stopped @ 7%, probably will come back later but I feel what i'm getting into and I'm not...into it. but i own the e-copy so i'll have it on hand when im curious again!

New fantasy series get started all the time; some are better than others. This one, my friends, is going to be EPIC! There is nothing here not to love, from the gorgeous cover to the big, fat, luscious story that features women in non-traditional roles (well, at least one of them!) The power held by the women in this story is remarkable, even if some of the characters aren’t always likable. Bluebell is a character to remember. Is there anyone like her in literature today (I haven’t read Game of Thrones, so maybe there is…). Even so, she is the alpha and omega here, the male and female, hero and antihero, and oh, how I love her! Highly recommended. ( )

I received this ARC of Kim Wilkin's book Daughters of the Storm, the first in the Blood and Gold Series in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. I had never read any of Kim William's books but the story line was intriguing and the protagonists of the story are all sisters seemed interesting since they were all so different. The story seems to be set in medieval times and the eldest daughter, The story begins with the discovery that the King is dying and that it is possibly due to magic.Blueberry, is a knight in her father's army and heir to the throne. Blueberry is told since she is the heir and she immediately suspects her father's new wife. The sisters join together to get their father out of the castle to a place where they hope to find a cure for his illness. Ash, another one of the sisters, is training to be a caregiver of sorts and she has magic that is quickly becoming to large for her to handle. She fears that she is becoming an undermagician and her path will take her away from everyone she loves. Rose, Ivy and Willow are the other three sisters. They also have dilemmas in their lives involving men, religion and the struggles of being a woman.
I was drawn in immediately to the story and had no trouble keeping interested in the story line. The only issue I had was that when the story switched to another sister there was no gap, it felt like sometimes it should be the next chapter. Not just the next paragraph. I felt like the sudden switches made me wonder if I missed something along the way. But it was not a major hindrance in the flow of the story. Overall I definitely would recommend this book. ( )

Daughters of the Storm is the first book of Kim Wilkins’s Blood and Gold trilogy. Here, she tells the story of five vastly different sisters that must come together to search for a powerful witch to help their ailing father. Bluebell, the oldest, is a strong warrior who wants to father in her father’s footsteps to be king (not queen) of the kingdom; Rose is married to the king of a neighboring kingdom but who has a terrible secret; Ash, the middle daughter, is discovering her aptitude for magic; the twins, Ivy and Willow, are the youngest: Ivy is vain and selfish while Willow is devout.

I’m not sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the world-building and the story, not to mention the premise of a story that centered around five sisters rallying to save their father. On the other hand, I didn’t like any of the sisters (except perhaps Bluebell and possibly Ash).

But what should have been a story of female solidarity and resilience and even sisterly love felt at times to morph into a story of women and characters bemoaning their “difficult” lives. Any time something didn’t go someone’s way, it was always the same complaint of “It’s not fair” – it wasn’t fair when Wylm wasn’t able to be king, even though he was the king’s stepson and didn’t have any royal blood to speak of; it wasn’t fair when Rose wasn’t allowed to love who she wanted because she was married to a king; it wasn’t fair when Ivy wasn’t married to a king, even though she was the youngest and barely fifteen. Instead of trying to make the best of their lives and dealing with the situations they found themselves in, they decided that the best course of action was to complain. No wonder Bluebell was always frustrated with her younger sisters (and stepbrother).

I also felt cheated as the characters of the sisters were told more than shown. While this applied to each of the sisters as well as other secondary characters (for example, Wylm and his mother, Gudrun), it especially applied to Bluebell. We are told constantly that she is cruel and merciless and tough, and while we see that aspect of her character at times, that’s not all that she’s about. I hesitate to call Bluebell complex, though, because any complexity felt superficial and lacking in the depth I felt it deserved. This made it hard to connect to the characters on any meaningful level and left me ultimately unsatisfied.

However, with all that being said, I am interested in continuing the series. Although I couldn’t fully connect with all of the sisters (especially Willow and Ivy, who were literally the worst), I did end up liking most of them enough to look past their mistakes and toward their more redeeming qualities. The ending of Daughters of the Storm had several cliffhangers that I want resolved!

Also, as a side note: maybe it was just me, but I kept drawing parallels between the five sisters in Daughters of the Storm and those in Pride and Prejudice: witty Bluebell and Elizabeth; sweet Rose and Jane; educated Ash and Mary; followers Willow and Kitty; and vain Ivy and Lydia. Obviously, these parallels are not perfect – for example, Willow is a follower of a fanatical religion while Kitty is not – but they’re there (at least in my mind)…

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

https://allisonsadventuresintowonderlands.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/kim-wilkins-d... ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

This is a complicated book full of manipulators both working toward what they believe to be good and for their own selfish purposes. There is a large cast, most of whom I’d consider unlikeable, but there is no question that they’re well-rounded and complex. With the exception of Ash, and even she sometimes slips into this pattern of selfishness, the sisters and step-brother of the elf-shot king are happy to use guile, strength, or any other aspect they have to force others to conform to their will.

In the beginning, I wondered whether I could read the whole because I don’t like spending time with nasty people. It’s hard to tell hero from villain because neither descriptions from others nor their own actions show them in a good light. This soon fell away because none of the characters stayed wholly nasty, and when I had glimpses of their better natures, it informed the whole. The characters are very much a product of their circumstances and upbringing, so I can see why they behave as they do even if their choices are not the ones I would have preferred. One of the strengths in the book is how there were moments when I’d see a situation described in detail only to later get the other person’s point of view and have the assumptions of the first turned on their head. This made the story feel solid and grounded in reality.

As far as the politics, infighting, and circumstances, the book does an excellent job of laying out the costs of power. Whether for the heir who cannot see beyond her duty, the younger sister married off to secure a border, or the step-son who could have been a decent person if not for the aspirations coming about when his mother married a king, each are puppets to the demands of power. This is not a story with clear lines between right and wrong. Everything is murky with uneasy diplomacy, religious clashes, personal failings, and unkind demands resulting from the characters’ birthrights.

While most of the book occurs during one journey or another, the characters face very real risks and challenges. Physical and mystical battles complicate their journeys while lighter moments of love, humor, and sex are rarely without a darker shadow looming over them. In a world where watching both word and step would be wise, the sisters are rarely as wise as they need to be, nor are they committed to the same paths. This leads trouble to their doors more often than not, even for Ash, whose every step seems to take her closer to the foretelling she’s trying to escape.

A lot happens, and a lot is resolved, but there’s clearly more to come. I felt the book came to a solid ending, though with fingers reaching into a larger story. There are at least three story threads stretching onward into the series, and I’m especially interested in seeing how Ash’s plays out because I connected with her from the beginning, and her path is fraught with complications.

This is not an easy, quick, or light read, but I do not regret having spent the time in this world one bit. The complexity appealed, the twisted logics and manipulations compelled, and ultimately, the characters won my respect and appreciation, if not always my preference.

P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )