Hereβs an exciting YA fantasy for anyone who likes
horses or birds of prey. DAUGHTER OF THE WIND follows Zara,
the First Daughter of a troubled land. Her people, the
Children of the Earth, are being colonised by brutal
invaders from a distant continent, and theyβve been
fighting a losing battle for a century and a half. Sounds
like time for a Romeo and Juliet scenario, doesnβt it?
Thatβs what I thought too.
While Zaraβs people use earth magic, they are
nomadic horse riders, and the magic allows them to bond
emotionally and telepathically with a special horse. Not
every horse has a bond, but all are cherished. Zaraβs
bonded with Shazeera, a blood bay mare. They are being
hunted down by enemy Eagle Riders which can cover vast
distances with giant eagles. Zaraβs magic manifests
itself differently in a moment of terror, and she uses wind
magic to beat her enemy. This confuses and frightens the
invaders, so they offer a grudging peace treaty.
The emperorβs representative and cousin, Commander
Talon, who is bonded with eagle Neo, asks for the wind mage
to come and marry his liege. This will join their people.
The Children of Earth will have to pay taxes, but the war
will end. Zara is reluctant to leave her family, her horses
and all her customs. But she is not given much choice by
either side. To save her race, she agrees to be flown to the
mountain fastness of the Zephyrian people ahead of a
political marriage to the Emperor, Altair.
The contrast between the plains and the mountains could
hardly be greater, but the troubles donβt end. A
sinister figure called Ozul is using dark magic in the
shadows, the emperor and his courtiers donβt have much
use for a horse girl and her scanty clothing (well,
itβs cold up here), and some even joke about feeding
Shazeera to the hungryβ¦ letβs not go there.
I donβt know if itβs Stockholm syndrome, by
which a kidnap victim comes to like their captors, or just
natural young people's hormones, but Zara gets to like Talon
a lot, and we can see how this might progress. The book gets
very dark and scary, and ends at a point of tension to keep
us reading the rest of the trilogy. I donβt like
cliffhangers, but a certain amount is resolved⦠and a
lot isnβt. Riders of Earth and Sky looks to be a
series reminiscent of Patricia McKillip, which is a high
compliment. Nora Carmody has brought her love of horses and
open countryside to her spellbinding tale DAUGHTER OF THE
WIND. Iβll be keen to read more of the adventure.
Darkness lurks in the shadows as a betrothed princess wrestles with a dangerous new magic that threatens her bond with her beloved horse—and a forbidden love for the enemy sworn to protect her.
Zara has never felt worthy of her title as First Daughter. Though next in line to lead her people, she hasn’t inherited what matters most—her mother’s sacred earth magic. While her people are tied to the land and their soul-bound horses, Zara has always felt a pull toward the wind.
As war rages against the enemy empire’s deadly Eagle Riders, her people edge closer to defeat. When a rider attacks Zara herself, she unleashes a wind magic strong enough to tear giant eagles from the sky. This power could turn the tide of the war—but at a terrible price: the slow unraveling of her psychic bond with her horse.
So when a marriage treaty is offered in exchange for peace, Zara agrees, sacrificing herself to protect her people. But the emperor’s palace is more treacherous than any battlefield. Hidden behind its gilded walls is a monstrous being long buried—and her power-hungry betrothed is determined to set it free.
Sworn to protect the future empress, Commander Talon soon realizes Zara is more than a political pawn—she’s the key to stopping the emperor’s dark ambitions. As their forbidden desire grows, they must face an ancient evil stirring beneath the throne. Even if it costs them everything.
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