“Midwinter” by, Matthew Sturges

                In the land of Faerie a war is brewing between the Seelie and the Unseelie courts. Queen Regina Titania of the Seelie court has sent orders to the Crere Sulace prison for the release of Mauritane (a Fae soldier who was once a captain in the Seelie Army). The Queen offers Mauritane and a few other prisoners a full pardon if they complete a dangerous task for her. As this small but brave group journeys through a treacherous land to gain their freedom, dark forces are conspiring to end their lives and destroy Faerie itself. 

                Midwinter is a great book to read if you are just getting into fantasy stories. I say this because Midwinter doesn’t have a million characters to keep track of (like so many other fantasy stories do) and the magic used by the characters isn’t hard to understand. In this story you will find a handful of very complex and likable characters and an interesting but simple world.

I think that Raieve was my favorite character in this book. I found her to be strong, smart, and willing to fight for what she wanted. She had a rough life but she didn’t let it destroy her. She learned to protect herself and used her strength to help protect others.

Midwinter also has a “touched” Arion stallion named Streak. His being “touched” means that he is able to talk to his master/rider. I thought Streak was a delightful addition.

The only problem that I had with this book was that I felt like some things were out of place and maybe not needed at all. It isn’t necessary to go into detail about them because overall I enjoyed this story and I plan on reading the second book in the series.  

Matthew Sturges' Page