Having been saved from execution at the hands of the Draoihn—powerful magic users Raine used to count as allies—Raine finds herself in the Fault, a vast magical wasteland, which is falling apart before her eyes.

Alongside her two closest companions, they are searching for the only person Raine believes can help them get back home: the enigmatic and infuriatingly elusive Queen of Feathers.

But what home are they trying to get back to? Ovitus LacNaithe, power-hungry traitor that he is, has taken control of the Draoihn and is unwittingly doing the bidding of a darker master. He is soon to take control of the Crown of Harranir and plunge the land into unending darkness.

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. The stakes have never been higher. It’s going to take Raine’s dark, terrible powers, as well as the unbreakable bond of three friends, to ensure everyone lives to see the dawn.

With the Witchqueen of Redwinter, Ed McDonald brings his Redwinter Chronicles to an intense conclusion, packed with dynamic relationships, desperate battles and rich language. Raine and her friends are seemingly trapped and Raine herself is torn between her dark powers and the love she has for Esher and Saunvant. The novel explores what we must truly hold onto or give up in order to save a world. 

I truly appreciate, with this being the third book, that Ed McDonald includes a recap of the first two books. Given the time frame between the books, it helped give my memory a bit of a boost on the narrative. Not only does Ed McDonald create a vivid world, creative magic and a gritty fantasy world but his characters struggle with morals and with their purpose. They are not perfect but instead are dynamic and caring individuals, even at their worst. 

If you like dark and intense fantasy, this is one to pick up. I do recommend reading the first two books but if you have done so, this is an intense conclusion to the series, brilliant, coming up with a twist to the ending that I never would have foreseen. I loved how the resolution to the story comes together, in ways unexpected and beautiful. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 moonhorses.