Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier

Book of the Month
For more than a dozen years we’ve been taught to fear winter by the increasingly popular phrase “Winter is coming…” (Thanks, George!), but its dangers seem abstruse, and far from the sheltered life that we are familiar with. In this debut by Jo Spurrier, we get a glimpse of the horror that is winter. The constant exposure to snow and frost means that surviving on your own is simply inconceivable. Even if you’re a mage.
The magicless inhabitants of Ricalan know this all too well, as in years past they used their extreme weather conditions to dispose of the power-hungry mages. When a civilization turns on you, denying sustenance, shelter, and aid, all the magic in the world will not avail you. Because of this, there are no mages left in Ricalan. The problem is that the countries surrounding Ricalan have found ways of retraining their mages, putting Ricalan at a huge disadvantage.
Enter Sierra, the main character. Sierra is an untrained mage, slave to a Blood-Mage - mages that raise power from the pain and suffering of their victims. In a desperate bid for freedom she manages to escape his clutches, but she finds herself alone in a realm covered in frost… Ricalan.
She has to find a way to survive the horrors of winter, and is swept up in major events in the process. Will she manage to stay free from the clutches of her old Master? Will she be able to hide her despised abilities from those who give her shelter?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this debut. It is well written: the characters are great and realistic, and the descriptions of magical feats will leave you craving for more. The story is refreshing, interesting, and, at times, quite horrific (did I mention that there’s lots and lots of torture?) – One cannot ask for more! I for one am looking forward to the next book in the series, you will be too.
This Winter Be My Shield book review was written by Koen Peters


All reviews for: Children of the Black Sun

Winter Be My Shield
Children of the Black Sun #1
Sierra has a despised and forbidden gift - she raises power from the suffering of others. Enslaved by the king's torturer, Sierra escapes, barely keeping ahead of Raste...
Have you read Winter Be My Shield?
We've found that while readers like to know what we think of a book they find additional reader reviews a massive help in deciding if it is the right book for them. So if you have a spare moment, please tell us your thoughts by writing a reader's review. Thank you.
Winter Be My Shield reader reviews
8.8/10 from 1 reviews
There are currently no reader reviews for this book. Why not be the first?
Write a reader review
Thank you for taking the time to write a review on this book, it really makes a difference and helps readers to find their perfect book.
More recommended reading in this genre
The Powder Mage Trilogy
Brian McClellan
The alchemy of gunpowder fused with the magic of sorcery. In a time of upheaval, resurgence and corrupted Royalty Privileged, one-man’s love for his lost wife and his...

Seven Blades in Black
Sam Sykes
Among humans, none have power like mages. And among mages, none have will like Sal the Cacophony. Once revered, now vagrant, she walks a wasteland scarred by generations of...

The Limits of Enchantment
Graham Joyce
England, 1966: Everything Fern Cullen knows she's learned from Mammy - and none of it's conventional. Taught midwifery at an early age, Fern becomes Mammy's tru...

The Magicians series
Lev Grossman
In a secret world of forbidden knowledge, power comes at a terrible price... Quentin Coldwater's life is changed forever by an apparently chance encounter: when he turn...

Silver Mage
CM Debell
In the first age of Andeira, men and dragons brought together the two halves of the elemental magic of the world to create a union through which their magic, and the world,...

Dawn of the Exile
Mitchell Hogan
For the damned, redemption may be just a mad dream…Years have passed since the demon Tarrik and his master, the sorcerer Ren, destroyed the servants of S...

The House of Shattered Wings
Aliette de Bodard
Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and...

Smoke and Stone
Michael R Fletcher
After a cataclysmic war of the gods, the last of humanity huddles in Bastion, a colossal ringed city. Beyond the outermost wall lies endless desert haunted by the souls of ...

Steel Crow Saga
Paul Krueger
A soldier with a curseTala lost her family to the empress's army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress's crimes don't haunt her ...
Looking for more suggestions? Try these pages: