Winter's Fury (Furyck Saga, #1) by A.E. Rayne

Winter's Fury (Furyck Saga, #1) Reviews

• 
  Charles van Buren

  Families and Kingdoms compete through marriages, magic and war
  
  A fantasy/sword and sorcery novel with strong female characters, romance and a little soap opera. Well written but a little long in places. Volume two in this series is really long in several places. It carries the soap opera style much farther than I'm willing to go.
• 
  A.E. Rayne

  I hope you enjoy reading my book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Visit my site to find out more about me and book II, The Burning Sea, which is out now.
  http://aerayne.com/
• 
  Dr. Shaz

  4.5 Well Deserved Stars
  
  This one started out a bit slow for me. I wasn't entirely sure I was going to continue, but once I got into it, I was SO GLAD I DID.
  
  This book really sets everything up right for a totally EPIC saga - Magic, battles, swords, alliances, a prophecy, an unwilling but strong heroine who is actually older than early 20 something, stolen/lost loves, witches, dreamers, good vs evil and a lot of gray areas in between, and the list goes on....
  
  There are so many well developed characters in this, and while the story does sometimes seem slow, I think that a lot of it is needed to allow for enough character development for all of these people who are likely to play important roles. After about the first few chapters, I stopped minding that it was long and wordy and really starting enjoying delving into the characters. You have those characters you are totally rooting for, those that you want to punch, and those that you can't wait to see them lose their heads!
  
  I absolutely LOVED Jael, she was a strong, kick ass warrior and I am totally invested in seeing how her story unfolds. Then there is Eadmund... Oh Eadmund, so many times I wanted to slap you!
  I found it was sometimes really hard to read about his alcoholism and watching him hit rock bottom, but I loved Eadmund as a character. He is totally flawed, definitely not Jael's knight in shining armor - she doesn't need one! - and while this isn't a love story, I have hope that they will eventually be the epic couple they are meant to be.
  
  There is a lot of darkness overshadowing everything, although that mostly remains in the background in this one, but you know its coming and it isn't going to be good for Jael and her allies.
  
  So worth a read IMHO! An excellent start to the series
• 
  ♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥

  A complicated read with VERY mixed feelings
  
  This book was very mixed for me. I thoroughly enjoyed and loved some of the details in this book but it also had massive flaws for me.
  
  What I loved: the worldbuilding. That was amazing. The small and intricate details rich with culture and humour was fantastic. It's rare to see something like that. A new world the author has thought of but for it to be believable and well thought-out.
  
  What let me down: the confusing characters and POVs. There was WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS AND TOO MANY DIFFERENT POVs!!! It was confusing and felt like I was jumping from one train to the next. I don't mind different POVs, but it would be nice for one chapter not to be split into six different sections for different characters. Some thoughts we don't need to hear, it adds to the mystery!!
  
  The plot was interesting, but not enough. I don't think I will be picking up book 2.
  
  
  
  →2.75 stars
• 
  Yvonne (The Coycaterpillar Reads)

  Winter’s Fury…yet another Norse inspired novel that has indeed broken me. An ending that only has you downloading book two and screaming into the void! An ending that will only have you yelling the authors name, but without A.E. Rayne’s dastardly writing skills, there would be no Winter’s Fury. It’s taken me a few days to write this review because I have been on a book hungover, adrenaline intoxicated state. This is the second Norse -inspired book that I’ve read in under a week and I seriously think I’ve found my fantasy sub-genre niche.
  
  Let’s take a small walk and allow me to show you just why I ended up in such a tangle of threads.
  
  Winter’s Fury. Never has a fantasy novel held such promise and such truth. The story takes place on what seems like the coldest place on earth. The atmosphere is chilling alongside our protagonist’s mindframe after being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want or need. Whilst reading this book I had serious Viking TV show vibes, the same display of strong women, evil deeds and a running thread of Norse mythology and traditions being played throughout. It’s a slow burn but you get to learn fascinating back stories that either get you on board with characters or turn you straight off.
  
  The author is highly skilled and receptive to how the plot should unfold. I particularly enjoyed how we have an extremely strong female character, but instead of suffering due to her past traumas, she has become stronger because of them. Her strengths and limitations are not unrealistic. She is quick to anger and react, but it is certainly not out of place due to her situation. It was especially pleasing when Jael Furyck became friends with her husband’s best friend. The relationship was spunky and fun…best of all no sign of a love triangle anywhere!
  
