Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Winter's Maiden by Morgan L. Busse

Book: Winter’s Maiden

Author: Morgan L. Busse

Genre: Adult Viking Fantasy

Release date: August 6, 2024

Warrior. Survivor. Daughter of the North.

From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.

Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.

As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?

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Christian Fiction is a great genre that I enjoy. Winter's Maiden by Morgan L. Busse is the latest in this genre that I have read. It is Book 1 in the Nordic War Series.

I will say that it took a couple of chapters for me to get into the storyline. I wasn't understanding the characters and story until I got to Chapter 3. The book then became intriguing and interesting. I have always enjoyed books from the Viking era, so once the book began focusing on that storyline, I was really into it. Brighid and Kaeden are the 2 main characters of the book, although the book focuses on Brighid for the first few chapters. Brighid has wandered the Nordic Wastelands since she was born and fighting to survive. She joins the Nordic Warriors and that is when Kaeden comes into the story. Kaeden is trying to convince others that the Nordic North is being manipulated. Both Brighid and Kaeden have had rough childhoods, so being a part of the Nordic Warriors is a great accomplishment for both of them. I will say that this book doesn't have much of a faith base to it. The book would be of GREAT interest to those who enjoy Christian Fiction Fantasy. GOOD BOOK!

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of multiple series including The Ravenwood Saga and Skyworld series. She is a three-time Christy Award finalist and won the INSPY, Selah, and Carol Award for best in Christian speculative fiction. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

More from Morgan

A long time ago when I wrote Daughter of Light (the first book in my Follower of the Word series), I mentioned the Nordic Wars and how it changed people’s perspective on beings with power. It was a side comment to answer my main character’s question, but I was intrigued with the idea and knew someday I wanted to write about it.

Now almost twenty years later, here is that story.

Some questions I’m asked when people realize Winter’s Maiden ties in with Daughter of Light is do they need to read my first series? The answer is no. Winter’s Maiden takes place 400 years before the events in Daughter of Light. It involves a country and culture I never explored in my previous series, not to mention the world looked different back then. However, fans of my first fantasy series will appreciate seeing familiar places, races, and what happened back then to create the world in Daughter of Light.

So, what do new readers have to look forward to? Here are a few: a Viking-Inspired culture with my own twist, a female character who is strong but doesn’t need to prove that, a healer who is built like a berserker but is actually a pacifist, a power that allows a person to see inside the soul of another, battles that don’t read like a historical textbook, and deep questions I’m known to explore in my novels.

In the end, I love that I was able to revisit a world I created over twenty years ago and write a story that’s been on my heart for almost as long. I consider it one of my best books yet and cannot wait for readers to finally get to read Brighid’s story.