unsatisfying since I expected a well-rounded finish to this tale and I do want to finish this tale so I hope for at least another book to be coming soon.
[Edited: I've just been informed this 'trilogy' is now actually a quartet. So there is one more book to look forward to!]
Thanks to Pan Australia for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
November 11, 2018
Okay, so this book was long. Which I love. I would die for a long-ass book.
It was mostly traveling, though. I'm astonished by the fact that Cast can write so much and I can still feel like so little happened.
I really appreciated River's POV. The romance in this series (Mari & Nik, mainly) isn't as in-your-face cringy as it is in a lot of YA novels, but a character WITHOUT a romance arc is, like, the best thing ever. Someone who actually gets shit done (and mocks others for being pathetically horny) is someone I can get behind.
I'm curious as to why Mari automatically assumed the Saleesh would be sexist when Andreas told her they were patriarchal? Unless I'm massively overlooking something (it's been a while since I read the first two books), she has no reason to assume a patriarchal society oppresses women. Mari did turn out to be right, but it read as her being somewhat intolerant of other cultures. So that was sort of weird to me, especially since Mari's supposed to be one of the most accepting characters in the series.
Actually I'm also curious as to why Cast is pushing matriarchal societies as being the only way. Like, IMHO you should pick your leaders based on their merits, not on their gender??? Especially since a society where only one gender can lead tends to end up making enbyphobic/transphobic decisions.
Cast's world is gorgeous. I wish she'd give us maps in the front so I could get a better picture of where everyone was.
My main issue with these books is that I think they needed another editing pass. Some of the dialogue seems very clunky in places, sometimes to the point that it's uncomfortable to read, and then there's this sentence on the very first page: "As Rider of the Lead Mare of Herd Magenti, [River's] mother's tent was situated close to the center of the spiral of stone monoliths that marked the Rendezvous Site as a place of layline power, but even had the stones not been there, positioned like ancient, mute guardians, the cavernous underground opening that lay in the center of them was evidence of the destructive power of the sun that was so great that centuries ago it had opened the earth and utterly changed the world."
I'm sorry, but this is unforgivable. The writing in a book is very important to how I read it, and something like this takes me out of the story. (This isn't necessarily relevant to this review, but for the FIRST HALF of the first book, thoughts were written in third-person past tense. Anyone with any sense knows thoughts NEED to be in first-person present tense.)
Everyone keeps having visions about Dove, and it's funny because as soon as you meet Dove it's super obvious she's the one from the vision. There's no subtlety at all in these gods' messages. Not that that's necessarily a negative thing, it's just amusing to me. Most other authors would want you questioning shit until the last few pages. Not Cast, I guess.
I do have to say though, I had difficulty suspending my disbelief to see this as a post-apocalyptic novel. The moon- and sun-magic, the telepathic talking horse (actually the animal bonds in general, but ESPECIALLY the talking horse), Death being a literal god, that whole thing with the crystal and the ACTUAL FUCKING GHOSTS, didn't exactly feel like something that would just... happen after the apocalypse, and Cast doesn't imply anywhere that humans pre-apocalypse had magic. I think this should've just been a regular fantasy novel.
It was mostly traveling, though. I'm astonished by the fact that Cast can write so much and I can still feel like so little happened.
I really appreciated River's POV. The romance in this series (Mari & Nik, mainly) isn't as in-your-face cringy as it is in a lot of YA novels, but a character WITHOUT a romance arc is, like, the best thing ever. Someone who actually gets shit done (and mocks others for being pathetically horny) is someone I can get behind.
I'm curious as to why Mari automatically assumed the Saleesh would be sexist when Andreas told her they were patriarchal? Unless I'm massively overlooking something (it's been a while since I read the first two books), she has no reason to assume a patriarchal society oppresses women. Mari did turn out to be right, but it read as her being somewhat intolerant of other cultures. So that was sort of weird to me, especially since Mari's supposed to be one of the most accepting characters in the series.
Actually I'm also curious as to why Cast is pushing matriarchal societies as being the only way. Like, IMHO you should pick your leaders based on their merits, not on their gender??? Especially since a society where only one gender can lead tends to end up making enbyphobic/transphobic decisions.
Cast's world is gorgeous. I wish she'd give us maps in the front so I could get a better picture of where everyone was.
