West Flows

Winds of Destiny #2

by Hannah Steenbock

West Flows is Book 2 in the Winds of Destiny series. When West Whale realizes he is not willing to give his life as a Sacrifice for the Holy Empire, he discovers a set of powers he never knew he had. Fleeing the evil Priests, he seeks out the one person he knows who might help him develop his potential. They kick him out instead. Forced to rely on his new abilities and what little he knows of the world, West embarks on a dangerous quest to prove himself worthy. Can he avoid being noticed and captured by the Priests? Can he protect the new friends he makes? And most of all, can he save the life of his newfound love?

281 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

I'm a writer, dreamer and creator of worlds. I love taking my readers onto journeys into far-away lands where things are different and yet humans are still the same.
I live in the North of Germany, where seagulls scream, the wind never rests, and people are friendly.

Find me on Mastodon (@firlefanz@writing.exchange) and at my website www.hannah-steenbock.de. That's where you can sign up to my newsletter that I send out on every 13th of the month, with writing news and tales of my silly little dragon pet, Ember.

Reviews

[Leigh W · Rating 5 out of 5]

West is to be sacrificed on the pyramid. He feels isolated from the rest of the house of whales and finds himself rebelling against the idea of dying, that he wants to do more. In a moment of anger and despair, he flings himself into the ocean and discovers that he can shapeshift. Taking the form of a dolphin, he escapes the west pyramid and decides to seek the person who defied the Priests almost a year ago. Upon finding the village, he is faced with hostility and hides his newly discovered powers. However, after being told to leave by the head shaman someone else recognizes a potential to keep West around. He decides to shapeshift into another animal to sneak into the Empire and discover secrets. He not only has to have the confidence in himself to do this task but the ability to escape back to safety once inside the Empire.

I really enjoyed West. He was a character that I could feel and understand his emotions and problems and why he does some of the things he does. I get the hostility he received by the village to a point but some of it felt almost unjustified or not moveable. I honestly enjoyed his journey of not only learning his magic and other animals but his journey on his confidence and self worth. I loved how we got to interact with characters from the first book. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

[NikNak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually read steamier books, but the author has totally enthralled me with her sweet cinnamon roll hero, clever mule and nicely executed family of choice trope! 😍
Also, if you like the sea and some of its creatures (will not spoil here which ones), this is a fantastic read for you. The character depth in this instalment of the series brought the story to life in my mind's eye as well as my heart. There are quite a few plot twists I did not see coming--and I usually consider myself to be pretty case-hardened on that front. All in all, it's the perfect mixture for people who want it all: fantasy, action, some sweet romance, friendship, and mystery.

[MGB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exposure of the vile culture continues in this second book - not as in your face. Still some steam scenes but dialed back.

The most interesting feature is how to learn to be a mule. It's not every shapeshifter that ends up a mule, but West does. How would you go about learning? Fortunately their are good mule drivers and even some mules who can help.

Then the trick is how do you use your magic? When and how do you hide it? How will West help drive the horrible people out of his peaceful village? Definitely an interesting read.

[MA Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

I don’t know where Hannah Steenbock gets her ideas, but this second book is even better than the first of the series.