Her choice won the war, but may have cost her future...
Rie should be praised as a hero. She won the Battle of the Arches and stopped the next Great War. Instead, she's hiding out under the strict watch of her mentor, Lord Garamaen Sanyaro.
But when Sanyaro's own past comes back to haunt him, they must journey into the hostile territory of the Winter Realm to bring an old enemy to justice. Will she be able to stop the terror before lives are lost? Or will the choices of the past demand an even greater sacrifice?
Sanyare: The Winter Warrior is the thrilling fourth installment in The Sanyare Chronicles. If you like fast-paced action-packed fantasy with kick-butt heroines, snarky sidekicks, and spectacular magic-fueled fireballs, you'll love this book!
Legend has it, I was born with a book in my hands. When I was a kid, my mom would ground me from reading in order to get me to do my chores. To this day, I can readily ignore the real world in favor of the imaginary one lurking between the pages of my current addiction. My dad — also an avid reader — introduced me to Tolkien in my late elementary years, and I never looked back. I love escaping to worlds where magic and monsters are real, especially stories with kick-butt heroines and dangerously attractive heroes.
Despite my voracious book appetite, I didn’t start creative writing until I was working as a number cruncher in a big accounting firm. With an hour plus commute by train every day, and a demanding left-brain occupation, I needed a mobile creative outlet. A pen and paper are about as mobile as it gets! As the pages began to fill, I quickly moved onto a tiny laptop, and a writer was born. Now I get to create my own fantasies!
I currently live in Southern California with my wonderfully supportive husband, two daughters, and a ridiculously energetic dog.
* I had the opportunity to read the ARC and provide a honest review*
Sanyare: The Winter Warrior is a typical Megan Haskell book i.e. it is fun, has excellent writing, is fast paced, and has strong women characters (lead & support). I found it a blast to read.
In addition to the above (read the reviews of the Sanyare series here and here. My wife and I love the series so much that we have individual reviews of it on our blog) this book stands out due to its focus on morality, compromise and the consequences of actions that we take. Almost every main character goes through some kind of realization about their moral choices and how they deal with it. Rie, specifically, now comes to an end of her current character arc and it will be interesting to see how she goes from here.
If you have not read the Sanyare series before, do it now. If you have read the series, The Winter Warrior is an excellent entry that you should not miss.
As I have read each book in the Sanyare Chronicles, I've come to love each and every character, good and bad, for their thorough description and subsequent execution of an in depth personality. They were so life-like as to make me feel as if they were people I knew. People I could relate to. The fleshing out of the world and it's characters was expertly done and wonderful to read.
Rie is going to grow in this volume. We see her go from the lost and confused girl destined to take over a role she's not certain she's suited for; the role of Sanyaro, to a war hardened leader who must accept that role and live up to her mentor's expectations. And she does so even when she isn't sure she can. There is no doubt she is sorely tested and perhaps suffers too much loss, but I believe she'll bounce back and be the leader she needs to be.
Daenor, her significant other, is obviously 100% in her corner. He adores her and will do anything he can to ensure she stays alive to accept this mantle.
Her pixies, who are her staunchest cheerleaders, stay by her side through it all and are the funniest, most bloodthirsty little people you could ever want to meet. They are my faves!
Put all this together, add the angel Judith to the mix, and they're damn near unbeatable. I loved reading about the trials and tribulations that this group goes through to save the 9 realms, not to mention Garamaen, her many times grandfather and mentor who is in grave danger from Fenrir. It was an exciting, sit on the edge of your seat storyline that, if you like epic sagas, you need to read! Start at book one and you'll never stop until you're done.
So Very Well Done, Megan Haskell! So Very Well Done, indeed. Loved it beginning to end.
