ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

Atmospheric, slow-paced, and well-written, but I have mixed feelings.

I haven’t read the series, but I’ve heard many great things about Jon Skovron’s Empire of Storms trilogy. When I saw that Skovron’s newest book, The Ranger of Marzanna, is a Russian inspired fantasy that has Magali Villleneuve as the cover artist—look at that cover art, it’s stunning—I immediately put this book on my radar. The result of the content, however, isn’t as likable as I hoped. I’ll keep this review briefer than usual; there were several factors that I enjoyed reading and parts that didn’t work for me in almost equal measure.

The Ranger of Marzanna follows the tale of two siblings that finds themselves fighting for a different side. Sonya is training to be a Ranger of Marzanna, and she’s fighting for Marzanna—her goddess of winter and death. Her brother Sebastian, on the other hand, is a powerful sorcerer fighting for the invading empire that Sonya hates. These two characters are probably the biggest reason why this book didn’t work for me. Not only they’re not likable, but I also found their motivations for their actions throughout the book aren’t too well fleshed out. Sonya—as someone who’s training to be a Ranger of Marzanna—tends to constantly switch between happy-go-lucky to an instant killing mode done based on being very emotional and ridiculously rash. The goddess she’s fighting for doesn’t seem to bring any joy but suffering for her devotee. Also, at the beginning of the book, Sonya and Sebastian had their father killed, Sebastian ends up joining the killer side. Why? Because the killer appreciates his talent for magic, and Sebastian was never close with his father anyway. This is such a stupid reason, even for a kid. These two main characters needed more exposition and characterizations for their actions to make sense. Plus, except Jorge and Galina, almost all of the characters were utterly difficult to care for.

“Every father longs to save their child from the suffering they themselves endured. And I won’t lie and tell you there won’t be suffering somewhere along this path. But there is always suffering. On any path. That is an unavoidable part of life, regardless of what you choose to do with it. Suffering is what makes us who we are.”

Admittedly, although the characters failed to compel me, they do have a distinctive voice from each other. This is a well-written book, and the contrast between each character’s POV—especially between Sonja and Sebastian—was well done. Skovron’s world-building felt atmospheric; The Ranger of Marzanna is a Russian-inspired fantasy, and the environmental description implement made me feel cold. It was as if I was there experiencing the whiteness of the scenery and the coldness of the weather. Also, check out this—probably—nod to Assassin’s Creed:

“Apparently one could survive a jump from sixty feet into a wagon filled with straw, but not without great cost.”

The Ranger of Marzanna is a good start to a trilogy, but I seriously have no idea how the content of this book will be able to stand out among countless amazing books in the genre right now. I truly believe that we’re living in the golden age of fantasy at the moment, and it will be challenging for The Ranger of Marzanna to earn its spot inside it; it’s a good read to pass the time, but in my opinion, there aren’t enough noteworthy features in this novel. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with this one.

Official release date: 23rd April 2020 (UK) and 21st April 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my at Novel Notions

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.arcs-and-review-copies104 s Ari901 200

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Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

"...there is always suffering.
On any path.
That is an unavoidable part of life,
regardless of what you choose to do with it.
Suffering is what makes us who we are."

At the center of The Ranger of Marzanna we have the siblings Sonya and Sebastian, two very different people, tugged in very different directions amid the upcoming war in their land. Sebastian wants to be a soldier for the Aureum Imperial Army that has overtaken their land of Gogoleth in Izmoroz. Sonya wants to take down said army and free the Izmoroz people, eventually lifting them to the status that they once possessed.

Despite the fact that Sonya and Sebastian are the central figures in this story, they were the two characters that I had the most difficulty associating with. I could never quite put my finger on who Sonya was, between her bursts of eager friendliness and her mindless animalistic tendencies—which, did make sense, considering how the gifts of the Lady of Marzanna are granted. I think that we just did not mesh as reader/character. And Sebastian was unlikable; rather than raise above circumstances, he would behave the child others thought him to be, and break into murderous tantrums whenever he would become upset. Whenever the two of them would come together in a scene, any maturity they might have retained would collapse into a mess of terrible comebacks and immature behavior.

