Eye of the Wolf

The Lords of Alekka #1

by A.E. Rayne

Fate will not be denied.

And those FATED TO RISE can’t remain in the shadows forever.

Two thousand years after the ancient Kingdom of Alekka was broken in two, the gods are stirring, seeking a reckoning, for order can only last so long before chaos returns to claim its rightful place.

The dreamers see what is coming.

They warn their lords of a trouble greater than any other, raising fears of unimaginable death and destruction, and a winter colder than any that has come before.

Heroes will be sought. Secrets revealed. Sides chosen.

As the battle to claim Alekka begins...

Eye of the Wolf is the first book in The Lords of Alekka epic fantasy series. Set in the same world as The Furyck Saga, it features a new cast of richly-woven characters and an exciting new adventure to embark upon.

Note: This book contains adult themes and mature content

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Ebooks, Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Historical, Magic

710 pages, ebook

First published August 25, 2020

About the author

Introducing myself

Hello, I’m Amy!

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and have done for three-quarters of my life. The other quarter was spent in England, where my kids were born. I have three of those, and they’re very cool. I’m a bit demented and thought it would be a good idea to have them a year or so apart. I’m still recovering from that misguided notion, but am convinced that a month in Bora Bora would set me right!

Speaking of travelling, as much as I crave a tropical island escape, you’re far more inclined to find me hankering after snow. We don’t have any of that in Auckland – not a drop! And, although it did snow occasionally in dear old England, I’m still looking for the up-to-your-window sort of snow experience. I come from Viking stock (my grandmother was Swedish), so maybe that’s why I have always craved the cold, white stuff. In fact, my husband and I bonded over our love of scarves.

'Twas love at first discussion about the pleasure of a good scarf!


My reading journey
I was drawn to historical romance as a young reader. I loved anything by the Brontë sisters, but I think Jane Austen was my favourite author at that time. It was a toss-up between Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre for my favourite book as a tween. As I got older and developed a real love of history, I became obsessed with anything do with Vikings. I fell in love with Bernard Cornwell and Robert Lowe, Giles Kristian, too. But there’s always been time to fit in the next Diana Gabaldon. Her Outlander series is probably my favourite series ever (great tv too!). History is my one true love, so some of my favourites lately have been C.J. Sansom’s thrilling Tudor series and Patrick O’Brien 19th century naval adventures.

I always thought I would write the Furyck Saga as a historical fiction series, but I never found a period or place where it felt possible. Ultimately, I realised that actual history was far too limiting, so I stepped away from reality and entered the wonderful world of fantasy, and that’s when the fun started…


It took me a long time to become a writer.

I have ring binders and ring binders of stories, screenplays, tv show concepts, and book ideas that I’ve been creating since I was 10-years-old.
I was always very fast with ideas but seeing them all the way through was a lot harder, and eventually, as I grew up, life and work got in the way.
I would try writing Winter’s Fury off and on, but I never got very far, and dissatisfied, I always gave up, telling myself there simply wasn’t enough
time to fit writing in around three children, two dogs, a graphic design business, etc. etc. But what I quickly discovered is that time is what you make of it.

Inspired by an article I read about James Patterson, who got up early to write his first book and fit it in around his job, I started making writing a
daily discipline; the idea being that, bit by bit, I would eventually create an actual book. At first, it was tough. It felt like I was training for a marathon
and I didn’t even know how to run. But every day it got a little easier and eventually, I started to write more freely, and one day I had enough of a
book to show my husband. At this point it was either, forget it again, or keep going.

He read it and said… keep going. So, I did.

And I haven’t stopped!

Reviews

[Tom Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!

As a rule, I try to stay away from the longer books, but honestly I enjoyed every part of this.
As an epic fantasy book it ticks all the right boxes for me. An interesting story laced with nordic influences, a creative way to tie magic and witchcraft with the dreamers, and an absolutely incredible character development throughout.

I found myself pulled from one character to the next, feeling just as engrossed with the Hakon's side as I was with Reinar's. You see each character develop through the story and you can fully understand who they are as a person, whether it's a vindictive king who is determined to have his revenge, or its a dreamer who is on a journey of self discovery, you truly can see inside them.

The story played out just as I hoped, with the right amount of twists and turns that make you excited, and equally fearful for the characters as their luck sometimes goes from bad to worse.

Either way, if you're a fan of epic fantasies, this gives a full game of thrones meets Vikings feel and it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Definitely recommended, and I'm looking forward to reading book two!