I was not disappointed! Good old 'set and forget', I paid for The Winter Warrior (The Sanyare Chronicles Book 4) way back. An appetizer was recently relished in the short story about Judith the angel, then last night I opened up my Kindle and it was Christmas in July! There it was and I was set to read. Book four has it all. As I write I recite mantra-like, no spoilers Mark, no spoilers... Folks, you need to read this series. Give it to your teenage kids also. Megan Haskell has crafted a story line with characters that immerses you right into it. You feel the moments of exhilaration and times of sorrow and despair. As you read each book major events or issues are posed, moral dilemmas are ever present requiring decisions to be made, and as the plot unfolds the reader actually learns as the young apprentice Rie learns from her experiences. One lesson I particularly like involves the concept of consequences, and how choices made dictate direction, Once the pathway is set, action is taken, there is no going back. I see over the four books a gradual maturing yet a very fallible young heroine. Oh, she is powerful also, yet her power is not only magic, it is in her character also. How she perceives and learns I see as invaluable for a younger reader, and for an oldie like me, a reminder of what role I have to facilitate/encourage in my interactions with young ones. Megan has ended book 4 and as she does so well, with a cliffhanger. An aroma of something delicious and enticing is left wafting on the breeze. Threads remain bare and untied, the tapestry is incomplete. Now the anticipation and patient wait for Book 5. Thanks for a most enjoyable read Megan.
This is a great continuation from the previous books, but also a jump in a new direction. While everyone is licking their wounds from the big battle at the end of the third book, a festering problem from Garamaen's past resurfaces. He has unfinished business with Fenrir, the giant wolf who bit off his hand. The whole gang ventures to a realm new to Rie (and us)--the Winter Court--to help Garamaen try to right the wrongs of the difficult choice he made long ago. But the frost sidhes who live there fought on the opposite side in the Battle of the Arches, and Rie is forced to face the consequences of her own difficult decisions during those events. The barbegazi (short snow-dwarves) who are native to that realm are allies of Garamaen's, but how much can they help against such a fearsome foe? Judith the Guardian arrives to help, but she is separated from the others and must quickly make new allies if they're going to stop the evil from spreading.
In the character of Garamaen, Haskell faces a common problem in fantasy stories: Garamaen is so ancient and so ridiculously powerful, how can Rie possibly fail with him on her side? In Fenrir, they confront their most dangerous combatant so far: someone whose very nature suppresses their ability to See the future, and whose bite can sap them of all their magical powers. They are truly put to the test now!
This book focused more on emotional development than the earlier ones, dealing with issues of responsibilities, regrets, and difficult choices and their repercussions. There's still plenty of exciting action, and great descriptions of the "special effects" possible in this world of ice and snow and avalanches. The ending was sad, but also felt appropriate. Going forward, Rie has yet more difficult decisions to make, including how she will prove herself as Sanyare to the nine realms and try to stop this terrible war that has already claimed so many lives.
This book starts off with Rei in Garamean’s human realm home a few months after the last book. Garamean gets a message that he is needed in the winter fae land. A wolf who has been chained for thousands of years has escaped and he needs to fix the situation. Rie and Daenor go as well. From the moment they get there, it is action and excitement. They have to climb the mountain and avoid the wolves. And figure out who is helping them. This is the final book in this series and it wraps up most of the story lines nice and neat. I am sad that this is the last book and would live at least one more book, but it does have a good ending. Even if I was upset at the end! (No spoilers!)
The action and character storyline kept me turning the pages in anticipation
When the obstacles rose up in Ries path I found myself cheering for her and her companions. Megan did a fantastic job building the main characters strengths and qualities from being only a physical messenger to learning new skills in the magical realm. Her stumbles and failures helped her learn the same as we the readers do. This feature helped me to identify with the story and found myself purchasing all the books after reading only one. One of my better decisions. Hoping for more soon.
What an ending! The emotional upheaval in myself, becoming one in the story, the adrenaline rush while fighting the battles all happens when you read this series. I read this one in one sitting again, I just couldn't put it down. I should have known better by now, Megan's writing style and ability to weave a great story will capture and hold you until she lets you go. I look forward to many more great novels.
Absolutely loved it. The book continues the story of Rie after the battle of the Arches. She has a new helper Judith the angel. The story takes place in the winter realm and she, Daenor and her master are after one of the great wolfs of winter. There are lots of twists and the story is heart breaking but worth every minute. Enjoy
You become so involved and intertwined in these charters lives. They become your companions on your journey into their realm. You understand them and their actions totally. You are right there with them through it all. You can not out the book down and simply walk away .
I will not be reading any more of this series. Book #3 was a disappointment but I hoped it was not going to be a pattern. Sadly it is. Book #4 is even worse. I wouldn't waste your time with this series.
Another enjoyable Sanyare read. I really liked the addition of Judith’s story and the setting of the Winter Realm. Once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down!