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A Time of War and Demons
Rise and fall, power and ruin, these are the rules of the game...
The Highland kingdom is not safe. Yet no one in Lady Ennis Courtnay’s fortress city of Highcrest suspected the encroaching barbarian hordes would brave the steep mountain crags or the might of her noble house, not until the hordes have already knocked down her gate. In the course of a single, bloodstained night, Ennis’s life is changed forever: her father slain, her city taken, and she herself claimed as a warprize by the very man who masterminded it all.
Manek’s life is not his own. He fights for a man he despises, eking out the protection of his home by destroying others’. It's a miserable life, one he doesn’t expect to survive. But amidst the rubble and carnage of Highcrest, Manek finds a glimmer of hope in the woman whose life he has helped destroy. Manek cannot resist claiming Ennis as his warprize, but though he spirits her across the land of Mithria to his home in the south, Ennis refuses to resign herself to this life. She was meant to lead, to protect her people and kingdom, and she will fight not only to reclaim what she has lost but to make a life for herself in this new world. She will fight, and perhaps she can convince Manek to fight too.
Theirs will be a tale for the ages, but what are the legends of mortals to the clash of gods? Far to the south, an ancient force has awoken, and he too will choose to fight. The God of War has returned, and he is determined not just to change history but Fate itself.
Readers of Amy Harmon, N.K. Jemisin, and Tiffany Roberts will enjoy this debut novel, with its epic fantasy landscapes and star-crossed lovers. Get lost in the land of Mithria, where kingdoms rise from the ashes and gods seek to walk the earth again.
The Highland kingdom is not safe. Yet no one in Lady Ennis Courtnay’s fortress city of Highcrest suspected the encroaching barbarian hordes would brave the steep mountain crags or the might of her noble house, not until the hordes have already knocked down her gate. In the course of a single, bloodstained night, Ennis’s life is changed forever: her father slain, her city taken, and she herself claimed as a warprize by the very man who masterminded it all.
Manek’s life is not his own. He fights for a man he despises, eking out the protection of his home by destroying others’. It's a miserable life, one he doesn’t expect to survive. But amidst the rubble and carnage of Highcrest, Manek finds a glimmer of hope in the woman whose life he has helped destroy. Manek cannot resist claiming Ennis as his warprize, but though he spirits her across the land of Mithria to his home in the south, Ennis refuses to resign herself to this life. She was meant to lead, to protect her people and kingdom, and she will fight not only to reclaim what she has lost but to make a life for herself in this new world. She will fight, and perhaps she can convince Manek to fight too.
Theirs will be a tale for the ages, but what are the legends of mortals to the clash of gods? Far to the south, an ancient force has awoken, and he too will choose to fight. The God of War has returned, and he is determined not just to change history but Fate itself.
Readers of Amy Harmon, N.K. Jemisin, and Tiffany Roberts will enjoy this debut novel, with its epic fantasy landscapes and star-crossed lovers. Get lost in the land of Mithria, where kingdoms rise from the ashes and gods seek to walk the earth again.
729 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2019
25 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Wendel
22 books799 followersS.E. Wendel is a graduate of the MA Creative Writing program at the University of California, Davis. She loves maps, magic, and making epic fantasy worlds with romance thrown in. She has been writing fantasies since before she could even type (thankfully her mother was kind and patient enough to take dictation, but is relieved she can type for herself now)! From her first stories about raccoons hunting treasure on a haunted island to her latest sweeping epics, she loves to write strong heroines and noble heroes.
S.E. is a technical editor by day and in the evening loves to lose herself in her fantasy worlds and the stories of other amazing authors. She is currently working on the second part of the Broken Wings Duet. She loves her domineering orange tabby cat, true crime docs, tiramisu, pink nail polish, and swoony romantasies!
S.E. is a technical editor by day and in the evening loves to lose herself in her fantasy worlds and the stories of other amazing authors. She is currently working on the second part of the Broken Wings Duet. She loves her domineering orange tabby cat, true crime docs, tiramisu, pink nail polish, and swoony romantasies!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 25, 2024
4.5 stars
This was definitely not my typical read, but I loved it! It's primarily about war with love on the side, but I was still here for it! You may have noticed in my updates that I actually DNFed it somewhere in the 60%-area, but I couldn't stop! I had to continue reading to see what would happen, despite the numerous brutal (if realistic) scenes.