Just because they're fighting for different causes, and are, in essence, enemies, does not mean that they need to act ten-year-olds battling over a toy.

Among the rest of the cast, Jorge, Blaine and Galina were some of the most entertaining to read. Jorge was a great source of balance for Sonya's impetuousness, he's bright, sweet, loyal. Blaine is full to bursting of a strong warrior spirit, he's funny, and a lot more intelligent than he appears to be. And Galina is incredibly smart, a great tactician, and wonderfully manipulative. It doesn't sound that last one is a good quality to have, but it fits her personality beautifully, and therefore complements her quite well. For me, those three drove the story.

The story itself was easy to get through despite its length, and I did want to know how it would wrap up, but it was dry for the most part. It's slow-going, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a lot of nothing happening throughout. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Lady of Marzanna/Morena/Mara/Morana in the plot, and her scenes were some of the best. She gives us enough of the disturbing darkness that portrays her role as goddess of winter and death in-story very nicely. But these scenes were far too few and far in between. Her appearance at the very end—alongside whom I assume to be the Uaine's god of death, Bás—was enough to make me want to read the second book, but this first one did not meet enough of my expectations.

All in all, it's a fair novel, I'm a huge fan of the Russian influence stroked into it, and I do want to see how things develop in the next installment. I just hope for growth in the future.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2020-reads arc27 s Athena (OneReadingNurse)786 111

Thank you so much to Orbit Books via NetGalley for the e-ARC of The Ranger of Marzanna by Jon Skovron. The book was provided in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

I was looking for some awesome new fantasy books to review this spring and summer and couldn't resist this title based off of my favorite thing ever...horses on the cover. An other-worldly looking woman on a gorgeous horse, plus a description based off Russian and Polish legends did it for me. I also love sibling rivalries and was not disappointed.

The plot is interesting and the story is well paced. It may be 528 pages but did not feel that long and at times it was hard to put down. The chapters mostly alternated between Sonya and Sebastian, the siblings on either side of this war, and the chapters from other characters advanced things as well. I books that don't repeat themselves.

The world building was fantastic with architecture, climate, food, morale, and religion of both the conquerors and the conquered described in fine detail. The nobility and the peasants both had their turn and I understood the larger motivations of the citizenry. I also loved the Uaine as a bunch of partying war bands - fucking and alcohol and necromancers, Oh my!!! The army of the dead was so cool, well done concept.

The entire plot seemed.........too easy though. an obvious set up. All of it.

I d the family relationships described throughout the book. Each main character gets to examine their relationship with their parents while finding their own footing. Yes parents have lives, yes they have sex lives and friends and personalities and I think it was great that this theme kept coming out. Above all else the young characters may have made some bad decisions but they were always encouraged to do what THEY thought was right.

I also d the characters well enough, Sonya is funny and awkward but also a Ranger, ready to whip around and murder a crew of soldiers. Jorge is funny too and I d that while the other characters picked at his religion, he stood strong on his morals. Sebastian is just a little duped twit. See next paragraph for my discourse on motives. Elgin Mordha and Blaine might have been my favorite side characters. Galina and Sebastien's mom seemed hollow shells... I just didn't understand their motives.

Most of my issues with this book were that I didn't think the character's motivations made sense. Things were too easy. Why would Jorge just drop his life's work? Why would Sebastian just run off and turn into a murderous twit under the tutelage of the man who killed his father? Even Sonja seemed misguided at times, trusting Elgin Mordha seemed a questionable choice without really knowing anything about his tribes. I think a lot of the young naivete here is setting the stage for a ton of intrigue and betrayal in book 2, which I am ready for. The end of the book pointed to a lot of tables turning and I think these characters are going to have a lot of hard lessons to learn.