  Winter’s Fury is a long ass book. It’s a long book but it was perfect for what the story needed to be. We had multiple plot lines interweaving and I’m glad that the author took the time to not only develop the characters but to give the reader perspective. The magical systems look to give a big pay-out in book two and I can’t wait to see how characters will play and favour in the final dance. I have my definite favourites and not just our MC.
  
  Winter’s Fury leaves a lot to look forward to. We had twists and turns, highs and lows. The storyline with the main villain was thrilling and I was totally invested in the final fight. Everything that this story promised, it fully delivered on.
• 
  Lauren

  Read 6/10/20
  The h was an awesome woman. She's smart, resourceful, and a total badass. The H, on the other hand,was a drunken ass for almost the entire book. Not worthy of her and clueless about the woman he was sleeping with. How could she find herself in love in the end. It made no sense. He did improve once he got sober and away from his mistress. Hopefully the next book will better!
• 
  Mairy

  This is actually a hidden gem 💎
  Tog meets vikings and lord of the rings
  Highly suggest it!!!
• 
  Motaung

  The story is good but the book is unnecessarily long.
  
  I wish the love between Aleksander and Jael was not stressed so much because it was undermined by how fast they both moved on to the other people.
• 
  Derek

  1.5 stars, rounding up. DNF @ 25%.
  
  I started this months ago but had to put it down. This was the first book I picked up after reading the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series by GRRM, so I didn't do Winter's Fury any justice with that juxtaposition. The characters were one dimensional, the pacing was off, and the POV shifting mid page was confusing. I also didn't connect with Jael's motivation. Her marriage was arranged and her lovely new husband was a drunk. It's hard to believe she's going to be a great heroine when she's trying so hard to make a man better she doesn't even know.
  
  And let's talk about the drunk. One who drinks excessively develops, over time, some level of tolerance. Eadmund however, is written to be sloppy, blackout drunk after only a few drinks. I also think it was a bit of a stretch to associate his drinking with the death of his first wife. If I remember correctly (it has been months since I paused reading this), he only knew his first wife for one day before she was killed. 20 years of drinking to get over someone he knew for one day? C'mon! It would've been more relatable if his drinking was an addiction he struggled with. It was all just a little too unbelievable.
  
  I loved the concept of this book and I really wanted a strong heroine to pull for, but this fell flat for me. It felt like a first draft. Many people really enjoyed this, so I am probably in the minority here. I hope to revisit in the future and give it another shot.
  
  Cheers to a cool book cover! 🍻
• 
  ShannaBanana✨

  I’m not a fan of the authors writing style as it jumps around randomly with each character’s POV but I found myself invested in the story anyway. It took me quite a few chapters before I got into the characters or learned to care for them. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
• 
  Tony Duxbury

  I found the characters of the book to be engaging. Jael is a no nonsense young woman with true grit, she let's herself be pushed into a marriage she doesn't want to protect her family and the man she really loves. Her family's fortunes have gone into a downward spiral after her father the King dies. Disinherited, her uncle takes the throne. The uncle is greedy and ambitious, using Jael to cement an alliance with a old enemy to defeat a mutual foe. Eadmund, her new husband ,is heir to the throne, but has become a useless drunk after the death of his first wife. His father threatens to disinherit him and bring back his exiled other son, if the marriage fails. Nobody wants that. Jael faces hostility from all sides and has many enemies. In the background lurks another enemy, an ancient and magical evil that is targeting Jael and her family. It's purpose is yet unknown. Lovely read. I would recommend this to anyone who loves sword & sorcery fantasy.
• 
  Moto Z

  No cap, this book is good. I can’t believe I finished it in 2 days. This book felt like a series that gets you hooked on the first day.
  
  TW; rape is mentioned in the book so please take care and take a break when needed
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/17/2020)! 🎁
• 
  Susan Stradiotto

  Winter’s fury is classified as EPIC Fantasy. However, while I think the Furyck Saga SERIES might be epic fantasy, this book only hints at that.
  
  
  
  Winter’s Fury is less EPIC and more of a HEROINE’S JOURNEY.
  I’ll be talking about The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger in a later video and blog post, but there are many aspects of Winter’s Fury that align with the narrative design of the HEROINE’s JOURNEY.
  
  This is the tale of one woman in a man’s world who is thrown into an unwilling marriage in order to unite two countries with the goal of taking over a third. However, the main plot of Winter’s Fury focuses more on Jael’s coming into her own.
  
  My thoughts on the present reviews/ratings
  It’s a 4-star story for sure, but I’ve seen a number of reviews that offer the critique, “It’s like riding a stationary bike.” With all due respect to those reviewers, I believe they simply felt they would be getting a more epic story in book 1—maybe one that was broader in scope rather than focusing so intently on the characters. Honestly, I wondered if that was the case when I picked up this book, and felt like my hunch was justified in the end.
  
  For me, the characters’ inner and outer journeys combined with solid worldbuilding are the most rewarding parts about reading fantasy.
  
  My rating of Wynter’s Fury & my rating scale
  When I rate a book (and I can be fairly harsh on occasion), I have to take an average.
  
  For Winter’s Fury, here are my scores:
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Character development: This is a 100% character-driven story.
  
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot. The plot was good. But because there were promises made but not fulfilled, I subtracted one star. I don’t mind this, because I expect some of that in series, but it rarely lets me give a 5-star to a single book in the series.
  
  ⭐⭐⭐ Writing style for the following reasons.
  It’s simple and mostly easy to read.
  There was a good deal of emotional telling.
  Lots of head-hopping under the guise of omniscient point of view. Yes, that’s a choice. Yes, the author admits the choice. Unfortunately, I found it jarring.
  
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worldbuilding, or maybe slightly lower.
  Caveat: I LOVE good, original, and thorough worldbuilding – even if it’s steeped in some real historical lore. Worldbuilding is absolutely my jam!
  ⚔️ I felt this book’s worldbuilding was light. Okay, that’s another choice, but it relied on common reader knowledge of Norse Mythology, which makes it not super original.
  ⚔️ I’d have liked a better map. Maybe it’s my old eyes, but I can’t read a lot of what’s on there. Hopefully, that’s improved in subsequent books.
  ⚔️ All this being said, the world was consistent, and I always had the feeling I was right there with the characters. And cold. I was usually feeling cold.
  
  The Bottom Line
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  
  If you like immersive fantasy, this will do the trick. However, be aware that the bulk of the story is one person’s journey.
• 
  Bethany

  "But if you risk nothing, you'll have nothing."
  
  Winter’s Fury is an engrossing epic fantasy that blends together the complex characters and interwoven rivalries of Game of Thrones, with the exciting battles and fearless loyalty of the Vikings.
  
  Warring kingdoms, love and betrayal, dark magic and an ancient prophecy that emerges from the shadows to weave a dangerous web around them all.
  
  Come and start the journey today…
  
  
  What did I enjoy?
  
  This book is very much a character driven story, so if that is something you find yourself enjoying whilst reading, then this could be a good read for you. The main character, Jael Furyck, is a strong, badass female protagonist, and her POV's are actually quite enjoyable to read. Throughout the book we learn more about Jael's backstory, and begin to understand why she is the way that she is, which makes her feel so realistic. If I had to choose one thing to praise A.E. Rayne for, it would be the way she develops her characters so intricately, and portrays each character's flaws in a way that feels so relatable - even when I actually have nothing in common with the character myself, it's easy to relate to them, and learn to understand their actions, accepting them for who they are.
  
  I also quite enjoyed the slow burn romance between Jael and Eadmund, and the way that they developed a friendship before a relationship. Following that point, my overall favourite part of this book has got to be the friendships! I don't even know where to start with this, as there was just so many diverse friendships throughout this story, they all tugged on my heartstrings, made me laugh, and made me cry. Jael & Thorgils - their dynamic often had me smiling and laughing. Aleksander & Edela - so many lovely, heart-warming moments. Eydis & Jael - adorable companionship, loved how Jael treated her as an equal. Fyn, Jael & Thorgils - an iconic trio.
  
  In conclusion, my positives for this book are the realistic characters, and the beautiful themes of unlikely friendships/camaraderie.
  
  
  So, what didn't I enjoy?
  
  I absolutely love long books usually, as I find myself becoming more attached to the characters and immersed into the world that I've thrown myself into. However, in Winter's Fury, this just wasn't the case for me. I feel like this book could've easily have been condensed into a 400-500 page book without losing any of the plot, nor the worldbuilding, nor the character developments. I found myself skimming certain character POV's (which I will delve into a little later on), and having to put the book down when the story just got too slow, and lost it's sense of direction.
  
  During the first few chapters of the book I was hooked with the prospect of battles and betrayals in this Viking fantasy setting, but quickly found that this book was lacking in the 'epicness' it originally kicked off with. The official fighting and action in this book of 'exciting battles and fearless loyalty' begins in chapter 57, page 691 of 751. Now don't get me wrong, I do much prefer scenes building upon characters rather than constant action, but when I picked up this book about Viking's with the promise of an 'engrossing epic fantasy' I definitely expected the action to come much sooner, and more frequently.
  