[Cyndora Gauthreaux · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother

The character perspective jump from paragraph to paragraph is excruciating. It's so chunky and irritating when you think you are reading one characters thoughts/words just to realize it's totally different character. Using chapters correctly would truly assist this writer and make the story a lot more enjoyable.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars - English Ebook

Review follows later

[Barefoot Gypsy Jimerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad at all!!

I really didn't think I would like it. But it turns out it wasn't half bad. All the characters stud out. I really enjoyed how the author went to each character in a chapter as he kept building on each one. Hope the next one us just as good ,as they all go there separate ways.
Nicely done.

[Diana Murrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the opportunity, gladly I might add as I loved the Furyck series and Raynes style, to read an advance copy of her new series. It took a bit a dedication to push through the first 20% of the book. Lots of new characters and their connections to each other as this will be a series that has some layers to it. With the reference to Jael and Mother Arnesson from Furyck I thought I would be able to build on what I already knew. Not so, and I’m still a bit confused as to where this fell timeline wise to Jaels story but I am confident that this will become clear with successive publications. I had to push through a few of the more violent aspects of the book with a characters proclivity towards violence and women but managed. As stated earlier after the first 20% of the story was unraveled the characters and their stories meshed together and I was able to follow Raynes leading. The story weaved back and forth between the characters and their separate arcs in each chapter which helped to keep them fresh and memorable and the storyline flowing easily. Then it became a page turner that kept me saying to myself, “OK, just one more chapter,” that went on and caused some sleep deprivation on my part. The character development was believable and layered as they moved through the plot and there is lots of room for some surprises. One that left me sort of sick to my stomach at the end and already fearing for Alys and her children. That was an “Oh CRAP” moment. Didn’t see it coming and not super happy with it. But as with her first series I’m sure that the heroine has more potential than she has shown so far and the story begs that development. On the whole, I loved the book and plan on reading it again a bit more slowly to pick up on more of the subtle nuances that I’m sure I missed as I familiarized myself with completely new characters and my impatience to see their alliances and relationships to each other!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uniquely Written

This is the first book I have ever read by A. E. Rayne so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must say I quite enjoyed it! I do believe that reading Dune first helped me adjust to the simultaneous POVs. It's not something you see very often in modern writing but I was already accustomed to it by Dune so I was surprised but not negatively so to see it here.

The book did suffer a bit from a sagging middle. I do not believe it quite justified its length. However, the ending more than made up for it. It left a lasting impression that made me eager to continue to the next book.

The battle was one of the best I've read in a long time. There was suspense, magic and a focus on strategy rather than just on bloodshed. I was impressed!

[Karen ⚜Mess⚜]

👁‍🗨🐺 Free on Amazon 5/14/2021 👁‍🗨🐺

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Can't believe this isn't hyped up more!
So glad I found this book
I haven't read such a long book in a really long time, but wow this was worth it. The only thing for me it took a while to get used to the style of writing, you easily jump through 10 peoples pov in 1 chapter, from one paragraph to the next!
But this was such a great read, I got vikings vibe but the gods seem to be different, but there's magic and action and in every chapter something is going on.
There was a perfect mix of plot and action.

Alys is a great character to follow as she learns about her powers, Edette I fucking love 😂 she's a mess but she knows what she's talking about. I'm not in love with Reinar but I feel that we didn't really get a lot of time between the 2 of them, definitely a slow burn, one I'm happy to wait for!!
On to the next book 😊

[Britt Fricano · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5. the plot had so much potential but the repetitive nature of the storyline was tough to stay attentive to. this did not need to be 700 pages by any means, however i loved the jumping pov’s within each chapter.
similar world building, character arcs and pov as game of thrones tv show and for that type of fantasy world i loved.
i couldn’t get past her repetitive writing about SA, grooming, etc. wayyy too much, we already hate the antagonists so creating so many points of repetitive SA scenes felt so unnecessary.
my favorite characters were Jonas, Vik, Agnette and Eddeth. every other character felt bland in comparison.
Arnon being alive also felt predictable, i give it 2 stars because i finished it but i can’t see myself continuing the series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

I'm glad I read this one it has a good magic system and world building. It put me in mind of the Vikings and their tribal warfare. I'm definitely going to read the next one in the series. I want to see if and how Alys finds her children I'm fairly confident that she'll find them plus she doesn't know that her abusive husband is alive. Should be interesting

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes when I first started this book but things fell apart entirely somewhere around the middle of the story and by that stage I felt too committed to quit. I won't be continuing with the next book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read of author A.E. Rayne, found it on Kindle Unlimited from an Amazon ad on Facebook. The story excerpt grabbed my attention. I have been on a reading slump and needed some action, adventure and a story involving magic and dreamers! I have been mostly a historical romance reader. Occasionally I have enjoyed a fantasy series, which is a broad term!
I really enjoyed this story of Alys and her unfortunate tale of being kidnapped and revealing that she is a dreamer, to her captors and then the long journey she endures with her captors.
A good book is one that you think about when you are not reading it and one that you don't want to quit reading! I had a couple of late nighters and all day reading! Hardly ever happens! The middle of the book on to grand climactic ending was just WOW!
I do feel like the title could have been "Battle of the Dreamers" as so much of the story was just that! No other reviewers have mentioned this! I am not a die hard fantasy reader and it was a tad over the top for me. But amazing nonetheless, how the magic was weaved into the storyline and how it affected the characters and the battle outcome. Believable in a time of great fear of the supernatural and the power of "the gods"
They were always cold, so cold!
The epilogue shocked me, did not see that coming!
I wanted more action /character interaction that was not directly affected by the dreamers who were wrecking havoc during the prolonged battle scene. I guess that is how it is considered a Fantasy!
I wanted Alys to have more emotional strength and courage. Once she let her secret of her abilities be known, she walked around in a constant daze and worried about her kids! There could have been more romance involved, but there was too much going on with everyone with focus being on saving the fort and the kingdom. The emotions, love, care and fear between characters was palpable and believable. Great descriptive storytelling!
The different POV's were confusing at times and there were so many characters to keep track of.
I felt like she left some important characters hanging out of the picture, roaming the countryside. I guess they will reappear in book 2! I have already downloaded it as the the preview at the end of book one left me wanting to know what happens next!

[Staci Wellmaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so to be fair, I have read her six book previous story called "The Furyck Saga" and commented that it would have been better if author had made it FOUR books. Such a lot of repetition.
I do like the author's ability to bring rich characters to her stories. Basically you either hate them or love them.....want them to get beheaded via a sword, or live happily-ever-after. You CARE, one way or the other. That is why I was willing to start another 6 book story. Very similar to the Furyck saga with one main character (Jael Furyck) already mentioned several times in the first book.

WHY?? Why does an author insist on dragging a book out?? Repeating, repeating. You spend an entire chapter on a character "reminiscing" on an event that has been discussed 2-3 times already. So I found myself skimming - A LOT - through this first book and must decide if I want to waste more hours skimming through 5 more, or just read the last book??

It truly is a shame, because Rayne is a great storyteller. This author creates rich action sequences and makes her readers root for the heroines and chant for the villain's to get what they deserve. I do love her characters, but am becoming increasingly frustrated with the repetition. I also find that I hope Alys finds a backbone and grows in to her abilities to defeat/conquer those who make her feel "less-than". I do not like whinny characters. It gets too annoying and frustrating.

So if you are prepared to skim and re-read every event (see-I made my review repetitive - it's annoying, isn't it ) give the series a go. Not sure I will continue this repetitive saga.....

I would, however, read a single book novel by AE Rayne.

[Kyle Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, well this was… Decent. I listened to the audio book bc it was done by Kate Reading. She performed the codex alera series by Jim butcher and I just love her.
With that in mind I really just picked it up bc of her, if that makes sense?
Anywho the performance, excellent. Kate smashed it out of the park as always. The way the audio book read however…
See this is a book that changes POV’s mid chapter so I’m a work setting it can be a little confusing when you’re hearing someone, and then with relatively no pause we’re hearing about someone else. So like kinda hard to follow, even with a physical read I’d imagine.
Here’s my main problem with the book. because otherwise it was a decent epic fantasy’s about some really cool, strong female characters.

*TRIGGER WARNING*
This book had enough rape/child abuse/grooming in it to last the rest of the year…
Now I am so thankful that this isn’t a trigger for me, and I am so fortunate to not have experienced anything like this, because there’s no way I could have finished it. But this, made me even feel uneasy and almost bad for reading it.
The author used it so you would just.. Extra hate the antagonists I guess, when they were already easily hate-able.
And for little side characters that were bad, that was the reason you should hate them…
*TRIGGER END*

Anywho, take all of that out I guess you don’t have this story. I won’t say it was tastefully done, but the overarching story wasn’t terrible.

[Lisa Valles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the previous series, I was a bit skeptical about reading a new book based in the same world without the characters that I was familiar with. I need not have bothered even considering such a thing..

I was captivated by the first page! The characters were were intriguing and the storyline compelled me throughout.

The way that author continued expanding on Alekka beliefs, traditions and situations was phenomenal. She intertwined the plots just enough to pique my curiosity about where the others might be, while not having me miss them. In fact, I wouldn't be disappointed if the previous characters never make a come back. The new characters were quite interesting and the imagery enthralled me.