Ennis is our heroine, torn from her family in a battle for her kingdom. She winds up a war prize of Manek, a warlord who fights to protect his own homeland, not because he believes in what he's doing. Initially they butt heads, but over time they begin to trust one another and gain a deeper understanding of each other's points of view. There's far more to it, of course, in this 560+ page novel. We get perspectives of various sisters scattered over the land, trying to carve out new lives for themselves. In the midst of the personal stories, we see power struggles occurring and how war continuously upturns everything for these characters. The ending was satisfying, surprising, and leaves the reader wanting more.
Trigger warnings: war, fighting, death, plauge, characterizations of bodies, dead children, smothering of a dying child, people dying, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, person dying of consumption=continuously coughing up blood/wasting away, death by starvation
This was definitely not my typical read, but I loved it! It's primarily about war with love on the side, but I was still here for it! You may have noticed in my updates that I actually DNFed it somewhere in the 60%-area, but I couldn't stop! I had to continue reading to see what would happen, despite the numerous brutal (if realistic) scenes.
Ennis is our heroine, torn from her family in a battle for her kingdom. She winds up a war prize of Manek, a warlord who fights to protect his own homeland, not because he believes in what he's doing. Initially they butt heads, but over time they begin to trust one another and gain a deeper understanding of each other's points of view. There's far more to it, of course, in this 560+ page novel. We get perspectives of various sisters scattered over the land, trying to carve out new lives for themselves. In the midst of the personal stories, we see power struggles occurring and how war continuously upturns everything for these characters. The ending was satisfying, surprising, and leaves the reader wanting more.
Trigger warnings: war, fighting, death, plauge, characterizations of bodies, dead children, smothering of a dying child, people dying, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, person dying of consumption=continuously coughing up blood/wasting away, death by starvation
May 18, 2024
Genre: Adult fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Content warnings: Violence and murder (mostly through war/battle, quite graphic at times), sexual references (fade-to-black, significantly less explicit than the author's softer romances. More on that below), death by various illnesses (sometimes graphic), parental death, brief mentions of child death, implied SA (not described at all.)
The first thing I want to make clear to anyone thinking of reading this book is the fact that it is quite different to the author's other novels. I've only read Stone Hearts so far, but I know enough about the others to be able to safely say that A Time of War and Demons is an outlier; it's still romantasy, but with a much stronger focus on the fantasy side than the romance. War, politics, and loss drive the plot a la A Game of Thrones. The romance is still prominent, but there are other complex plots going on at the same time. So if you enjoyed SE's other books mostly because of the fluff and smut scenes (there's no smut here, it's all fade-to-black), then you probably won't be a fan of this one. But if you're like me and prefer your fantasy on the darker side, then there's a good chance you'll love it.
I'll start my review by discussing the aspects I liked - given that I'm rating this a 4/5, the good definitely outweighed the bad. The overall concept of the plot, as I've already implied above, was enjoyable, and I have no complaints about any of the plot events. The mix of war, emotional struggles, everyday life, and romance was very well done. As long as you're okay with the violence discussed above, there's really something here for every fantasy fan. The aspect I liked most, though, was the world building. It was brilliantly done. Although at first the book seems like your typical medieval fantasy, as a history buff, I actually found it more reminiscent of the Viking/Saxon world, especially regarding the religion, which reminded me of Nordic pagan beliefs and was developed in lots of detail. I thought the passages at the start of each chapter were a really nice touch, helping to develop the world and religion without info-dumping. One thing I will mention in regards to the gods, though, is that their part in the blurb is a little misleading ("what are the legends of mortals to the clash of gods? Far to the south, an ancient force has awoken, and he too will choose to fight. The God of War has returned, and he is determined not just to change history but Fate itself.") I went into this book thinking the gods themselves would play a prominent role, returning to earth and interacting with the characters frequently, but this wasn't quite the case. Their involvement in the plot is a lot more subtle, but well done nonetheless.
