This review is for both 'The Summer Bird' and 'The Winter Wolf', the two books of the Seraphime Saga.

I finished them up awhile back and I had a hard time putting them down. The story was very engaging and I was always interested to see what came next. The sense of pacing was excellent and both books had a very good flow to them, both individually and as halves of a two-part series.

(As a side note, I love a good two-part series - it's so rare that someone wrangles a story that wouldn't properly fit in one volume but would seem forced in three or more.)

It was thoroughly refreshing to see a fantasy story that wasn't based on vaguely-European locations/cultures and didn't need orcs/elves/dragons (not that I mind the usual trappings, it's just nice to get something Different.) Reading through, you can really tell that you've got an interest and done your research about the nature of tribal living and the shamanistic elements of the plot and characters.

Seraphime was a great, strong main character, but I also enjoyed that every POV you used ended up with a good amount of development. It helped to see things from the other side of the conflict and really helped flesh out the world. Every character was well-realized and their actions and reactions were very believable. The dialogue was excellent; funny at times, serious at others, and each POV character had their own, well-developed voice. The sex scenes were well-placed and sharply written. I'm not big on romance stories, personally but it never felt out of place here and played into the larger motivations of several main characters.

I think the only complaints I have are that I felt the romantic loose-end tying-up at the end was a bit convenient, and that apart from one or two relatively minor events, the portagonists basically steam-rolled over the antagonists for the majority of the second book. I got the feeling like it was a well-planned war campaign put on by a group of roleplaying characters who'd had the chance to think about it a lot, and their enemies were outmatched at almost every point. However, the 'final battle' sequence brought it all back and made it an excellent struggle. The final sequence with the battle between the ascended people answered a question that had been bugging me for most of the book and neatly tied everything up.

All in all, I loved them both. The story was great, the characters were realistic and full of life, the dialogue was excellent, and both books had a great flow to them. I look forward to picking up something else of yours when I see a blurb that tickles my fancy.

A perfect blend of High Fantasy and Military Fantasy with a great big dollop of Shamanistic Magic. The author balances a fascinating world with a plethora of characters, each character with a satisfying journey and story. It’s a book that will run you through the gamut of emotions, from joy to sadness and everything in between.

I highly recommend you pick up this book.