I did enjoy the book and would recommend to fantasy fans. It's not an amazing stand out novel, but I'm calling it a solid one. I am on board for the second book due to the massive amount of set up that came at the end of this novel, I just see a lot of room for plot improvement and am basing this review on my level of entertainment, which was high.

Thank you again to Orbit Books for the review copy, all opinions are my own.

The book releases 4/21 so check it out if it sounds up your alley!23 s Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)2,380 3,602

2.5 Stars
I love the premise of siblings torn apart on different sides of war, but I'll admit the execution of the story was a little rough. Usually the first few chapters of a book are some of the strongest because authors know the importance of pulling in the reader. However, the beginning of this book felt incredibly weak. First, the narrative felt rushed with some jarring early time jumps. Second, the characters' motivations and reactions were muddled. The author attempted to address a character's lack of grief, but frankly the treatment was just very satisfactory.

Thankfully the story did pick up layer in the story and I'm cautiously interested to continue on with the series which I hope will only get stronger in the later books.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.500-pages fantasy19 s Jason Aycock91 19

When The Ranger of Marzanna arrived in the mail I was thrilled. Orbit had sent me an ARC, one of the first I’ve ever received unasked for, and it was gorgeous! Just opening up the package and seeing that beautiful cover illustrated by Magali Villeneuve and designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio took my breath away. Then I flipped it over to read the blurb on the back…(see Goodreads blurb)...

Murder
Imperial intrigue
Sorcery
Sibling rivalry
Rangers
Tundra setting in winter

It’s safe to say after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis I was super stoked about this eastern European inspired fantasy book! And you can imagine my disappointment when it didn’t live up to the images or expectations I had for it.

I made it a little over 20 percent of the way through the book before I decided to set it down for good. There were a couple of things I d apart from the list above that I’d hoped to find, and I’ll start there before explaining why I called it quits.

The Setting

The setting was definitely an aspect of the book I was enjoying. We don’t see a lot of eastern European inspired fantasy and I’m particularly attracted to it. In particular the cool climate setting of the novel which made me feel cold as I read. I really take to books where the setting is well depicted and I imagined where this one was going.

Magic System

Skovron went with an elemental magic system in The Ranger of Marzanna and I was quite excited about it. What little I’d read seemed promising with plenty of details to explore.

But…in the end I just couldn’t go on any more. Here’s why…

What I Didn’t

First was the writing. I just wasn’t liking it. Part of it was Skovron’s prose in general. It felt formal and stilted. Part of it was the specific way info dumps were subtly (or not so subtly) woven into character speech. And not just once. I kinda hate that. when a character is talking about the enemy with someone from their own country and speaks this, “Including our hated enemy, the barbarous Vaine Empire to the west.” I highlighted all the parts in that one sentence that set me off. I mean if you’re talking to someone you know real well or who is on your side you don’t have to add that the hated empire is “our hated enemy.” You both already know that. You don’t have to call them “barbarous” because if they are, you already know that too. And YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE IT’S GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION BECAUSE YOU BOTH ALREADY KNOW THAT. It’s just not believable dialogue. Find a way to tell me these things without info dumping in the dialogue.

The characters. I just didn’t them. The two siblings came across as whiny and unlikable. More on Sebastian below. Sonya…I don’t know, she just made some bad decisions early on and I never developed an attachment to her character. And one moment she’s a complete bad*ss and the next not so much. The bad*ss part as depicted early on was cool, but it was hard to believe even in a fantasy book. And then she wasn’t consistent. In truth the fact she was later vulnerable and not a perfect killing machine almost made me start liking her because there was potential for growth there. But alas it wasn’t to be because her brother just did me in.

