When their father is murdered by imperial soldiers, two siblings set out on opposite paths–one will destroy the Empire forever and the other will save it–in this thrilling new epic fantasy. Sonya is training to be a Ranger of Marzanna, an ancient sect of warriors who have protected the land for generations. But the old ways are dying, and the rangers have all been forced into hiding or killed … have all been forced into hiding or killed off by the invading Empire.
When her father is murdered by imperial soldiers, she decides to finally take action. Using her skills as a ranger she will travel across the bitter cold tundra and gain the allegiance of the only other force strong enough to take down the invaders.
But nothing about her quest will be easy. Because not everyone is on her side. Her brother, Sebastian, is the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever seen. And he’s fighting for the empire.
I will be completely honest this was a cover buy. Yes, I can be that shallow to buy a book because the cover is gorgeous. So I am happy to be able to say that I really enjoyed this book.
This is a slower-paced Fantasy novel but I really enjoyed it. There are multiple POVs in this story. You can tell whose perspective it is by the image in the chapter heading. I really loved that each POV had its own symbol. The two main POVs are Sonya and Sebastian siblings that find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing war.
I really enjoyed Sonya’s character; she makes her own path choosing to be a Ranger of Marzanna (Goddess of Death and Winter) knowing that the Empire tried to kill all the Rangers when they took over her country approximately 20 years earlier. Sonya wants to help the people of her country by doing what she thinks is right all in her own way.
Now Sebastian was another story, he annoyed me so much. As strong-willed as Sonya was Sebastian was gullible. Maybe he was overly sheltered because his parents didn’t want him used as a weapon…but still, he had a war hero for a father you would think he would not be so easily manipulated over and over again. Also, his father was on the winning side of the past war and he didn’t want him to join the military. That really should have told him something. It really is hard to believe that these two people came from the same parents. Sebastian is a pawn and I hope his eyes are opened and he grows a set in the upcoming books.
With complex characters, a unique setting, an intriguing mythology, and an even more complex morality, The Ranger of Marzanna is one of those books that managed to exceed even my high expectations.
This is the story of two siblings, two families, two empires, and two armies – a gripping tale of conflicting loyalties told in chilling shades of grey. Sonya and Sebastian are Portinaris, children of an Aureumian father and an Izmorozian father, caught between the conquering Empire and the country it occupies. When the murder of their father forces a decision, Sonya chooses to embrace her role as a forbidden Ranger of Marzanna while Sebastian reluctantly agrees to put his elemental sorcery to work for the Aureumian army.
It’s those conflicting loyalties that make this such a fascinating read. Both siblings believe they’re doing the right thing, but for very different reasons. Compounding that moral grey area is a mother who is playing the games of Izmorozian nobility within the Aureumian Empire, and a fiancee who is juggling love for a man with love for a culture. I loved Sonya’s passion, her dedication, and the sacrifices she makes for her cause, but she is almost as naive as she is wild. As for Sebastian, I was prepared not to like him, but the moral quandaries he’s faces, the battle he wages between a man’s sorrow and a soldier’s duty, made him surprisingly sympathetic. His betrothal to Galina is the emotional heart of the novel, and the raw pain he lays bare before her is almost as captivating as the struggle she faces to save a man while fighting to preserve a culture.
The Ranger of Marzanna is a book heavy with magic, falling into three categories. The first is the mythology of Izmoroz, particularly the magic of Lady Marzanna, a simple sort of folklore with an animalistic nature that becomes more significant as the story builds. The second is the elemental magic of Sebastian, which is full of potential and terrifying in the way he applies it to the war. The last is the magic of the Uaine necromancers, a surprisingly mythic kind of power that is terrifying to witness and yet almost sacred to understand.
If I were to have one minor complaint, it would be that certain aspects of the story are a little too easy, a little too simple, making me wonder as to whether the narrative is thinner than it appears or whether it’s all a set-up, a deliberate bit of subterfuge before revealing something bigger and more significant in the next volume. That simplicity lends itself to an odd bit of pacing as well, with some things happening surprisingly quickly, separated by longer periods of pondering and debate.
It remains to be seen whether The Goddess War will prove to be as memorable as Empire of Storms, but with The Ranger of Marzanna it’s off to a promising start.
The Ranger of Marzanna is an Adult Fantasy novel written by Jon Skovron. The book is the first book in Skovron’s new Goddess War series. I received the book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was initially drawn to the book because of the awesome cover which was in a way, a contrast from the title. Usually and unfortunately seeing a title like this I would expect to see a male lead gracing the the cover, I was thoroughly intrigued by the fact that a female warrior graced the cover of a book that would at first glance be typically expected to have a male protagonist.
The title and cover immediately made me aware of the fact that the author thought outside of the box on this story. Because of that I was pretty confident I was going to be reading an original story, and I was correct. The story was different than books I’ve read before. The Magic was a little different. Rangers of Marzanna are warriors who dedicate theirs lives to the death god the Lady Marzanna. In exchange the lady bestows gifts of the wild upon each Ranger and controls their death. These gifts are usually aspects of an animal, one that typically feels matches the Rangers demeanor, and they come at a price, for that which is given something must be taken away.
Our Protagonist is Sonya, and up until the start of the book, she has been spending most of her time as an annoyance to the soldiers who occupy Izmoroz—interfering with their crop taxes on villagers and etc. But everything changes when her father is killed by the soldiers and her mom and younger brother and captured. Sonya tracks them, only to find they have no intention of being free her brother Joins the very army oppressing their people and her mother becomes someone she doesn’t even know. Sonya comes up with a plan to liberate Izmoroz by helping the imperial army’s enemy the Uaine to cross the tundra in the winter with their undead soldiers. While Sonya works towards that her Brother Sebastian becomes a lap dog for the Imperial army, using his elemental powers for heinous acts and comforting himself by the thought that he is saving Izmoroz.
So what are my thoughts? ….The Ranger of Marzanna was well written and original, the characters were well developed but I just didn’t like them. Sonya and Sebastion are cut from opposite ends of the same cloth. They are both naïve children, who don’t seem capable of thinking for themselves. Sonya is a strong character but her flaw is that she comes up with half-cocked plans without regard for possible consequences. Sebastion literally can’t think for himself, he follows through on the thoughts and ideas of others. He is utterly clueless to the world around him and is a sad little boy with daddy issues.
Sonya and Sebastion are on opposite sides of the war for Izmoroz, but neither of them really know what they are fighting for. I rate the Ranger of Marzanna Three stars, but not because it was a bad book, just because I wasn’t able to connect with this book, I think personally that this is because of the cultural references used in the book that were unfamiliar to me. The Ranger of Marzanna is a Russian inspired book and I was left a little clueless on some of the references or language used in the book. I also didn’t find the characters particularly relatable. To be honest I usually like a little romance in my fantasy novel, and The Ranger of Marzanna is not that book, and while I think that’s one of the reasons I did not connect to this book. I still recommend this book to fantasy lovers.