  Now, this may just be a matter of personal preference, but I found it to be one of my main struggles when reading this book. Aleksander and Edela's POV's. More so Aleksander, as there were actually a few Edela chapters that I thoroughly enjoyed. Aleksander's POV's, for me, were just boring - to put it simply. There was nothing about his character that made me interested to learn more, or even make me feel any kind of emotion besides utter boredom. In the first couple of chapters, when Aleksander and Jael are still together, I was intrigued to see how they would both deal with the separation, and perhaps grow into who they really are without one another to depend on - as they had most of their lives. Jael's storyline kept me on my toes and constantly had me wanting to learn more, more , more about her past and what was going to happen next. Aleksander, on the other hand, couldn't have been more dull if he tried. His entire personality obviously must've revolved around Jael, his only thought being about her and how much he misses her, with the occasional thought about her being stuck with Eadmund as a husband (a drunkard), only to adopt those behaviours himself further down the line. I realise that this sounds like I am rambling about my dislike for him, but it is more of a dislike about the way he was written. He had way more potential to become a character with more complex thoughts and feelings, but ended up coming short with his entire personality being the overbearingly dull ex-love interest.
  
  
  Final Verdict
  
  I debated on rating this book 3 stars, but ended up settling for a solid 2.5 in the end. I found myself loving a lot of aspects of this book, but also found myself, unfortunately, disliking the same - if not more - amount in comparison.
  
  If a character heavy story is what you enjoy, then this book will probably be ideal for you. However, if you prefer more action and plot, or a healthy mixture of everything, then you may find yourself struggling to finish this book, much like I did.
  
  I would probably try to read the second book in the saga at some point, but it is most definitely not a priority of mine. I'm disappointed that I don't have the urge to immediately pick up the next book and get sucked into the world again, as longer book series are typically a guilty pleasure of mine, however the ending didn't leave me asking enough questions to feel that need to make my bank account cry with purchase after purchase of the rest of these books.
  
  A solid 2.5 star read.
• 
  Misty

  Listen up - this. This book was amazeballs. I am so grateful that I stumbled across this one. I am going to process this and find a way to put this in to words to do this book justice.
  
  On to book #2 first ....
• 
  Alex ✴︎

  This book is free right now (1/29/20) on Amazon Kindle!
• 
  Mo Jordan

  2023 update: Still 5 stars!
  
  ***
  
  This is a new favorite! I am completed obsessed with Jael and I cannot wait to continue this series. In fact, I immediately started The Burning Sea last night!
  
  I was absolutely hooked from the first page of this book. I will say it took a while before I could say it was exciting, but it was certainly interesting from the jump. Rayne made her characters come to life and I love character driven stories. There were so many people in this story and she truly did each and every one of them justice. I felt like I knew them and I fell so in love (or became full of hatred) for all of them.
  
  I do think the plot fell a little flat because of the focus on the characters. Again, it wasn't the most exciting story. I think it was around 45% where things really got exciting for me and then again during the competition. Other than that, it was truly all about the character interactions. That wasn't necessarily bad, but I do hope that the next book has a little more emphasis on the plot. I read the first chapter already - and I have once again been immediately drawn in.
  
  Jael is everything that you want in a female lead. She is tough without being conceited or unfeeling. She is independent without being stand off-ish. So many of these types of women are written horribly and I think Jael is fantastic. Her relationships with other characters are all absolutely wonderful. I loved her relationship with Aleksander. I loved her friendship with Thorgils. I loved the dynamic between her and Eadmund, for better or worse! And Fyn <3 Oh, what a sweet boy and wonderful relationship they had!
  
  I cannot say enough good things about this story. I am so excited to carry on with the saga and I would recommend this book to anyone!
• 
  Jay

  This book will be a 5* book for many people, but it just wasn't one for me. It concentrated very much on drama and relished in putting the characters in situations that they could not fight their way out of. This in-and-of itself would not have been such a turn off for me, if it wasn't that 80% of the book was reading over and over about the same layered problems the characters had been put into, it just felt like the plot moved so slowly.
  
  (e.g. Eadmund's alcoholism, Jael's arranged marriage and loss of Aleksander, Aleksander's loss of Jael, etc. - if you greatly condensed just Eadmund's alcoholism the book would lose 300 pages due to the plot being able to advance!)
  