Sebastian (along with his mother) showed absolutely no believable reaction to an event that should have shattered their lives. (minor very early spoiler) Sebastian’s father is killed at the hands of imperial soldiers. Does he care? nope, not really. What does he do? He joins the guy who ordered his father killed because sure, that’s what a grieving teenage son does. And his mother (I’m forgetting her name because well she didn’t stand out to me) pretends it’s no biggie to everyone in high society, including the man that had her husband killed. Seriously? I get that she thinks she has to pretend she’s on the side of the empire BUT EVERY NORMAL PERSON WOULD EXPECT YOU TO BE UPSET, NOT JUST GO ABOUT YOUR LIFE LIKE IT WAS A MINOR INCONVENIENCE. Just. No.

Then there was the whole military thing. I’m a fan of military sci-fi/fantasy which also means I have certain expectations about getting it right, even if I admit it’s fantasy and you can make new rules. In this case it was instances of albeit new officers calling enlisted sergeants “sir” and not getting corrected, or of the same officer (Sebastian) deferring to non-officers not because he’s nice but because I guess he thinks that’s how it’s done and nobody corrects it. Then…then there was this scene where Sebastian using his magic creates a bridge out of ice. The commanding general observes it, then berates Sebastian for not creating something “of military application.” Do you see the look on my face? He’d just built a f'ing bridge. In the history of warfare bridges have been and still are of supreme f'ing military value and application. How the hell do you advance or retreat across rivers or gorges? What if you could create a bridge where one doesn’t exist, cross it, then destroy it by magic so your enemy can’t also use it? HOW IS THAT NOT OF MILITARY APPLICATION? Sebastian then basically creates a lava flow across a plain and realizes how he’s about to be used to be a baddie on behalf of the empire (who just killed his dad a couple days ago remember) and he’s “meh.”

I was done.

And I’ll tell you I feel a little guilty because I know I’m bashing this book more than I normally do in a review. And I know Orbit has high hopes for this one or they wouldn’t have published it and sent it out to a bunch of us. But I just can’t recommend it. If anyone else has read it (or does read it) and you think I misjudged it or judged it too soon let me know. I’m open to hearing (or reading) your thoughts because I always want to love the books I read. So if I’m not giving it a fair shake let me know.

** I was sent an ARC of this book by the publisher.

DNFdnf13 s Christine Sandquist196 64

This review and others can be read on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.

Tropes!

* GORGEOUS cover!
* Sibling rivalries!
* Magic… but at a price
* traitorous lovers

