A Wicked Wind--The Reviews Are In!
"4.8 out of 5...An excellent addition to a well-written, high-quality series...A worthy and almost impossible to put down second book in the Archanium Codex saga, A WICKED WIND continues the complex characters, action and event-filled plot, and vivid world-building begun in The Hunter's Gambit."
BookView Review (5 out of 5 stars)
✭✭✭✭✭. McIntire expands his magnificent world of magic and shapeshifting, exploring the ways greed, malevolence, and the lust for power and control affect the lives of the protagonists. Dark magic, high action, deadly chases, daring escapades, gruesome torture, and vicious fights, all pose heavily in the story. But it's the deep, soulful love of Jonas and Aleksei that drives the plot. There are heartfelt emotions, tender romance, and burning passion.
"Despite the book's length (700+ pages), the reader will stay invested in the story. The major twist in the end is as touching as it is unexpected, adding to the anticipation for the next book in the series. McIntire's assured language and entertaining storytelling make it a page-turning read."
"Themes of brotherhood, friendship, loyalty, courage, strength, resilience, good versus evil, and sacrifice reverberate throughout the narrative, with true love at the center. The vast cast is finely detailed, and the tension stays ripe, with plenty of suspense in the back...The affecting narrative, brisk pace, and luminous insights into trust, friendship, and love keep the reader invested."
Kirkus Review "A vibrant array of colorful characters guides readers through this absorbing fantasy.McIntire's epic tale accommodates an extensive cast. But the story unfolds across a relatively small landscape, making the various subplots easy to follow. The lord captain's indisputable strength fuses well with his devotion to Jonas; even with only a spattering of romantic interludes, his love clearly drives him. But supporting characters don't let the two leads completely steal the spotlight."
The book’s women are flawed and compelling; they are defined by their competency and drives to succeed...the book blends biblical stories with song-based incantations, and the result is both ancient-feeling and fresh. The book’s style also evokes ancient mythologies, with a sense of history that’s strong: most of the book’s angelic beings and demonic creatures are revealed to have lived for centuries, and their world evolves as the story unfolds.
A Wicked Wind (Book 2 of The Archanium Codex)
As the aftershocks of Kalinor’s fall radiate through the realm of Ilyar, Prince Jonas Belgi finds himself fighting a very different war. As he battles for his very soul, powerful forces are in motion to remove him from the world entirely, lest the contradictory magics burning within him erupt, engulfing the entire world in a conflagration that no one, not even his beloved Hunter Aleksei Drago, could hope to confront, much less survive.
Even as Jonas begins the seemingly-impossible task of escaping his confines and reuniting with Aleksei, the Lord Captain is caught up in the savage civil war. As the fractured remnants of the Legions attempt to regroup and seek out a refuge from the hordes of rebel soldiers hot on their trail, Aleksei is confronted by a new nemesis, a creature of pure malevolence at once invisible and indestructible.
Even as Aleksei prepares his forces to battle an enemy twice their size, he must constantly be on guard for the howling wind that stalks him in the open, waiting for the perfect moment to catch him unawares, thus forfeiting not only his life but Jonas’ as well. Aleksei is constantly torn between his need to find and free Jonas, and commanding the last remnant of the once-mighty Legion against the Zra-Uul’s rebellion, despite its overwhelming numbers and scores of powerful and destructive Magi under the Demon Bael’s command.
Having to chose between his heart and his homeland, Aleksei attempts to accomplish the impossible, while always listening for wind. A Wicked Wind.
