Call of the Huntress (A Gardens of War & Wasteland Story), by Jessica A. McMinn
24 Jan 2025The Book
Synopsis:
One night. One blade. One chance at infamy.
Homeless without a coin to her name, the runaway Princess Amikharlia tries to make a living for herself in the old capital of Ciraselo.
Shunned by the mercenary guilds and failing as a serving girl, Amika yearns for something more—something dangerous.
When a travelling hunter comes to town, Amika discovers just a plot to capture a rare and deadly monster from the realm adjacent.
With her blade in hand, Amika joins the hunt, ready to make her mark on the world.
But as blood begins to spill, she discovers she’s in too deep—and that there is more of her to fear than the sharp edge of her sword…
My Review
Call of the Huntress is a great introductory story to the dark fantasy universe Gardens of War and Wasteland, written by Jessica A. McMinn. An excellently paced story that acts as the presentation letter to one of the main characters of the series, Amika, which manages to pack a huge amount of worldbuilding details, plenty of tension and greatly written scenes.
Our main character, Amika, is a runaway princess in hiding, working in a lowly bar; she's confused by her recently discovered magic, and feels she doesn't fit there. Her landlady and boss, Lomi, also acts as her family, trying to protect her; but when her half-brother Lamber returns, a new opportunity will appear for Amika. Demon-hunting is a dangerous task, but Lamber accepts to take her in his new hunt, despite hiding some of the true details of the hunt; and in the process, she will be surprised by the extent of his powers, showing more of her true nature.
A frenetic novella in nature, that feels closer to a succession of scenes due to its short length; however, the characters are well fleshed, allowing us to see hints of the different layers that compose them, and we are even introduced to some of the creatures that are part of this vast world. As said, it might be a short novella, but it does so much with so few pages.
Call of the Huntress is a great starting point if you are new to the Gardens of War & Wasteland series, being perfect to if you are looking for something you can read in one seat. Be sure to try it, because it's an excellent grimdark series!
Disclaimer: This review represents my personal opinion. Score and review from the whole team might vary.
The Author/s
Jessica A. McMinn
Jessica A. McMinn is a grimdark fantasy author based in regional Australia with a passion for dark fantasy, dark coffee and cats (which, let’s face it, are all dark inside).
Since graduating from the University of Wollongong with Distinction in BCA (Creative Writing) and BA (Japanese), Jessica spent five years in Japan teaching English while refining her writing craft.
She now works as a freelance writer and offers editing and coaching services to authors. When she is not writing (which is more often than you’d think), Jessica can be found raising her two beautiful children or immersed in an audiobook while drawing, crafting or playing video games.
Her debut novel, The Ruptured Sky, is the first installment in the gritty dark fantasy quartet, Gardens of War & Wasteland, and is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Anna Stephens and R F Kuang.