One of the promotional quotes on the back of the dustjacket says that this book "captivates from page one". And I agree. It captivates from page one until page 136.
Unfortunately, that's not the end of the book.
I only read the first half of this, which follows a fantasy!Norse warrior named Brighid as Murphy decides to enforce his Law. I liked that part and I wish the entire book was about her, because that would have meant some proper Epic Fantasy Drama.
But on page 136, a guy named Kaeden shows up, which is the first we've seen or heard of him this entire time; he hasn't been foreshadowed even a little bit. Kaeden is our second protagonist, and he's the embodiment of one of my least favorite main character types: the overpowered chosen one who doesn't want to be the overpowered chosen one and angsts about it despite having no real reason to do so. Like I said in my review of Steal Fire from the Gods, it felt like the story had suddenly turned into a teenager's self-insert fanfiction. The contrast of this guy's whining about his imagined problems with Brighid's bearing up under her actual problems was so jarring I stopped reading within a few pages, simply because I didn't want to have to deal with him any longer than I had to.
That said, I do want to provide a full review of this book. However, not having finished it, I can't write one. So I have turned to my pseudonymous relative Kittens, who actually has finished it, for assistance in this difficult task.
Without further ado, here's Kittens on the second half of Winter's Maiden.
<kittens>
The second half was definitely less good, mostly due to Kaeden being less cool than Brighid. He kind of annoys me in that he's a grown man and acts like he's a teenager in the sulky phase. He has this whole melodramatic attitude toward his problems that makes you just want to shake him and tell him to deal with it and act like a man.
He and Brighid do eventually meet up and he does pretty much get over his problems, mostly because he's finally decided to embrace his whole 'overpowered chosen one'-ness.
Brighid's still way cooler and I think it would've been better if the whole thing was about her, because she deals with problems way better than Kaeden does. She takes life with a 'nothing can stop me' sort of attitude and toughs through it, Kaeden doesn't. He takes life with a 'if I don't like it, I'ma run away!' attitude - that's literally what he was doing in the beginning.
There are parts in Kaeden's half from her point of view, too, and those make you appreciate the personality difference more (and by appreciate I mean notice).
Anyhow, it was still a good book (good enough I did finish it) and I'll read the sequel when it comes out, but I feel like there was enough material for Brighid to have the whole book without dragging in Kaeden and putting half of it in his point of view. He could still've been in it, that would have been fine, but I don't think his POV was entirely necessary.
</kittens>
Were this a videogame, I'd rate it: T15+ for violence and some implied sexual content.
4 stars.
(Endnote: Brighid's adopted mom is named Elphsaba, which is an unfortunate name in a world where Wicked is the whole thing it is now.)
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