  If you like drama and character growth then this book is for you, as it is filled with it. The plot REALLY is good, and the characters are truly top notch with great depth and potential..
• 
  Lily

  Great story idea, needs editing
  
  The story is wonderful, imaginative and fun. But, there is way too much angst and it is repeated every other page. Seriously, this book would be at least a third shorter if the author took out all the unnecessary repeated angst. I toyed with giving three stars because the story is so good, but just couldn't do it. I will get the next book in the series because I want to see where the story goes. I just hope someone has edited out all the repetition.
• 
  Jessica

  4.5 stars
  
  So good! Character driven. Strategic. Magical.
  
  Takes a little bit to get going, in a good way. Like a rollercoaster car before it’s first dip. YOU MUST BE IN THE MOOD for high fantasy. It’s awfully meaty and very satisfying, if high fantasy is what you crave.
  
  Be ready to change POVs often, but then, I did say it was character driven.
• 
  Rosemary Hughes

  A brilliant first book to what looks to be a compelling saga.
  Drama and treachery on a number of different venues, all simultaneously playing out in the same time frame.
  Yes, a very enthralling tale!
• 
  Ginny

  Writing jumps around sometimes at an aggravating rate but it keeps your heart racing and who doesn't love a kick ass female lead?!
• 
  Books And Chocaholic

  (6.71 on CAWPILE)
  
  I didn't really know what to expect from this book, I didn't know if it would lean more into the fantasy or the romance. As it is FaRoFeb as I read this I was hoping for it to lean more towards romance. I can confirm that it did embrace the romance but it was well balanced with the fantasy plot. Personally though I now wish it hadn't.
  
  The plot was a relatively even balance between romance and fantasy though the former was slightly more dominant. I am normally a fantasy reader over romance but as I'm on a romance kick I was actually looking forward to some more romance. "Hurray" I hear you say, the stars have aligned. Alas... no. The fantasy plot of this story, though not the most innovative, was very engaging and exciting, I was very invested in continuing the story in regards to the politics and intrigue of the world. The same cannot be said for my investment in the romance. I couldn't buy into it and it ended up lowering the rating of the book for me. I couldn't fall for the male love interest, which is not essential, but I couldn't understand why our female love interest could either, and there's the deal breaker.
  
  The characters themselves as individuals were believable however. Our female lead was a little too "generic fantasy protagonist" at times but she certainly had some moments and scenes where I really warmed to her. I liked the discussions around grief that came with out male lead as well, though it didn't make for a compelling character it was certainly an interesting observation. However I feel like the author tried to use his grief as a justification of some of his behaviour as opposed to an explanation which irked me a little.
  
  The writing was well within the confines of what I have come to expect from self published authors. Not as clean and concise as those who have an entire team of dedicated professionals combing over each word, but has a raw authenticity to their voice which has a charm of its own.
  
  The magic was easy to follow and not over convoluted. Nothing too out of the ordinary and didn't detract from the plot or logic, it also wasn't used as a MacGuffin and enhanced the story appropriately. The world itself was nicely described and immersive enough without trying to reinvent the wheel.
  
  Overall this was a good time, I intend to continue the series and I hope that the length of the series will give me time to endear myself to the characters and their relationships more.
• 
  Katie

  The author is all over the place with the story and the characters...but, she definitely has a good story and good characters. I have read the reviews and they are all true. Although, I don't agree that the story drags, as much as, all that. In my mind, alcoholics do take time to come around. And, I hate love at first sight stories. I much prefer a slow building relationship. Jael saves Edmund; and in return he saves her!
  This isn't award winning writing, by any means...but, it checks a lot of boxes for me.
  It is a good read, and if you enjoy a good Viking story - then this is a must read!
• 
  Beatrice

  At long last, I managed to finish this book.
  In my opinion, it was a bit long for a first book. I would say two thirds of it was really dragging on. One thing that really annoyed was the constant switch between point of views. Especially around the beginning, it was hard to keep up with the storyline and which character’s thoughts we were following. The ending was what made me rate it three stars instead of two. Wow, my body got super tense and I WAS SO ON EDGE. Always love it when a book manages to make me feel this way!
• 
  Tim Lumsden

  VERY good!!! Great storyline, great characters, but frustratingly slow at times.
  
  Loved character of Jael and also Eadmund. Just really great and exciting at times, but very slow. Many very developed characters. Wil! Definitely read next in series. Happy Reading!!!!
  Tim