My main issue with these books is that I think they needed another editing pass. Some of the dialogue seems very clunky in places, sometimes to the point that it's uncomfortable to read, and then there's this sentence on the very first page: "As Rider of the Lead Mare of Herd Magenti, [River's] mother's tent was situated close to the center of the spiral of stone monoliths that marked the Rendezvous Site as a place of layline power, but even had the stones not been there, positioned like ancient, mute guardians, the cavernous underground opening that lay in the center of them was evidence of the destructive power of the sun that was so great that centuries ago it had opened the earth and utterly changed the world."
I'm sorry, but this is unforgivable. The writing in a book is very important to how I read it, and something like this takes me out of the story. (This isn't necessarily relevant to this review, but for the FIRST HALF of the first book, thoughts were written in third-person past tense. Anyone with any sense knows thoughts NEED to be in first-person present tense.)
Everyone keeps having visions about Dove, and it's funny because as soon as you meet Dove it's super obvious she's the one from the vision. There's no subtlety at all in these gods' messages. Not that that's necessarily a negative thing, it's just amusing to me. Most other authors would want you questioning shit until the last few pages. Not Cast, I guess.
I do have to say though, I had difficulty suspending my disbelief to see this as a post-apocalyptic novel. The moon- and sun-magic, the telepathic talking horse (actually the animal bonds in general, but ESPECIALLY the talking horse), Death being a literal god, that whole thing with the crystal and the ACTUAL FUCKING GHOSTS, didn't exactly feel like something that would just... happen after the apocalypse, and Cast doesn't imply anywhere that humans pre-apocalypse had magic. I think this should've just been a regular fantasy novel.
October 19, 2018
I adore this book! As a (German) shepherd owner I relate to the companions and I'm so jealous of their bonds. Bringing River and her Herd into the picture was just great. This book made you fall in love with all the characters even more while building up the anxiety. I was waiting for someone to die the entire time. I don't think I'm prepared for when or if that happens. Usually I need more action in a story, but I love how this books had a sense of family, belonging, and most importantly acceptance. Totally recommend to anyone who loves animals.
February 5, 2020
Amazing read!!!!! Such an emotional rollercoaster! Every page is filled with suspense. This series has something for everyone. Magic, romance, adventure and comedy. Grab some tissues and get comfy. You’re not going to want to put this book down!!
Please sign this petition for a 4th book!
http://chng.it/TbvmdQxRXQ
Please sign this petition for a 4th book!
http://chng.it/TbvmdQxRXQ
September 26, 2018
WOW! Received an arc from netgalley. This is the best book of this series! Really enjoyed it. Highly recommend this book!
May 18, 2025
I really love how in this book we got to know River and Anjo to give a little bit more color to the story and the ending HOLY CRAP the ending just had me rooting for Dove and made me tear up a little bit!!!!! I cannot wait to read the last book. I want to devour it.
October 24, 2018
This book is the third in a series and we join Mari and Nik racing with their pack to try and find the Wind Riders. The book goes back and forth between the pack and River and the Wind Riders. This series is very different, and I appreciate the fresh perspective in the YA fantasy.
I enjoy that the author PC Cast can tell the reader a story, I don't want to give away any spoilers, there is a lot of characters and at times I had a hard time remembering everyone, but overall I found the story engaging and would recommend the series.
PNR Book Lover Reviews
I enjoy that the author PC Cast can tell the reader a story, I don't want to give away any spoilers, there is a lot of characters and at times I had a hard time remembering everyone, but overall I found the story engaging and would recommend the series.
PNR Book Lover Reviews
April 5, 2019
I will never be able to figure out how P.C grabs my attention so thoroughly. Wind Rider picks up where book 2 ended off. The pack must undergo a journey to escape the horrors plaguing their home. They flee the God of Death, and all the destruction he's caused. Through dangerous waters and hostile places, the pack tries to reach a place of peace to live out their days. I absolutely loved this book and I could gush about it, but I don't want to spoil it!
August 8, 2021
This book was actually the best so far. As the fourth book does not currently exist, I was unaware that this book was not the series finale. I was quite worried to find not enough pages for the amount of story left near the end of the book. Anyway, new characters are introduced in this book and the world has gotten bigger. New creatures are also added, both companions and horrors! Sadly, much of the previous world and world-building was left behind and not present in this book. At times, the thoughts of the character were a bit too bluntly stated, but the development and growth of the Pack was exciting. I enjoyed their various travels, while also learning about the various conquests of Death in a less gruesome manner than in previous books. Overall, a fun read.
August 20, 2019
This series keeps getting better and better. The connection between the people and their companions makes this series. This third installment set things up for the next book perfectly. I cant wait to read the next installment.