Full review

I had a few frustrations with The Ranger of Marzanna. There were many things I ought to have enjoyed more than I did - I love the idea of magic coming at a price of your own humanity, for example. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the characters and found the prose to be mediocre at best. The dialogue in particular tended to take me out of the narrative.  That being said, there’s still a relatively solid foundation beneath the top level issues. The book follows two siblings who have been forced to stand at odds against one another by their different political beliefs. Sonya is committed to liberating her homeland, Izmoroz, by any means necessary. She’s pledged herself to Lady Marzanna, goddess of death, in pursuit of this goal. In exchange for the Lady’s gifts, she finds herself being slowly but surely stripped of her humanity. Each boon the Lady grants comes at a price.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t entirely impressed with how that price was presented. While Sonya has a few brief moments of horror at the way her inner, animalistic nature manifests, it does not seem to impede her day to day life much at all. Generally, it actually helps her. It felt less a price and more a change, which I found to be less compelling. Her brother, Sebastian, has a very different view of how Izmoroz should be run. He’s embraced the empire that conquered them, and has joined their army as a sorcerer. He wields powerful elemental magic. Where Sonya loses her humanity through her magic, Sebastian loses his piece by piece as the empire demands ever more heinous acts from him.  Within the writing, the two characters are differentiated primarily by their mode of speech. Sebastian exists within the upper echelons of society, rubbing elbows with the nobles and upper crust. Their speech is flowery, purple, and frankly feels awkward and forced. I was not a fan. It felt… juvenile. He's supposedly smart, well-read, and intellectual, but repeatedly ignore the subtext of actions and words in real life. His sister's actions had made reconciliation impossible. But he reminded himself that even if he had lost his sister, and barely recognized his mother in looks or speech, he had a new family: the noble Commander Vittorio, the wily General Zaniolo, the stalwart Rykov, his loyal men, and of course the beautiful and gentle Galina Odeyevtseva, who comforted him when the burdens of leadership grew heavy.  Sebastian's fiancee, Galina, was arguably the most compelling character in the novel. As it progressed, I was pleased to see her get additional screen time. She and her father have been dedicated to preserving Izmorozian culture for ages; although she's not a native resident, she recognizes the horrors of imperialism that have been inflicted on the land. Initially, she views Sebastian as an opportunity to take their conquerers down from the inside with him by her side. Gradually, these hopes are dashed... and she resolves to use her connection with him to betray the empire and support the Izmorozian uprising. She manipulates the other members of the army, hiding behind a facade of feminine naiveté.  "And to what do we owe the rare pleasure of your feminine charms?" he asked. "Merely a longing to see my beloved. He has just returned from a mission that took him away from me for several days and I simply could not wait until supper to see him. You know how weak willed and impetuous womenfolk can be, General." Sonya, in contrast with both Sebastian and Galina, spends most of her time among small, rural villages. She’s committed to working alongside the people. Her dialogue is peppered with modern slang and phrases. In text, it’s made clear that this is meant to represent peasant vernacular. For me, though, it felt jarring and out of place. It was a lot how I speak to my friends. It’s not a way of speaking that I associate with a fantasy world.  If I had been more invested in the characters and better understood their motivations, I think I would have enjoyed their rivalry much more. As it was, it seemed to lack soul. I didn’t really have a particular reason to care much about Izmoroz, didn’t really understand what motivated Sonya, and Sebestian often just seemed he was awful for the sake of it. This could have been interesting and compelling if the author had dug a little deeper and done something a bit more original than a black-and-white imperialists-vs-natives story.  The Ranger of Marzanna needed a little more depth and a little more polish. It has some great elements, but I regret to say that they don’t quite live up to their potential. On the whole, the book was aggressively mediocre.

More on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks. 11 s Traveling Cloak300 41

Synopsis

Sonya is a free-spirit Ranger of Marzanna; sworn to the Goddess of Winter and death, she lives off the land and protects the people of the Empire from evil. It comes at a cost, though, one that Sonya is willing to pay.

Sebastian is a powerful magician who believes in order and wishes to join the Empirical Army, something his father would never allow. When soldiers murder his father for crimes against the Empire and take Sebastian and his mother into custody, he takes the opportunity to enlist in order to keep his family safe.

When Sonya discovers what has happened to her family, she decides it is time for the reign of the Empire to come to an end and attempts to unite allies and rebels who are part of a budding underground revolution into one army. The goal is to drive the Empirical Army out of her homeland and free the people.

As Sebastian hones his magical skills and becomes the Empirical Army’s greatest weapon, what will happen when the two meet on the battlefield? Who will win, and will each have the determination needed to kill the other in a face-to-face battle? How far will each sibling go to protect their own beliefs? The first book in The Goddess War Series seeks to answer those questions.

Review

The Ranger of Marzanna is a story about imperialism and a people uniting against a dictatorship. That is the backdrop for a story that on the surface is a sibling rivalry: a powerful magician who has chosen to fight for the Empire, and his God-chosen sister who has decided to lead an uprising. They each take their own path, with the impetus being that eventually they are going to meet on the battlefield and will have to make tough decisions.

For me, this book has two big bright spots, the first being the cover. It is absolutely amazing, from the color scheme to the tone and the artwork itself, the publisher killed it. There is so much intrigue wrapped into it that I would have probably purchased a copy myself had I walked by it on a shelf in a store, knowing nothing about the book itself. That is a huge compliment, as I am not often that impulsive.

The second part of the book that I really enjoyed was Sonya’s character. She is a total badass, living life her way and making her own rules. Sonya eats what she wants, sleeps where she wants, beds who she wants. She is a Ranger of Marzanna (the only one left after they were eradicated during the war, as far as we know), and her skills are unsurpassed. A good portion of this book is Sonya going around the Empire kicking asses and not apologizing for it. Sonya carries this book, and I really enjoyed her journey.

There were parts of the plot that did not connect so much with me. Sebastian’s story felt rushed to me, and with him being the second main piece that was half the book that I did not really get into. In fact, there were a lot of pieces of the book that, in my opinion, were kind of skimmed over and not developed as much as I would have d. There was so much more to explore, and I think the story would have benefitted from going in-depth on some topics. Sebastian is the only magician or wizard in the story. Why? There must be a reason. The Goddess of Winter and Death makes an appearance, but what of the other Gods? Or is there only the one? I think there is a possibility this is looked at more closely in Book 2 of the Series, but I think adding a little explanation into this book would have created more anticipation for that part of the story that is to come. I look forward to reading the second book in the series, and hopefully having some of these questions answered.

Overall, I found the Ranger of Marzanna to be a decent read with a few major flaws that took me out of the story too often. If you are into badass female leads, I recommend this book to you, as Sonya makes it all worth it.11 s Narilka633 46

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Ranger of Marzanna is the first in The Goddess War series by Jon Skovron. This is a character driven epic fantasy with heavy Slavic influences. The story focuses on a pair of siblings that end up on separate paths after their father is murdered by Imperial soldiers.

The nation of Izmoroz has been conquered by the Aureumian Empire for many years. Sonya Turgenev Portinari - a Ranger and devotee of Marazanna, the goddess of winter and death - has vowed to remove the Empire's influence from Izmoroz and free her country. Coming home after a one of her trips into the wilderness she finds her father has been murdered and her mother and brother abducted. Following their trail to a nearby city Sony is shocked to find her mother, Irina Turgenev Portinari, has returned to her old life as an Izmorozan noble while her brother, Sebastian, has joined the imperial army as a powerful elemental mage. With her family torn apart by the Empire Sonya sets out to find allies in her quest to free her country.

There are a lot of things to about The Ranger of Marzanna. The worldbuilding is solid. The elemental magic system will be fairly familiar to fantasy fans with just enough changes so it doesn't feel completely stale. More interesting is Marzanna's influence on her . A Ranger that receives her blessing is "marked" and begins to change, gaining beastly characteristics of an animal assigned to them by the goddess. I found this aspect fascinating and definitely want to see more of this as the series progresses. There is just enough action mixed in so that the pace remains steady though not breathless more action oriented books can be.

Sonya is brash and wild, having fully embraced her life as a Ranger. She is determined to protect the land and her countrymen, going to any length necessary to acheive her goal. This takes a surprising turn, bordering on horror elements a times, giving her character a surprising depth. Sebastian is almost her exact opposite. He is a gentle soul, confused by his father's death yet joining the Imperial Army anyway after having been convinced it's the best way to protect his country. He is gradually lead down a path of brutality, not even realizing how badly he's being manipulated by his commanding officer, and continues to deny the atrocities he's committed against the populace. It's an interesting contrast between the two. The supporting cast is great, with the standout being Galina, Sebastian's betrothed. She understands exactly what is happening to Sebastian and tries her best to counteract it, knowing in her heart it's a losing battle. In many ways this makes Galina the most interesting and sympathetic character in the book. I hope she has a larger role in the story to come.

The Ranger of Marzanna is a solid start of a series. I look forward to continuing Sonya and Sebastian's story.

I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway.ebook giveaways read-in-20209 s Holly (The GrimDragon)1,113 272

"As their carriage rattled down the road, the snowfields slipped past the barred windows, gleaming luminous in the moonlight. Mounted imperial soldiers surrounded the carriage, riding in perfect formation. Again Sebastian could not help feeling awe at their precision. His father had often spoken of the ruthless efficiency of imperial soldiers, but had neglected to mention their almost serene discipline. Every one of them seemed to know exactly what to do at all times. Sebastian envied them that surety."