Another good aspect of this book was the writing style, although SE Wendel never fails to deliver on that front: she truly has a way with words. The descriptions were beautiful, and I was able to vividly picture the scenes as they played out. There was no info-dumping, and the tense scenes in particular were amazingly done; in fact, those first few chapters are some of the best writing I've ever read.
There were a few things I disliked about this book, though, which prevent me from giving it a five-star rating, which I did initially believe it would get. As I said, the first few scenes were amazing; I couldn't put the book down at that point, I was so engrossed, but unfortunately this didn't really last. Around the point Manek's group arrives at the Haven, the pace slows significantly; it's very fast for those first few chapters, then slow-to-medium paced for the majority of the book, until it speeds up again for the final battle. The slower paced section (about 75% of the book) was a bit of a struggle for me; although I never considered dropping the book, I wasn't really gripped for the most part, and for that reason it took me almost a month and a half to finish. At almost 500 pages, this is a long book, but I've read plenty of longer books in less time. I think this probably could've been a hundred pages shorter and still been just as good.
When it came to the characters, I had somewhat mixed feelings. Some - Ennis, Manek, Lora - were very well fleshed-out. Ennis - the female MC - in particular was an enjoyable character to read about. She's a badass leader, but unlike a lot of fierce fantasy women, she has a softer side without sacrificing her strength and stubbornness for male approval. Although I did like her relationship with Manek, I enjoyed reading about her and Lora much more; theirs was a great example of unbreakable female friendship. Unfortunately, though, I found that some other characters were lacking in development. This included Irina and I also think Essa; despite her getting quite a bit of page time, I felt her character could've been fleshed out a lot more. We see flashes of a more rebellious and secretive side to her (it's mentioned briefly that she's hiding stuff from her sisters), and yet, this is never fully explored. As for Adena, she was easily my favourite character: I found her plotline so interesting. I desperately wish she had gotten more page time, as I think her plot had some unreached potential that also would've allowed for greater development of the enemies she was surrounded by. One last thing I want to mention regarding the characters is the names. I'm usually not bothered by characters having similar names, but I felt in this book, it was a little confusing. We had a Kenna, Kanna, and Kasia, and then Ennis and Essa, and Irina and Adena. Given the size of the cast and various levels of development for these characters, I found myself getting them mixed up a fair bit at the beginning of the story.
Overall, this was a really solid fantasy novel, with a great mix of different subplots, some interesting characters, and amazing world building. It's supposed to be the first in a series, but it reads perfectly well as a standalone, and I would recommend it to someone who's after a heavier, longer fantasy read, with strong elements of both darkness and love - whether that's romantic, familial, or platonic.
Rating: 4/5
Content warnings: Violence and murder (mostly through war/battle, quite graphic at times), sexual references (fade-to-black, significantly less explicit than the author's softer romances. More on that below), death by various illnesses (sometimes graphic), parental death, brief mentions of child death, implied SA (not described at all.)
The first thing I want to make clear to anyone thinking of reading this book is the fact that it is quite different to the author's other novels. I've only read Stone Hearts so far, but I know enough about the others to be able to safely say that A Time of War and Demons is an outlier; it's still romantasy, but with a much stronger focus on the fantasy side than the romance. War, politics, and loss drive the plot a la A Game of Thrones. The romance is still prominent, but there are other complex plots going on at the same time. So if you enjoyed SE's other books mostly because of the fluff and smut scenes (there's no smut here, it's all fade-to-black), then you probably won't be a fan of this one. But if you're like me and prefer your fantasy on the darker side, then there's a good chance you'll love it.
