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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Through Winter and Darkness by R.M. Schultz is set in Cimeren, where dragons have long been bound to human kingdoms, but former Belvenguard dragonknight Cyran Orendain turns outlaw when he begins freeing them from royal control. His rebellion becomes a war effort after Beninthel, a dead elven king, rises with the Harrowed, an army that uses undead dragons to overrun the living. Cyran must build a free dragon legion before his old king, Igare, captures him and before the dead reach Galvenstone. His sister Jaslin Orendain, marked by the Harrowed, discovers a power that may save the sick dragons Cyran cannot heal. Far above Cimeren, Sirra Brackenglave, the last known elf, carries the Sky Sea Pearl, a weapon linked to dragon bondage, toward a decision that could change the war for good.
Through Winter and Darkness by R.M. Schultz is an excellent fantasy novel because Cimeren feels lived in through places that have their own history. Nevergrace has the ache of a guarded home. Northsheeren has the chill of a dead kingdom. The sky sea feels ancient in a physical way when Sirra Brackenglave reaches the horn of the gods. The character work is strong in Cyran Orendain, whose decency shows when he treats Luximerianthus as a named life with a will. Schultz also writes Jaslin Orendain with a calm inner strength at Northsheeren, where the Sky Sea Pearl places her before a test tied to dragon life. The dragons are a major pleasure here, especially Shadelmere’s fire, Shaanguthuth’s bearing, Luximerianthus’s bond, and Brysives’s breath sight. Well written and gorgeously immersive, readers who enjoy dark fantasy with battles and extensive world-building will love this book. Very highly recommended.
