From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court by Benedict Patrick

Quote of the Book

“It was time. Time to take the plunge, and sell his soul.”

Blurb

If you value your life, stay out of the forest.

As a captive of the Owl Queen’s Court, Nascha’s life has always been one knife’s edge away from disaster. But when she is threatened for nothing more than the colour of her hair, Nascha attempts the unthinkable: escape through the dreaded Magpie King’s forest.

Hunted by sharp toothed and sharper witted foxfolk, and hated by all for being a witch, Nascha fears herself doomed until she joins forces with a mysterious young man. With him she finds a glimmer of hope, even as her own unpredictable powers flicker into existence.

But hope is fleeting.

The forces arrayed against her are insurmountable, and Nascha soon comes to realise that pursuit of her own freedom will come at a greater cost to the forest. As the darkness closes in around them, Nascha is forced to ask:

At what price is she willing to purchase her life?

How dearly is she willing to sell it?

From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court is the fourth standalone book in Benedict Patrick’s Yarnsworld series, returning for the first time to the setting of the #1 bestseller They Mostly Come Out At Night.

Grab your copy today, to discover new reasons to be afraid of the dark!

Personal notes

I received an ARC from the author in exchange of a honest review. This review was originally posted on Fantasy Book Review. You can pre-order the book now on Amazon!

Song of the Book

What I like about the Yarsnworld books are the atmosphere, the way Patrick creates his world. I had a hard time coming up with a song, because it’s quite hard to capture this book in music. Then I remembered Poets of the Fall. One of my favorite bands whom also create a special atmosphere with their songs. Probably something fast would suit the book better, but while I scanned the songs, the lyrics of Dawn stood out to me the most. I can imagine as the theme song of the last chapter. So, here you go:

Review

It’s no secret, that Benedict Patrick had become one of my favorite authors with his Yarnsworld series. I was beyond excited when I got my hands on an early copy of From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court and had pretty high expectations. Not that I needed to worry. Benedict Patrick is an exceptional story-teller and has created one of the most interesting worlds I’ve come across in fantasy.

From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court brings us back to the Magpie King’s forest. Where the very first Yarnsworld book, They Mostly Come Out At Night takes place which will please many readers. As usual, this is a stand-alone novel, and as such it doesn’t require knowledge of any of the previous books. However, reading They Mostly… will give added depth to the story here.

This time around we follow the events through two character’s eyes: Nascha and Bradan. Nascha spends her days in the Owl Queen’s Court as a slave, hiding her true hair color, and occasionally keeping the Owl Princess’ company. (Un)fortunately Nascha is the only one whom the 15 years old, spoiled brat can stand. Nascha’s only wish is to be free and get as far away as she can. But as it’s often the case, you have to be careful what you wish for, because the price might not be worth paying. Soon Nascha finds herself in the dreaded forest of the Magpie King, the one every Owl kid learns to fear. Not without reason. Giant birds with skull heads, beavers the size of bears and the Spirit knows what else are roaming the forest, looking for prey. Nascha arrives at a time when things are changing in the forest. The Magpie King slowly loses the hearts of the people, while the Lady gains power. And Nascha finds herself in the middle of this conflict, as well as neck-deep in trouble chased by two parties she managed to get away from: the Owl guardsmen led by Lord Bidzell who wants to finish what he started back in the Owl Queen’s Court, and Vippon from the Vulpe tribe, who happens to be a Gentleman Fox. One who is chosen by the Fox Spirit. His legend reminded me of the tale about Bluebeard, which was based on a french nobleman called Gilles de Rais.

The only one who seems to be standing on her side in the whole damn forest is Bradan, whose dream is to be a hero, to be chosen by the Magpie Spirit so he could save the forest and give peace to its people. Instead, he always finds himself stirring up emotions and hatred and do more damage than good. The guy has a golden heart but poor luck. He agrees to help Nascha get out of the forest and prove himself along the way to be worthy of being gifted by the Magpie Spirit. Little he knows what he asks for and when he finally learns it, he has to face the consequences of his choices. As well as Nascha.

From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court has a mix of characters from 4 different set of legends, and myths featuring the Magpie King, the Lady, the Gentleman Fox and the Owl Queen. It is an interesting mix. Every one of them has their own agenda, and when these powers clash that leaves its mark on the forest. This book feels a bit like you are reading a D&D campaign, where the DM throws random obstacles before the characters. Sometimes it felt like Nascha and Bradan just went with the flow, running from one place to the next. While Lord Bidzell, his men, Vippon, the Magpie King or the Lady popped up to wreak some havoc and send them to another direction. Sometimes it felt like the plot isn’t going anywhere. It was one long action scene, and I can’t decide if that’s a bad or a good thing. Probably some slowing down, time to really get lost in the atmosphere would have been beneficial. I mean, what I really love about Benedict Patrick’s books is that he can make me believe I am in a magical land, surrounded by myths and legends walking among the people. Four different kinds of powers and legendary characters were a bit too much. We learn something about every one of them, but we don’t get to know them as much as we probably should. Patrick’s previous books told one whole story and pretty well at that, whereas here we get glimpses into more stories. Not that I didn’t enjoy all of them, it just left me with the feeling that it wasn’t complete. Vippon himself should deserve to get his own main story to answer every question you’ll come up with while reading. The details are all in here, and man they do tell a devastating story. On the other hand, we finally learn a bit about where the power actually comes from and the relationship between the Magpie King and the Owlfolks, which was a nice touch and put things into perspective.

This story definitely has Patrick’s style of storytelling, some bizarre creatures, intriguing folk tales shedding some light on the events and giving depth to the story and some well-built, interesting characters. Not talking about scenes I’m never going to forget. Or look at fruits the same way ever again for that matter. And still, there is something amiss. I liked Bradan, he tried to be the best he could be but also knew his limitations. Even so, he was kind of drowned by all these other characters with power and strong personality. Nascha… I couldn’t care about her. She is forced to make some choices, and although she stands up for herself, she just failed to get me involved emotionally. And while her resentment and rage are understandable, she was the one who in the end made her choices, no need blaming others for it.

Despite my somewhat mixed feelings about the writing and the story, From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court kept me awake much longer than I would have liked. The last chapter was a real emotional roller-coaster ride and I’m sure as hell couldn’t tell what’s going to happen. It pulled some really well-earned punches, leaving me speechless. It wrapped the story neatly but also left open the possibility of some more to come. I for one am interested, how the changes in the forest play out in the long run.

From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court is a very dark tale about chasing your dreams, about nature having its own way in the end. Do you love the original Grimm tales? How about some action and monsters? Read Benedict Patrick’s other books or just looking for something original? Then you found the perfect book, my friend!