#Bookreview: Dead of Winter: Journey 1, Forlorn Peak

Talented author, Teagan Riordain Geneviene, has published the first journey in a new series entitled Dead of Winter.

Teagan is referring to the installments as Journeys, because the characters travel across the complex world she built, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. The journeys will publish approximately monthly.  Length will range from 30 to 60 pages, or so.

About Dead of Winter: Journey 1, Forlorn Peak

Dead of Winter takes place in a fantasy world that resembles some countries in the past of our own world.  In this monthly series we travel through many lands, each with a distinct culture.  The series begins in the Flowing Lands at Forlorn Peak (Journey 1).

The Brethren are fanatics who gradually took over the Flowing Lands.  They say all beliefs but theirs are heresy.  Women are little more than property.  Emlyn is only twelve, but to the Brethren she is an abomination.  Why?  She can see ghosts and other entities.  That’s a secret she can admit only to her teacher, Osabide.

The stronger Emlyn’s ability gets, the harder it is for her to hide it.  Now she has also gotten a supernatural warning that she knows is not about the weather, “Winter is coming!”

As the veil separating the world of the living from the realm of the dead deteriorates, the danger accelerates.  Journey with Emlyn as she explores her world and its many cultures in Dead of Winter.

My review

This is the first journey in an epic story which is being published as a series of novellas/journeys. In this first story, we meet the heroine, Emlyn Eriu, a young girl of 12-years old with a high intellect and the ability to see and feel spirits. Both of these qualities are risk factors for Emlyn who is growing up in a misogynistic world controlled by a zealous religious group called the Brethren of Un’Naf. The main aim of the Brethren is to suppress the population, especially women, and outlaw all the things that make life pleasant and joyful. The people live in a drab and colourless world where they are not allowed to dance or sing. The women are forbidden from revealing their hair, wearing pretty and colourful clothing, and obtaining an education. The Brethren will have Emlyn killed if they discover her abilities.

Emlyn’s mother is dead and her father sees her as plain and unattractive, but realises she is bright and can help him in his business. He persuades the elders of the church to allow Emlyn to have selected lessons with an older woman who lives outside of the village called Osabide. Osabide quickly sees Emlyn’s gift and potential and teaches and expands her lessons to cover a lot more than the agreed lesson plan comprising basic reading, writing, and account-keeping.

The story opens with Emlyn on her way to her lesson with Osabide. A large wolf appears to her and this event is followed by Emlyn receiving a message on the wind that “winter is coming.” Emlyn doesn’t know what this message means but she believes it to be important enough to pass on to her teacher.

The writing in this short novella is quite beautiful and a pleasure to read. Some of the lines which mesmerized me are as follows:

“Night purpled a solitary cloud that drifted across the fullness of the Blood Moon.”

“Her breath froze in the early morning chill as she turned, leaving a briefly shimmering trail on the breeze.”

“She sank deeper into the circle of dreaming. Fog rolled in. Her hair stirred in a breeze but the self she watched did not wake.”

Universal Purchase links

Teagan can’t be exact about the monthly publication dates, but if you follow her at her Amazon Author Page, they should send an email whenever the next Journey publishes.  By the way, Teagan and I both follow many authors there, and have never gotten any spam email as a result.

Amazon Author Page:  relinks.me/TeaganRiordainGeneviene

Kindle:  relinks.me/B08RBBVRGX

Paperback:  relinks.me/B08R7RH4F5

What’s coming next – Journey 2: Penllyn

In Journey 2, Emlyn goes to a neighboring village, Penllyn.  Emlyn thinks it’s strange for her father to let her go with him — and we have to wonder why he did!

The effects of the Brethren’s influence become an even greater concern.  We also meet more members of the Society of Deae Matres, including their most mysterious adherent.  Emlyn’s exploration of the wide world is only just beginning.

About Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene lives in a “high desert” town in the Southwest of the USA.

Teagan had always devoured fantasy novels of every type. Then one day there was no new book readily at hand for reading — so she decided to write one. And she hasn’t stopped writing since.

Her work is colored by her experiences from living in the southern states and the desert southwest. Teagan most often writes in the fantasy genre, but she also writes cozy mysteries. Whether it’s a 1920s mystery, a steampunk adventure, or urban fantasy, her stories have a strong element of whimsy.

Founder of the Three Things method of storytelling, her blog “Teagan’s Books” contains serial stories written according to “things” from viewers. http://www.teagansbooks.com

Major influences include Agatha Christie, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, and Charlaine Harris.

See book trailer videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoM-z7_iH5t2_7aNpy3vG-Q?disable_polymer=true