October 28, 2018
3 1/2 stars. Review can be found on thoughtsbytash.com
February 18, 2019
This book can’t just stop here!! It’s still only just the beginning of such an amazing story!
I hope there is another series, because this is an amazing and such a fantastic world! I have loved reading this series!!
I hope there is another series, because this is an amazing and such a fantastic world! I have loved reading this series!!
August 8, 2019
Waiting anxiously for the new one. I’ve read this a few times so far and still waiting on the results of those cliffhangers!
August 15, 2019
This series is phenomenal! I just want the next book! Where's the 4th book!?! I need the 4th book!!
March 21, 2020
Nooo... I don't want to wait until next book to be released.
November 30, 2021
Okay, so the series did get better. I wasn't on board reading the first book but the second then third books definitely helped. But it needs a 4th in order to keep me happy 😂
January 13, 2024
Opět perfektní pokračování série, kterou naprosto zbožňuji. Sice jsem čekala, že tento díl bude poslední, ale vůbec mi nevadí, že je ještě další 😍
July 16, 2020
10 stars. P.C. Cast, you’ve done it again!
October 4, 2018
This book is the third in a series and we join Mari and Nik racing with their pack to try and find the Wind Riders. The book goes back and forth between the pack and River and the Wind Riders. I loved the Wind Riders and fell in love with that POV in the book. This series is very unique and I appreciate the fresh perspective in the YA fantasy world!
** I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
** I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
April 27, 2022
*Update: from what I have researched, it seems there is supposed to be a fourth book. If that ever comes out, I will most likely read it to tie up the loose ends of the story and my sanity!
Wow, I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed with a series as a whole.
The first installment, Moon Chosen, really gave me high hopes for the rest of the series as the world building was interesting and the characters had a lot of potential.
With the second book suffering heavily from “middle book syndrome”, I thought the third book would have some sort of redeeming qualities. I was wrong, unfortunately.
I feel robbed to be quite honest. There was zero conclusion to the story? It seems like there should be a 4th book to wrap up ALL of the loose ends. Though in general, like I said before, this series was full of unnecessary detail and could have easily been two books rather than three.
My first main problem with this series is the characters. They were more interesting and unique in the first book but fell flat immensely in the second and third installments. Boring and bland. Also, what is with the only main protagonists being girls that are privileged and/or come from “nobility”? With the exception being Dove, there really isn’t a single character that had a decent character arc.
The second main problem is the story itself including the pacing and the plot altogether. After 3 books and over 500 pages each, I can say about 2 things happened that were relevant to driving the story forward. What happened to the plot? Absolutely nothing happened because the plot disappeared by the end. What happened to Death? What happens to the Pack? I guess we’ll never know.*
And here is me being picky now:
1. Dogs getting pregnant immediately after mating? Ummm, I’m not sure if I missed something in the book but I am pretty sure it doesn’t work like that.
2. Ralina had WAY too much plot armor in my opinion. Death essentially let her do whatever she wanted but the same did not apply to anyone else. I know she was beneficial to him but so were others that did not get the same treatment.
3. The author obviously didn’t do enough research on animals even though 90% of the book revolves around them. This is obvious due to her saying rattlesnakes were “poisonous” when the correct term is venomous. Really takes away from the quality for me.
4. One of the characters said they wouldn’t let their daughter cut their hair and never explained a reason. I found that extremely odd. What’s wrong with girls with short hair?
5. Around the end of the story, River breaks her ankle and then pretty much rides off shortly after like nothing happened. Uhhh, I am an equestrian myself and I wouldn’t dream of riding a horse while I had a broken ankle let alone while dramatically rearing or galloping. It’s pretty apparent the author doesn’t have much horse riding experience. Again- quality….
6. I hate that the “zombies” or “undead” are called Milks. Could have used a better name for sure but that’s extremely subjective, haha.
Ideally I would love to give this book 2 stars but the redeeming quality for me was the asexual representation with River! As an asexual myself, I find it amazing when authors include characters on this spectrum! It is very rare to say the least. So 3 stars it is.
That will be all.
Wow, I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed with a series as a whole.
The first installment, Moon Chosen, really gave me high hopes for the rest of the series as the world building was interesting and the characters had a lot of potential.
With the second book suffering heavily from “middle book syndrome”, I thought the third book would have some sort of redeeming qualities. I was wrong, unfortunately.
I feel robbed to be quite honest. There was zero conclusion to the story? It seems like there should be a 4th book to wrap up ALL of the loose ends. Though in general, like I said before, this series was full of unnecessary detail and could have easily been two books rather than three.