I'll start my review by discussing the aspects I liked - given that I'm rating this a 4/5, the good definitely outweighed the bad. The overall concept of the plot, as I've already implied above, was enjoyable, and I have no complaints about any of the plot events. The mix of war, emotional struggles, everyday life, and romance was very well done. As long as you're okay with the violence discussed above, there's really something here for every fantasy fan. The aspect I liked most, though, was the world building. It was brilliantly done. Although at first the book seems like your typical medieval fantasy, as a history buff, I actually found it more reminiscent of the Viking/Saxon world, especially regarding the religion, which reminded me of Nordic pagan beliefs and was developed in lots of detail. I thought the passages at the start of each chapter were a really nice touch, helping to develop the world and religion without info-dumping. One thing I will mention in regards to the gods, though, is that their part in the blurb is a little misleading ("what are the legends of mortals to the clash of gods? Far to the south, an ancient force has awoken, and he too will choose to fight. The God of War has returned, and he is determined not just to change history but Fate itself.") I went into this book thinking the gods themselves would play a prominent role, returning to earth and interacting with the characters frequently, but this wasn't quite the case. Their involvement in the plot is a lot more subtle, but well done nonetheless.
Another good aspect of this book was the writing style, although SE Wendel never fails to deliver on that front: she truly has a way with words. The descriptions were beautiful, and I was able to vividly picture the scenes as they played out. There was no info-dumping, and the tense scenes in particular were amazingly done; in fact, those first few chapters are some of the best writing I've ever read.
There were a few things I disliked about this book, though, which prevent me from giving it a five-star rating, which I did initially believe it would get. As I said, the first few scenes were amazing; I couldn't put the book down at that point, I was so engrossed, but unfortunately this didn't really last. Around the point Manek's group arrives at the Haven, the pace slows significantly; it's very fast for those first few chapters, then slow-to-medium paced for the majority of the book, until it speeds up again for the final battle. The slower paced section (about 75% of the book) was a bit of a struggle for me; although I never considered dropping the book, I wasn't really gripped for the most part, and for that reason it took me almost a month and a half to finish. At almost 500 pages, this is a long book, but I've read plenty of longer books in less time. I think this probably could've been a hundred pages shorter and still been just as good.
When it came to the characters, I had somewhat mixed feelings. Some - Ennis, Manek, Lora - were very well fleshed-out. Ennis - the female MC - in particular was an enjoyable character to read about. She's a badass leader, but unlike a lot of fierce fantasy women, she has a softer side without sacrificing her strength and stubbornness for male approval. Although I did like her relationship with Manek, I enjoyed reading about her and Lora much more; theirs was a great example of unbreakable female friendship. Unfortunately, though, I found that some other characters were lacking in development. This included Irina and I also think Essa; despite her getting quite a bit of page time, I felt her character could've been fleshed out a lot more. We see flashes of a more rebellious and secretive side to her (it's mentioned briefly that she's hiding stuff from her sisters), and yet, this is never fully explored. As for Adena, she was easily my favourite character: I found her plotline so interesting. I desperately wish she had gotten more page time, as I think her plot had some unreached potential that also would've allowed for greater development of the enemies she was surrounded by. One last thing I want to mention regarding the characters is the names. I'm usually not bothered by characters having similar names, but I felt in this book, it was a little confusing. We had a Kenna, Kanna, and Kasia, and then Ennis and Essa, and Irina and Adena. Given the size of the cast and various levels of development for these characters, I found myself getting them mixed up a fair bit at the beginning of the story.
Overall, this was a really solid fantasy novel, with a great mix of different subplots, some interesting characters, and amazing world building. It's supposed to be the first in a series, but it reads perfectly well as a standalone, and I would recommend it to someone who's after a heavier, longer fantasy read, with strong elements of both darkness and love - whether that's romantic, familial, or platonic.
February 28, 2024
just finished and first thoughts 'five stars and i'm so biased'.
『Ennis Courtnay stood upon her balcony, watching slaughter. 』
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Ennis is a princess whose kingdom fell and she became a warprize for Manek. She is bitter, she is sad, she grieves for the lost family, home and people, but she must be strong and cold especially when there is an attraction and sparks between Ennis and Manek. What awaits her in his homeland? Is there any future for her while ‘slave’ is her new status?
It was amazing and felt like reconnection with old friend.
Why?
My reading experience started with fantasy full of adventures and wars, kind of story where you follow a brave warrior and a beautiful princess who are going to change the course of history.
In this first (debut) book by S.E.Wendel we already can see the basement of her stories, loyal and courageous men who will protect their ladies and lands, even if it means they are going to lose their lives; and women who will not simply idly sit and wait for the better world, they will forge their fates and future with their actions and words.