December can't come fast enough for me! I'm looking forward to watching the progression of both the characters and the plot as the journey continues to evolve in the next book.

I'd like to thank the author for taking me away from all the troubles of today and letting me fall into her fantasy world.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is set in the same world as the Furyck Saga, but in the land of Alekka, with a whole new cast of characters, though a few who were in the saga do make an appearance here.

The main protagonist is Alys, who together with most of the women of her village are captured during a raid by the men of Ottby, who intend to sell them as slaves so they can pay warriors to help defend Ottby from the aggression of Hakon Vettel, who is intent on taking the fortress in his attempt to overthrow Ake Bluefinn and become the King of Alekka.

The timeline of events in this book is more compact than those in the saga and has an intensity to them that is immediately engaging. The diverse and interesting cast of characters includes some who are likeable from the start, while others take a while to figure out what sort of personality they have.

As with the Furyck Saga, there is an enthralling mixture of action sequences, up to and including large-scale battles, magic in the form of dreamers and their spells, plus interpersonal interactions and conflicts which keep you fully engaged in the story.

This is an excellent start to the new series, one I am looking forward to reading in the following books.

[Melanie Scarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book of the series was a interesting read. I do not recall reading many "viking" type books, and this seemed to fit the bill. Warmongering, pillage, rape, slavery. There was a also the more mystical side thrown in which made it a full story. The romance factor was light, but there.
I enjoyed how she wove the story around making it so that terrible things happened, but out of these terrible things perhaps some good can come too. It showed the harshness of life as well as the bleakness and frigidness of the lands they lived in. Strength had to be shown and acted on in order to survive.
I also read many reviews which spoke about the need for chapter spilts, or such to help with the POV. Either the author remedied this or I don't have the same type of situation. I had no problem figuring out which POV was happening.

Personal Rating - 16+
language, abuse, kidnapping, rape, murder, suicide. I would suggest reading it before your teen so you can have conversations about the heavier topics which come up in this book.

[Amiascah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the The Furyck Saga, I will admit that a few bits in the middle just dragged on but I couldn't stop I had to know what happened. Each of the books felt too long but it was worth it to know. I found the Eye of the Wolf didn't have the same too long feeling. It also unfortunately didn't suck me in the way Jael did. Do I want to know what happens next? sure, but do I have a burning desire to know? also no. The one thing that kept me from loving even my favourite books of AE Rayne was the constantly jumping point of views. At first is was jarring and confusing, I think I now have a handle on it, but its not enjoyable. I get some authors switching it up from section to section or chapter and what not but it could be in the middle of a conversation between characters and I would have to back up and double check to see who was thinking what now. Will I revisit this world, probably, I just can't see it being any time soon.

[Jsalt80 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Start

I’m looking forward to reading about the saga of the Alekkans after reading about Jael and her journey.

I saw some similarities in the characters from that series to the ones her, but some they become their own personalities. There were some bad guys that lived a lot longer than I thought they should or that died in a way that wasn’t gruesome enough to fit their deeds, but I’m still happy they died.

Our FMC here is Alys De Sant aka Alys Bergstrum, I think that spelling is correct. She starts off as a meek character, or seemingly so, but it’s really not the case. She slowly starts to come into her own as the story progresses, although I will say she caused me a lot of stress and anxiety during her journey.

This one ends the first arc and has us follow Alys into her next adventure while the MMC begins to put his life back together and move forward.

Highly recommend. See my notes, highlights and commentary on Goodreads! Happy Reading!

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

This was an ok fantasy adventure. It had a bit of a saggy middle and a few typos , but was relatively engaging. There were a couple of things I didn't get on with, like head hopping within scenes, and being told what the characters were feeling rather than their actions and dialogue revealing them emotional state. It made me feel distanced from them. Still, it was and adventure and I enjoyed the battle descriptions. The epilogue left me dissatisfied because it felt like it came completely out of left field. For me, this was not a book I could lose myself in for hours and hours, but it was a decent adventure for short reading spurts. Others may feel differently of course.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible epic fantasy book steeped in Viking and Norse mythology inspiration. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it but the title and cover drew me in and once I started reading it was difficult to put down, following the journey of Alys, a dreamer with magical powers, and her son Magnus and daughter Lotta. The book is the first in a series and rich in description, action, imagery and plot. I usually steer clear of fantasy novels, although admittedly there are four niches within the genre that I am keen to read, this being one of them, so I really took to and enjoyed this. There is much more I want to say about this book regarding points that I found gripping but I don’t want to give spoilers.
But I hope to be reading more in the series in time.