Let's start with some high praise, shall we?

THAT GLORIOUS COVER! Isn't it beautiful? Magali Villeneuve is a wicked talented artist and if you don't know her fantasy work, you haven't been paying enough attention! Her illustrations have been used in Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, among many other areas, including Magic: The Gathering.

To say the cover designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio immediately grabbed me would be an understatement! It would make for a rad tattoo, no?

That's where my gushing must end, regrettably. The Ranger of Marzanna was my first DNF of the year, which isn't exactly a distinction I want to boast about.

The Ranger of Marzanna has many things that intrigue me, at least on the surface. A fantasy setting in winter, sibling rivalry, sorcery, ANIMAL COMPANIONS! As much as the concept captured me, as much as the cover excited me.. the unfortunate thing is that ultimately I didn't give a shit about the characters. I found it difficult to connect with them, they felt one-dimensional and hollow. 

Stilted pacing, unemotional attachments to the characters, dry writing, simplistic storytelling. The juxtaposition of the juvenile style and bloody scenes felt.. odd. The violence was exaggerated, but not in a entertaining/logical/authentic way. It just didn't fully vibe with me, although there is no doubt some YA crossover appeal here. Similar with the KID WHO IS A GENIUS AND SPEAKS LIKE A MINI ADULT trope, I'm just not into the younger dialogue paired with the super violence aspect. There's an unbelievable quality to that type of storytelling that is extremely difficult to pull off. Unfortunately, this felt a rough draft of the story. There is no real sense of urgency or emotion. Initially I thought the chaos of the outside world was to blame, so I forged on.

I made it to page 242 and it just didn't improve any for me. It's hard enough for me to focus right now as it is during these trying times, I'm certainly not going to force something that just isn't working.

I have had the first two books in Skovron's Empire of Storms trilogy for many years and even with this DNF, I do plan on still giving it a go! It seems it will be fun, which is one thing that was sorely missing here in The Ranger of Marzanna. I haven't completely ruled out his writing just yet.

I'm sure this book will find its audience, but I'm not it. 

(Thanks to Orbit Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!)

**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**fantasy-sci-fi i-am-a-bookcover-ho9 s Kenz The Dragon Queen246 545 Read

DNF |


First of all I would to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for so graciously providing me with a free digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.


I'll start this review off with stating that I didn't finish this book. I wasn't enjoying my reading experience, and I wasn't able to force myself through the process of finishing this book either. I thought it would be more important and professional to submit my review to NetGalley before my three months to read and review the book are up, rather than seeing how long it takes me to finish the novel.


As a concept, The Ranger of Marzanna was very interesting to me. Siblings on opposing sides of a war, dangerous mysterious warriors that ride horses, and the Slavic goddess of death and winter! Not only that, but the cover is beautiful, and the name of the series makes it sound awesome! It all has great surface appeal, but as soon as I started reading, my interest began to wither.

I found the book to have very odd pacing. It's a very slow read. In fact, it's unnecessarily slow in my opinion. However, it also feels rushed in certain sections, which creates a very strange pacing and unlikable writing style.

The worldbuilding and fantasy aspects are good. Not great, but decent. The fact that the novel was clearly somewhat Russian, Slavic, and Ukrainian inspired was not lost on me, but it's not a very unique culture/region to draw inspiration from when it comes to fantasy novels.

The whole concept of Sonya having to give away parts of herself to gain gifts was a great plot point. Reading about Sonya loosing her humanity as she grew as a Ranger and got closer to her goddess was an interesting facet.

On the topic of Sonya. Even though I appreciated certain parts of her character's story, I'm not quite sure I d her as a character. Same goes for her brother Sebastian. There was something missing that made them both seem a little hallow and uninteresting as characters. Perhaps some complexities and deeper nuances were missing from both of their overarching development that would have made them more likable or intriguing.


Once again, thank you very much to everyone who was able to get a free digital advanced readers copy into my hands. I am very grateful.




-----------------------------------------


Three things:

#1. This cover is absolutely STUNNING! It’s so beautiful, I want to show fantasy books everywhere this is the kind of thing they should be slapping onto the front of their novels!

#2. I was kindly given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m super pumped to be one of the first to read this! I’ll be reading it very soon, so stay posted!

#3. I’ve been politely asked by the publisher not to post my review until two weeks prior of the book’s release, and I’m happily obliging.2-star action adult ...more7 s Lashaan Balasingam1,432 4,622



You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Siblings can be a pain. Whether it’s the inability of the youngest ones to understand the lessons passed down by their elders or the refusal of the oldest ones to allow their little brothers and sisters a chance to forge their own identity through trial and error, there’s nothing easy in this bond tied by blood. While some continue to love each other despite the omnipresent hate, others let go and move on without second thoughts. Having debuted his adult fantasy career with his Empire of Storms trilogy, once-actor now-author Jon Skovron looks to deepen this relationship through a brand-new fantasy trilogy with Poland/Russian influence.

What is The Ranger of Marzanna about? Following the murder of their father by imperial soldiers, Sebastian Turgenev Portinari, a teenager with gifted elemental powers, is recruited by the Aureumian Empire, the very faction that killed his faster, to become a valuable asset in an upcoming war against the Uaine Empire who known for their army of the dead. His sister Sonya Turgenev Portinari, however, has other plans for his brother’s betrayal as she channels her training as a Ranger of Marzanna to join the opposition in their plans to invade Izmoroz and take down the nobility that now hosts the remainder of her family. As they each go through their respective forms of training, a war putting them both up against each other is inevitable as their personae refuse to allow each other a life free of tragedy.

Falling flat in its attempt to deliver a refreshing fantasy adventure, author Jon Skovron presents a perfect example of too much telling and very little showing through characters who are less than comprehensible in their actions, thoughts, and dialog. Flawed beyond understanding, both protagonists revel in despicable personalities as they mercilessly progress through this story with firm conviction in their beliefs. With almost little sensitivity to any themes explored, whether it’s love or power, author Jon Skovron rushes through each of their development, blatantly skipping over their characterization, with no regard to the reader’s attachment to his characters.

Spelling everything out without allowing any form of interpretation from the reader, he quickly dismisses any desire to get us invested in his characters, his world or his story. It doesn’t help when the absence of style in writing is also not only frustrating but gives this novel the impression of being a pitiful parody of military fantasy. Forget about a clever strategic approach to warfare, this novel pretends to understand the subgenre and cluelessly incorporates a couple of violent and gory sequences with incredible insensitivity. Top it off with a poorly developed magic lore limited to certain characters (whether it’s the Lady Marzanna culture or the elemental magic system), the whole story consumes itself in its flaws, unable to step out of the flames it ignites along the way.

The plot’s pacing also denotes awkward progression that invites unfathomable inconsistencies. Imagine a 16-year-old child with potential wizardry skills progressing through army ranks faster than you can count to sixteen while also pretending to be an adult. The story ultimately feels an immature battle of siblings who happen to have everything go their way, thus presenting us with a war between factions that, at first, seemed to hold much more gravity than what is delivered in the end. While there are a few decent ideas introduced in the first book of The Goddess War—although they are hastily skimmed over—they didn’t succeed in standing out enough to save this tale.

The Ranger of Marzanna is a hinderingly dull fantasy story revolving around foolish siblings as rivals preparing a lackluster war between the Aureumian and Uaine Empires.

Thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy for review!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/fantasy read-in-20207 s Elizabeth Dragina594 14

DNF

I got 15% through this book . . .

I would have continued or tried harder to give it a chance, but I am reading so many ARC's right now and I just don't have the time. :P

PROS ~

- The world building was amazing.
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