A Dagger in the Winds

Brendan Noble

Jun 2021 · The Frostmarked Chronicles Book 1 · Eight-One-Five Publishing

4.7

42 reviews

Ebook

478

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

A warrior shrouded in darkness. A witch sworn to revenge. A winter unbounded.

Wacław is an outcast. Born with a curse he doesn’t understand, he’s hidden his power his entire life. But when the goddess of winter unleashes the darkness within him, his only hope for answers is the girl he’s forbidden to see.

Otylia is a witch. There’s no one she hates more than the winter goddess—except her once best friend Wacław. But when she receives visions of endless blizzards and Wacław fighting by her side, she realizes he’s the key to uncovering the goddess’s plot.

Facing monsters and magic at every turn, the pair must journey with friends and rivals alike to confront the cult of winter, but Wacław’s awakened darkness grows as death consumes the living realm. To contain it, they’ll have to mend their broken relationship and delve into the mysteries of their past. Mysteries that could destroy the winter goddess . . . or themselves.

In this first book of an epic fantasy series rooted in Slavic mythology, dive into a new world with menacing magic and beasts, scheming gods, a group of allied misfits, and plenty of secrets to uncover.

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About this series:

Genre: Epic fantasy, Slavic mythological fantasy, sword & sorcery, action & adventure, coming of age, dragon & demon fantasy, dark magic & sorcery.

Audience: teen, young adult, adult.

Setting: A new world inspired by dark-ages Slavic mythology.

Reader age: 13+

Explicit language: Extremely limited.

Sex: None. Clean romantic elements.

Completeness: Will be a five book series. Three released so far.

Similar books: The Grishaverse (Shadow & Bone, Six of Crows, and King of Scars) by Leigh Bardugo, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan, The Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan, and The Ranger of Marzanna by Jon Skovron.

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The Frostmarked Chronicles:

1. A Dagger in the Winds

2. The Trials of Ascension

3. The Daughters of the Earth

4. The Deathless Sons

5. To-Be-Named

Frostmarked Tales, stories from the world of The Frostmarked Chronicles:

The Rider in the Night: A Prequel to The Frostmarked Chronicles

The Lady of Rolika: A Frostmarked Tale

keywords: adventure fantasy, demons, monsters, gods, dragons, shapeshifters, clean romance, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, slow burn, adventure, magic, sorcery

Ratings and reviews

4.7

42 reviews

Marcy Wallace

November 14, 2022

Couldn't put it down! (And it's a very long book!). Spent a dreary cold day parked on the couch with a blanket immersed in the wonderful storytelling of lesser known God's and goddesses and the mortals they entangle within their manipulations for power and revenge. Very detailed world building and characters that come alive make this series a must read.

Mithril bb

July 9, 2021

As a Ukrainian Canadian & slavic pagan, I really enjoyed this book. It's a great intro to slavic mythology; though, readers should be aware that there are regional differences in the myths & lore, so there is no 1 right way to portray the creatures & deities. Also do not take the pronunciation by the Read Aloud AI as the right way to say names. The persona of Morana/Mara/Marzanna is fantastic! Morana is one of my favourite goddesses. I can't wait to see more of her & Devana/Dziewanna in the next books! So far Otylia is my favourite but both protagonists are very relatable. The book can take a bit to really get into but once you do, you'll be hooked! I was disappointed about side characters only having a small part in the book. At least 1 of them was sort of a "comic relief" character that I wish had more attention as the book can be pretty intense. I don't recommend this as a good book for anyone under 14 but for everyone else, I highly recommend giving it a read!

Jacque Composanto

December 8, 2021

I really like this book. And it's an impressive work for a new novelist. There are a lot of good things here that a lot of readers will like. There are intriguing fantasy elements to the world, and a lot of the characters and enemies are based off of Slavic myth and folklore. This gives the story and world a unique feel. I also like the characters. The main characters are relatable in their fears and struggles. A lot of the side characters have lives of their own and don't feel "flat." The plot is good, but I think it meanders. I'd love to see the author tighten up the plot with future works. Some plot points are overdone and some of the twists weren't surprising by the time I got to them. However, I do like that the plot takes an epic fantasy dive into a world of the supernatural! It's still fun and entertaining; it's still a good read. These kinds of books are exactly my niche, and I'm glad I read this. I especially love that the world is centered on Slavic myth, since you don't see that often. I love the world-building and want to experience more of this world. I definitely recommend the book, but advise readers that the plot wanders. Overall, I think it's worth the purchase.

About the author

Brendan Noble is a Polish and German-American author currently writing fantasy inspired by Slavic mythology: The Frostmarked Chronicles. Through these books and his “Slavic Saturday” post series on YouTube and his website, he hopes to bring the often-forgotten stories of eastern Europe into new light.

Shortly after beginning his writing career in 2019 with the publication of his debut novel, The Fractured Prism (Book 1 of The Prism Files), Brendan married his wife Andrea and moved to Rockford, Illinois from his hometown in Michigan. Since then, he has published six full-length novels, including four in The Prism Files and two in The Frostmarked Chronicles, along with a novella for the latter series.

Brendan founded Eight-One-Five Publishing in 2021, wishing to inspire and help authors in the Rockford area write, publish, and distribute their works, regardless of socio-economic status.

Outside of writing, Brendan is a data analyst, soccer referee, and the president of Rockford FC (Rockford’s semi-pro soccer club). His top interests include German, Polish, and American soccer/football, Formula 1, analyzing political elections across the world, playing extremely nerdy strategy video games, exploring with his wife, and reading.

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