My first main problem with this series is the characters. They were more interesting and unique in the first book but fell flat immensely in the second and third installments. Boring and bland. Also, what is with the only main protagonists being girls that are privileged and/or come from “nobility”? With the exception being Dove, there really isn’t a single character that had a decent character arc.
The second main problem is the story itself including the pacing and the plot altogether. After 3 books and over 500 pages each, I can say about 2 things happened that were relevant to driving the story forward. What happened to the plot? Absolutely nothing happened because the plot disappeared by the end. What happened to Death? What happens to the Pack? I guess we’ll never know.*
And here is me being picky now:
1. Dogs getting pregnant immediately after mating? Ummm, I’m not sure if I missed something in the book but I am pretty sure it doesn’t work like that.
2. Ralina had WAY too much plot armor in my opinion. Death essentially let her do whatever she wanted but the same did not apply to anyone else. I know she was beneficial to him but so were others that did not get the same treatment.
3. The author obviously didn’t do enough research on animals even though 90% of the book revolves around them. This is obvious due to her saying rattlesnakes were “poisonous” when the correct term is venomous. Really takes away from the quality for me.
4. One of the characters said they wouldn’t let their daughter cut their hair and never explained a reason. I found that extremely odd. What’s wrong with girls with short hair?
5. Around the end of the story, River breaks her ankle and then pretty much rides off shortly after like nothing happened. Uhhh, I am an equestrian myself and I wouldn’t dream of riding a horse while I had a broken ankle let alone while dramatically rearing or galloping. It’s pretty apparent the author doesn’t have much horse riding experience. Again- quality….
6. I hate that the “zombies” or “undead” are called Milks. Could have used a better name for sure but that’s extremely subjective, haha.
Ideally I would love to give this book 2 stars but the redeeming quality for me was the asexual representation with River! As an asexual myself, I find it amazing when authors include characters on this spectrum! It is very rare to say the least. So 3 stars it is.
That will be all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2023
I think I have a hard time with books where fully fleshed new characters are introduced later in series. It always slows the pace for me and has that feeling of starting out at book 1.
We are introduced to the Wind Riders in this installment and once I got my bearings, I had fun watching this come together.
This may be my least fave of the books so far, but still an enjoyable ride. True rating 3.5/5.
We are introduced to the Wind Riders in this installment and once I got my bearings, I had fun watching this come together.
This may be my least fave of the books so far, but still an enjoyable ride. True rating 3.5/5.
January 30, 2019
Listened to audio narrated by Caitlin Davies. I can't decide if it's the narrator or the actual story that seems so childlike, it definitely came through as a YA book. At times I wondered if this lent itself to an even younger audience, such as early teen. I struggled with this book, in part because of the simplicity and repetitiveness. It starts with the Wind Rider's past, as we learn about River and her people's process of bonding with horses, their matriarchal leadership, and other aspects of their tribes. Although a bit disappointed with the reoccurring theme of men unhappy with the matriarchal leadership, being power hungry and wanting to take it away and women always being the voice of reason and wisdom when not turning their lives completely over to men. Then we flip to Mari and her Pack's escape and adventures as they flee to the Wind Rider's lands. How they learn to bond with each other, and their animals, acceptance of each others differences, and the third aspect told from Ralina's perspective as a story teller. She must witness the horror's of Death and his Reaper's, while hoping to find a way to end his reign.
This story has great potential but there is a lot of repetition, a lot of sticky sweet commentary and congratulations that is just over done. The narration compounded this with lots of high pitched voices. The characters come across as very one dimensional either being completely good or completely on the dark side.
*HUGE SPOILER*
This story ends shortly after Mari's Pack joins with River's Wind Riders but stops short of the final confrontation with Death. I plan to read the next book to see if it comes across less childlike without the narration."
https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/...
This story has great potential but there is a lot of repetition, a lot of sticky sweet commentary and congratulations that is just over done. The narration compounded this with lots of high pitched voices. The characters come across as very one dimensional either being completely good or completely on the dark side.
*HUGE SPOILER*
This story ends shortly after Mari's Pack joins with River's Wind Riders but stops short of the final confrontation with Death. I plan to read the next book to see if it comes across less childlike without the narration."
https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
Racist? Um...no. It's sad that with all of the effort the author put into shedding light on the problems humans have with being prejudice and showing a better way to live without that kind of hate, that she can be called racist for it. She literally devotes like more than half the book to showing that racism and sexism are bad.
Overall...I REALLY enjoyed the story, but was sometimes annoyed by the tediousness of the writting. So much repetition and over explaining about every thought that goes through every character's head. It felt like it was a book written for young children, but with adult content. However, I found myself continually listening and wanting to read the next book....bec I wanted to know what happened next. I was definitely willing to overlook the strangeness of the writing style for the captivating tale and interesting characters.
About people calling it racist... I feel like either they didn't read the whole story...or they are being extremely high-handed in making that judgement.
It is VERY clear while reading this that the author's intent is to tug on the reader's heart strings and...well...manipulate them OUT of any type of prejudice you can think of. Racism and sexism are the top ones, but age and religious prejudice are also mentioned. When I say manipulate, what I mean is that the author doesn't just tell a story with the moral being that a person is a person and their gender, race, religion, etc, doesn't dictate their worth, but rather how they choose to treat others...or something like that. Instead, the author takes you through scenario after scenario after scenario of people being prejudice and clearly bad, others not being prejudice and clearly good...and explaining in detail why one is good and the other is bad. Then the two views confront each other and the people being prejudice that are actually good, but ignorant, see the light and start working to remove their prejudices. But, the people that are truly evil, stay prejudice...to their inevitable destruction. And the non-prejudice people all live happily ever after. Admittedly, these are all good lessons that we need to learn, but there is no subtly in them. Again... it's like it was written for children. I never like when I feel like someone is blatantly trying to control my opinion...even when I already agree with them. Yes, there are some racist stereotypes in the book...but only to show how they are wrong. The tribe of people that are tall, thin, light skinned, mostly blonde, and warrior-like marginalize and enslave the clan of people that are peaceful short, thicker, with darker skin and hair. They do so mostly out of a lack of understanding of these people...thinking them a bit simple-minded. (Ok... I can see why this may have upset some people. In real life, the African people that were kidnapped and forced into slavery were not done so bec people misunderstood them. I don't think one group of people makes slaves of another bec they misunderstand them and think them less than human. I think they convinced themselves that they were less than human to justify and ease the guilt of making them slaves. I can see why some may think the author is justifying slavery here, but you have to look at this fairly. Apart from the people of the tribe who are just plain evil and enjoy hurting others and those people who just don't care about anyone, but themselves there are many people that end up choosing to do the right thing...they end up being good. It is clearly pointed out that they were choosing to be blind...that they didn't want to see the truth before them...that what they were doing was wrong. If this isn't enough for you bec you want all of the people in the group that were complicit with the slavery to be painted as evil, then you need to come back to reality. Every single person is capable of both great compassion and horrid atrocities. When you want to believe anyone who engages in things that are wrong...or that you disagree with...are soley evil and not capable of good, then you start to think that you, as a good person, are not capable of bad...and then anything you do becomes the standard by which you judge what is good and evil. The author is attempting to get people to see things from each other's perspectives, with the hopes of getting them to realize how foolish their prejudices are. Many people only want to point fingers and find blame, but make no effort at figuring out how we can heal and move forward together. I didn't particularly enjoy the author's delivery, but at least she was trying to do something to help mend our wounds. If we only ever empathize with the victim and never accept that the perpetrator of prejudice is a person who is both good and bad, just like us, and try to understand why they have these beliefs or feelings...what caused them to develope or what exactly it is that they are ignorant about and how we can fix the problem, then nothing will get better...ever. We'll have a culture where people may not say as many nasty things about others publicly, but not because their hearts have been changed and things are truly getting better....nope...they are just afraid of the backlash and deep down are probably hating others even more. Silencing those that disagree with you, by social pressure or force, only makes them grow more bitter. Instead, we need to change hearts. How did I get on this tangent?
Oh...and I don't think race as we know it in our world exists in this post-apocalyptic world. Rather, it seems to me that wherever there were small pockets of survivors, those people created a new community. After a generation or two of breeding, the physical features of your group would start to reflect a mixture of those in your limited gene pool. If your small group started off predominantly one race, then your group would keep those features. If your group was very diverse, then without the things of the old world that may have kept people mostly marrying within their own culture or race, then this small, but diverse group would likely eventually create a new set of features representing them. Likewise, if your group consisted only of people who were at a convention/conference for people with webbed feet, or 6 fingers on each hand, or a third nipple....you might create a new "race" of people exhibiting those traits. I'm not saying any of this is backed by science...it just seems logical to me...and when I read the book, I felt like that was what the author was going for.
