Daughters of a Winter Night: First Book of the Daéfinlyr

“Assured and engaging epic fantasy debut, with heaps of heart. A series starter that deftly unites two classic fantasy subgenres: the lore-rich, prophecy-driven high fantasy epic set in a world of fractious politics and an awakening evil, and the squad-level dungeon crawler, as doughty—sometimes bickering—heroes brave a campaign’s worth of beasts and traps. Belair makes both the worldbuilding and larking-out-on-a-quest material brisk and compelling, and he understands that no matter how much myth and ritual a fantasy offers, what matters most is characters who grow in the face of challenges, discovering not just their place in the world but also what’s in their hearts. . .Bring on volume 2” Booklife – Editor’s Choice A comet crosses the moonlit sky, and Gaelyn, First of the Order d’Shardolay, pens a note of warning. The next day, he dispatches Orin to deliver his message.Used to running Gaelyn’s errands, Orin travels south, expecting to quickly return and continue his increasing struggle to balance the responsibilities of the Order and his commitments to the woman he loves.But something pulls Orin from the road. In a crumbling village, in a battered old inn, he meets five others. Despite the warnings screaming in his head, Orin reluctantly agrees to join a quest to rescue an innkeeper’s daughter and rid the village of whatever menace has taken up residence in a nearby underground fortress.As Orin and his new companions explore deep hallways, they face increasingly deadly encounters and unknowingly draw closer to the intended recipient of Gaelyn’s warning. Every step takes Orin further from his love. Every step binds him tighter to the Order as he wields the power of the flow and learns its horrible consequences.Orin also learns that gathering in the inn fulfilled a greater purpose than rescuing an innkeeper’s daughter. As events unfold, he and his companions become actors in a long-foretold prophecy. Forced to abandon the lives they once led, the six find themselves racing to disrupt a plot to release an ancient evil who would forever enslave their world and destroy them all