So good, so nice and yeah, i’m in awe of the world and story.
Also reading of this story left me with confusing feelings. I’m so happy to finally read this book and (for a time being) all released stories, but it was the last book and now i need to wait, so this sadness is with me.
『Ennis Courtnay stood upon her balcony, watching slaughter. 』
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Ennis is a princess whose kingdom fell and she became a warprize for Manek. She is bitter, she is sad, she grieves for the lost family, home and people, but she must be strong and cold especially when there is an attraction and sparks between Ennis and Manek. What awaits her in his homeland? Is there any future for her while ‘slave’ is her new status?
It was amazing and felt like reconnection with old friend.
Why?
My reading experience started with fantasy full of adventures and wars, kind of story where you follow a brave warrior and a beautiful princess who are going to change the course of history.
In this first (debut) book by S.E.Wendel we already can see the basement of her stories, loyal and courageous men who will protect their ladies and lands, even if it means they are going to lose their lives; and women who will not simply idly sit and wait for the better world, they will forge their fates and future with their actions and words.
So good, so nice and yeah, i’m in awe of the world and story.
Also reading of this story left me with confusing feelings. I’m so happy to finally read this book and (for a time being) all released stories, but it was the last book and now i need to wait, so this sadness is with me.
December 11, 2023
I really enjoy the world-building in her stories but I wish she would expand a bit on the type of FMC she writes. Not because they're bad, but because you can only read the same thing so many times. I'm starting to be much more interested in the side characters who AREN'T the best, most legendary swordswoman warriors (who are also nobles.... and insanely hot). Especially because Halfling (the first book of her's I read) had such a balanced FMC. Yes, she was capable but also had an endearing softness that fueled the romance.
I'm hopeful that she'll keep writing because her stories are great, but I'm also hopeful the FMC's will have a bit more diversity in skill/character.
I'm hopeful that she'll keep writing because her stories are great, but I'm also hopeful the FMC's will have a bit more diversity in skill/character.
September 22, 2024
No, because I’m really angry about how good the first half of this book is. These sisters start off so compelling, from the sword-wielding second born to the master manipulator middle child to the morose youngest, I just could not wait to see what they did and how they were going to bend these simple men to their will. I was getting “vengeance will be mine vibes” from each and every one of them. And then the second half of the book just kind of did not give what I was wanting. The writing is totally solid throughout, but the darkness and ferocity that it began with just wasn’t there for the end. They each of them faded out in their own way, and I took that personal. I wanted more for them; more agency in the story, more action, more self-determination. I actually literally got angry because the promise of the story was so high and then the payoff so far from where I thought we were going. And I cannot fathom why, because this author very clearly has the talent to do this story justice. I’m so mad.
April 11, 2020
A moving story centered around sisters that get taken and separated after their kingdom falls. I thought the author did a particularly good job of bringing out each personality of the sisters. Where's book 2? I'm ready for it.
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February 9, 2024This one was a bit too dark for me. Loved Halfling and the Broken Wings duet though. Guess I’m more of a lighthearted cozy romantic fantasy fan.
June 28, 2025
This author is super slept on. People need to know about her I feel like she has the chops to be mainstream popular
August 11, 2024
Really enjoyed this
Really enjoyable clean high fantasy with interesting characters and a well constructed world. If you enjoy medieval fantasy with romance in it, definitely give this book a go.
Really enjoyable clean high fantasy with interesting characters and a well constructed world. If you enjoy medieval fantasy with romance in it, definitely give this book a go.
March 1, 2020
Amazing writing, from beginning to end i was sucked in the story, i found myself loosing sleep because i couldn't help but devour this book, at the end, i had to, since my eyes wouldn't focus anymore but i only slept for 3 hours and found myself awake early in a sunday, you know the book is great, because making me do that is an amazing feat.
I loved the romance so much and lived for the main characters and seeing how everything unfolded
Really loved this book and i'm looking forward to reading more of this universe.
I loved the romance so much and lived for the main characters and seeing how everything unfolded
Really loved this book and i'm looking forward to reading more of this universe.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews