Blurb:

Fear not the beasts in your stories — with a stout blade and a stouter heart, become the thing they fear.

When her sleepy village is raided by the Vulkari, the fearsome warrior women of the Ancient Wilds, only Zyntael Fairwinter is taken.

Claimed as a daughter by their infamous matriarch, Zyntael is trained to hunt, to fight, and to kill—all for a purpose, which remains ever out of her grasp.

In the company of their unruly young, she might find sisterhood. In their unique customs and beliefs, she might find beauty. And in the violence of their raids, she might even find glory.

But it is the reason for her capture that Zyntael truly seeks. It is a truth that must be earned from the very Spirits of the dead; a future paid for in the blood of those Zyntael once called her own. It is a purpose that promises the liberation of not just she, but of all the Ancient Wilds, from an evil far greater than any marauding warrior women.

The Vulkari, however, are not like other women. The Vulkari are monsters.

And sometimes, only the truly monstrous have what it takes to save the world.

Steeped in Slavic Myth, Daughter of the Beast is a rich and unique fantasy coming-of-age story. It is the first in an exciting debut trilogy by E C Greaves, which blends gritty action and adventure with themes of belonging, identity, destiny, and a girl's place in a harsh and uncaring world—built for and by men.

With a colourful cast of characters, and a bright thread of humour woven throughout its dark story and setting, Daughter of the Beast bears the distinct honour of being arguably the world's first grin-dark book!

It has also been chosen as a finalist in Mark Lawrence's 9th annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off competition - be sure to check it out, and see what all the fuss is about!

Review:

A book written completely on the phone? Check. A fantasy book with no human characters? Check. A finalist in SPFBO? Check. There are a lot of things that called me to this book and the story was something that really interested me as well. A kidnapped girl who is trained by a race that is completely different to hers, and then returns to hunt her own kind. This is set up really early and definitely sets up for a fast paced and intense type of journey for the character of Zyntael. There are a variety of nonhuman characters that play a big role and are very interesting to meet and see how they influence life as it progresses in a war band. There were several times that it took a turn from what I was expecting and this was done in a way that made me enjoy the story, keeping me hooked to find out what could possibly come next.

The strength of the novel is definitely the setting for this tale. The world of creatures that normally take a side role in many other novels stands strong and presents a unique world of politics and unions that are not normally seen. I eagerly looked forward to reading how they all interacted and the different ways that they would create a pact to work together that wasn’t “normal” for most thoughts of how this should work. It provided a layer of intrigue that wasn’t expressly mentioned but fleshed out the world in a very satisfying way. There were chunks of the novel that I felt were more told to me rather than allowing me to experience it through the eyes of the character. This did not happen through the whole novel, but the moments did interrupt what was a very enjoyable read for me. 

The intrigue is built and definitely leaves a lot left to build upon for future novels. There are layers to the novel that will leave readers satisfied yet hungering for more answers to the questions that are dangled tantalizingly in front of them. The characters definitely are ones that will be staying in a reader's mind for quite a while, due to the unique nature of their races. The idea of a tapestry being woven through the story is something that has great symbolism and will be something that a reader can latch onto visually. 

I recommend this novel to many readers, especially those who are looking for a unique world that still is based in a fantasy world. The races are unique and different from what is typically focused on and it wins in a big way. I hope that many readers do themselves a favor and entrench themselves in a unique tale of kidnapping and suspense.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!