Overall...I REALLY enjoyed the story, but was sometimes annoyed by the tediousness of the writting. So much repetition and over explaining about every thought that goes through every character's head. It felt like it was a book written for young children, but with adult content. However, I found myself continually listening and wanting to read the next book....bec I wanted to know what happened next. I was definitely willing to overlook the strangeness of the writing style for the captivating tale and interesting characters.
About people calling it racist... I feel like either they didn't read the whole story...or they are being extremely high-handed in making that judgement.
It is VERY clear while reading this that the author's intent is to tug on the reader's heart strings and...well...manipulate them OUT of any type of prejudice you can think of. Racism and sexism are the top ones, but age and religious prejudice are also mentioned. When I say manipulate, what I mean is that the author doesn't just tell a story with the moral being that a person is a person and their gender, race, religion, etc, doesn't dictate their worth, but rather how they choose to treat others...or something like that. Instead, the author takes you through scenario after scenario after scenario of people being prejudice and clearly bad, others not being prejudice and clearly good...and explaining in detail why one is good and the other is bad. Then the two views confront each other and the people being prejudice that are actually good, but ignorant, see the light and start working to remove their prejudices. But, the people that are truly evil, stay prejudice...to their inevitable destruction. And the non-prejudice people all live happily ever after. Admittedly, these are all good lessons that we need to learn, but there is no subtly in them. Again... it's like it was written for children. I never like when I feel like someone is blatantly trying to control my opinion...even when I already agree with them. Yes, there are some racist stereotypes in the book...but only to show how they are wrong. The tribe of people that are tall, thin, light skinned, mostly blonde, and warrior-like marginalize and enslave the clan of people that are peaceful short, thicker, with darker skin and hair. They do so mostly out of a lack of understanding of these people...thinking them a bit simple-minded. (Ok... I can see why this may have upset some people. In real life, the African people that were kidnapped and forced into slavery were not done so bec people misunderstood them. I don't think one group of people makes slaves of another bec they misunderstand them and think them less than human. I think they convinced themselves that they were less than human to justify and ease the guilt of making them slaves. I can see why some may think the author is justifying slavery here, but you have to look at this fairly. Apart from the people of the tribe who are just plain evil and enjoy hurting others and those people who just don't care about anyone, but themselves there are many people that end up choosing to do the right thing...they end up being good. It is clearly pointed out that they were choosing to be blind...that they didn't want to see the truth before them...that what they were doing was wrong. If this isn't enough for you bec you want all of the people in the group that were complicit with the slavery to be painted as evil, then you need to come back to reality. Every single person is capable of both great compassion and horrid atrocities. When you want to believe anyone who engages in things that are wrong...or that you disagree with...are soley evil and not capable of good, then you start to think that you, as a good person, are not capable of bad...and then anything you do becomes the standard by which you judge what is good and evil. The author is attempting to get people to see things from each other's perspectives, with the hopes of getting them to realize how foolish their prejudices are. Many people only want to point fingers and find blame, but make no effort at figuring out how we can heal and move forward together. I didn't particularly enjoy the author's delivery, but at least she was trying to do something to help mend our wounds. If we only ever empathize with the victim and never accept that the perpetrator of prejudice is a person who is both good and bad, just like us, and try to understand why they have these beliefs or feelings...what caused them to develope or what exactly it is that they are ignorant about and how we can fix the problem, then nothing will get better...ever. We'll have a culture where people may not say as many nasty things about others publicly, but not because their hearts have been changed and things are truly getting better....nope...they are just afraid of the backlash and deep down are probably hating others even more. Silencing those that disagree with you, by social pressure or force, only makes them grow more bitter. Instead, we need to change hearts. How did I get on this tangent?
Oh...and I don't think race as we know it in our world exists in this post-apocalyptic world. Rather, it seems to me that wherever there were small pockets of survivors, those people created a new community. After a generation or two of breeding, the physical features of your group would start to reflect a mixture of those in your limited gene pool. If your small group started off predominantly one race, then your group would keep those features. If your group was very diverse, then without the things of the old world that may have kept people mostly marrying within their own culture or race, then this small, but diverse group would likely eventually create a new set of features representing them. Likewise, if your group consisted only of people who were at a convention/conference for people with webbed feet, or 6 fingers on each hand, or a third nipple....you might create a new "race" of people exhibiting those traits. I'm not saying any of this is backed by science...it just seems logical to me...and when I read the book, I felt like that was what the author was going for.
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