Daughters of the Storm
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4.3 • 12 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Five very different sisters team up against their stepbrother to save their kingdom in this Norse-flavored fantasy epic—the start of a new series in the tradition of Naomi Novik, Peter V. Brett, and Robin Hobb.
FIVE ROYAL SISTERS. ONE CROWN.
They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose’s heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom who is risking everything for a forbidden love. Ash is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift—or a curse. And then there are the twins—vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods.
But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, these five sisters must embark on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom.
The saga continues in . . .
SISTERS OF THE FIRE
Praise for Daughters of the Storm
“[Daughters of the Storm] is a twisty high fantasy . . . exploring political machinations and the relationships between sisters; betrayal lurks at every turn.”—The Washington Post
“This fantastic series opener, powered by an engaging, female-led cast of characters, is riveting from page one right through to the end, with almost every scene bringing new excitement and intrigue. All of the five leading women are richly drawn, with distinct voices and multidimensional personalities that never slip into caricature. [Kim] Wilkins sketches these royals with nuance and sensitivity, making even the vexing characters like careless Ivy and the villainous Wylm feel worthy of our sympathy. . . . Wilkins has struck gold with her thrilling high fantasy world. Book two can’t arrive soon enough!”—RT Book Reviews
“Readers who enjoy epic journeys and strong female protagonists will enjoy Wilkins’s first installment of her new Sisters of the Fire series.”—Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Australian author Wilkins's unsophisticated fantasy epic falls flat. In the generically European fantasy kingdom of Almissia, the king is in an enchanted sleep, and his five daughters set out together to find a magic user who may be able to wake him. The journey, too straightforward to be called a quest, is punctuated by predictable challenges that make the plot feel plodding and inevitable. The stereotypical characterization of the sisters, each of whom is selfish and unpleasant in her own way, forecast the attempted plot twists: the warrior thinks with her sword, the mystic has plot-convenient abilities, the flighty one and the strumpet cause political troubles with ill-advised affairs, and the religious zealot will betray anyone to serve her god. Readers hoping for an exciting female-led take on epic fantasy will instead find this book drearily familiar.
Customer Reviews
Unique Epic Journey
Add this book to your reading list. Wait! Scratch that ... just go ahead and read it. It has strong female characters who are badasses and male characters who let the women be strong without the male characters being weak. I would say this book is like Game of Thrones but it's so different that I can't say that. It has magic and adventure and that spark that takes a good book and makes it into an epic read. Read it. You will love it.
Review: Blood and Gold 1: Daughters of the Storm
Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins is the first book in her Blood and Gold series. A well-crafted epic-fantasy tale of five sisters, princesses, and their trials and tribulations during a daring rescue and battle against a betrayer from within.
Each daughter is so completely different from the other. Bluebell is the warrior princess that strikes fear into the hearts of all. Her skills in battle are legendary and her love for her family is only second to her loyalty to the crown. Ash is the sister with magic in her veins and visions in her nightmares. Her skills help Bluebell but the more she uses them the further away it pushes her from her family. Rose is the married princess with a beautiful daughter and a controlling husband, oh, and a broken heart thanks to a soldier back home. The twins Ivy and Willow are more opposite than you would ever expect twins to be. One with childish aspirations and another worshipping a religion other than what her royal family supports.
Each sister tries to help but ultimately they mostly end up working, partly unknowingly, against each other. This story is told in multiple POV's and is somewhat contained within this book as a full-story but the breath of a cliffhanger is there egging you on to see what happens next for Bluebell and her siblings. Enjoy!
You think your family get-togethers are bad?
Kim Wilkins' "Daughters of the Storm" tells the story of the five daughters of King Athelrick, King of the powerful Almissia. Almissia is one of several kingdoms in this magical setting of semi-warring kingdoms and conflicting religions. The five women gather to care for their father when he suddenly becomes ill. Just as worrisome, their step-mother acts guilty by calling her grown son to her side instead of Athelrick's daughters and Almissia's heir, Bluebell. Bluebell, the most kick-butt female ever, is determined to find the cause of her father's illness and kill the person responsible. She trusts her closest sisters, Rose and Ash, to help her but they are often stuck in their own thoughts. Rose is the unfaithful wife to the King of a neighboring kingdom, of which her marriage bought an uneasy peace. Ash is a healer but fighting her true magic. Bluebell allows her younger twin sisters to offer help but Ivy is a self-absorbed teenage brat and Willow (unbeknownst to her family) converted to a new faith and constantly hears voices of persecution & grandeur (although I'm unsure whether it is truly a result of her new faith or actual insanity). As these sisters gather and care for their father, their destinies emerge.
"Daughters of the Storm" is a very exciting, five star book. The sisters each have their own past and destiny to fulfill while simultaneously coping with each other and the fate of their father and kingdom. I like Bluebell's strength and Ash's intuition and desire to care for those around her, but I would honestly hate to be related to the other three whiny, manipulative brats. That being said, I do like the nickname the twins have for Bluebell, and I imagine she would as well. The political intrigue and storyline are truly amazing and intricately interwoven like a master! I can't wait until the next book comes out in 2019! Based on "Daughters of the Storm", I will certainly buy it if my library doesn't get a copy.
My opinion is solely my own, but I do want to thank Goodreads, Del Rey Books, and Kim Wilkins for an advanced copy of this awesome book.