[Lesley Marron · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the engaging (if rather predictable) story and the characters I would give this book 3*. For the English alas only 1*. The English is lumpy and littered with grammatical howlers. The vocabulary is limited so some of the toe-curling errors are repeated a hundred times; 'stunk' for example. This is astonishing in an author who lists Jane Austen as one of her earliest favourites. Ms Rayne please invest a little time in learning English grammar and your books will become much more enjoyable to read. For the record the past tense of stink is stank.
The cottage stank of unwashed bodies.

Stunk is only used to describe something over a limited period
The cottage stunk of unwashed bodies until they all had a shower.

[Peter Hendrycks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book from this author. The story was well written, and interesting to read. My only criticism is that the author tends to swerve from different characters and scenarios multiple times during each chapter, with a break in between. I found this distracting, initially. Why not focus a chapter on a character, and their storyline, however short or long, then move to another chapter? Once I finished the book, I became more used to the writing style, and I focused less on the back and forth, to concentrate on the crux of the story. The final battle. The emergence of Alys as a dreamer is nice to see. It is that growth, that makes me want to read more of this woman, who was taken prisoner, and ended up saving her captors in the end.

[Elizabeth Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing is a bit all over the place...

Thus one took me quite some time to finish because it was difficult to remain interested. The author's writing style has the character's inner thoughts interspersed within setting details etc. They would also jump from one character to the next without clear delineation. It felt a bit like reading the thoughts of someone with adhd.

I liked the original storyline (Viking-ish with magic and gods), but I'm not sure I'd read the next one in the series unless it's free.

The main character was a bit milkwater too for my tastes. Her weakness permeated the story nearly all the way til the end which didn't make sense to me. Reading her children's viewpoints seemed better than hers at times.

[Rachel Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this first book in A.E. Rayne's new series. She has a writing style unlike any other that I've read, and I love it! You get so much more than a single point-of-view, which really allows you to get to know her many characters. Alys, Reinar, Sigurd, Ludo, and Agnette quickly grow on you, as do many of the other characters! The way this leaves off, you aren't left in a cliffhanger situation, but you can tell that book 2 is going to continue to test and grow these characters. I literally couldn't stop reading! Definitely take a look at the character list at the beginning of the book, as it comes in handy when meeting so many new characters at first. I cannot wait for Book 2!! I highly recommend this read!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved AE Raynes Furyck Saga series. I was a bit bummed when the new series has a different cast of characters. But after the 4th page, I was hooked. The setting for the new series is set in the same world and timeline as our beloved Jael. Our new Heroine Alys is someone to really root for. She is a mom, in an endless quest to find and rescue her children. All while being kidnapped, almost drowned, helping her captors repell raiders and finding parts of herself she never knew. It is only the first book and already I cannot wait to hear more about this amazing story and go back to this place I have come to love.

[Kiyomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read and start to story. The switching between so many POVs can get confusing at times. In the beginning and when I was really getting invested in a part, but then the POV switches. It was hard at times to stay focused enough to follow along.
The story was good.
Note: Abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Rape are all in this book. It was delivered in a believable way, these things were prevalent in medieval times and this story takes place in a similar time frame setting.
This is not a happy story. It is not a love story. It is a story of hope. A story of perseverance. A story of survival.

[S. J. Holton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the constant perspective shift (often times in the middle of paragraphs) since it often made it difficult to figure how whose thoughts I was reading, especially since certain characters can read other character's thoughts. This is unfortunate since the world Rayne has built within the story is actually quite intoxicating. Additionally, the plot was incredibly slow, but I will say that, because of this, certain events had larger impacts when they finally occured. I like the world and characters enough to read more, but this book drags a bit and made it hard to want to pick up most days.

[Barry Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ripping yarn and a delightful surprise

An excellent Viking-flavoured fantasy. I nearly didn't start to read this book, thinking it would be yet another amateurish attempt at fantasy. So it was sheer delight to discover a rich and well rounded narrative, populated by engaging and very three-dimensional characters with scenarios ranging from riveting battles to poignant personal anguish.

And my proofreader's eye did not detect a single grammatical, spelling or typographical error. A very rare occurrence these days!

Well done, Ms Rayne. I am genuinely impressed and shall be reading a lot more of your oeuvre, methinks.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I found out that A.E Rayne was releasing another series, I was so excited to see what she came up with next. Initially it was hard for me to get into the swing of things with the introduction of new characters. But once you basically got to know everyone, your adventure begins and you felt the emotions of every character. You could feel the elements as you read. I was literally transported into the world Alekka and I don’t want to turn back. You can get lost in this world of magic, so buckle up and enjoy the ride, it’s going to be a dream. I can not wait for the second book to come out.