Wintercraft: Blackwatch by Jenna Burtenshaw

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults

Genre: Fantasy

First of all I would like to thank Jenna and headline publishing for sending me a proof copy to read, and as most of you know I will also be publishing my Interview with Jenna on the 12^th of April.

Anyway, Blackwatch is an amazing book and a fantastic edition to the Wintercraft series.  All the favourites are back including Kate, Silas, Edgar and of course our feathery friend, Silas’s crow (I want one, their awesome!).

Blackwatch picks up roughly where Wintercraft left off. After the events on the night of souls, Silas has left for the continent and Kate has decided to try and get help from the Skilled even though she knows there’s a chance that she might be blamed for a murder she hasn’t committed.   Things take a sinister turn though, and Kate finds herself in more trouble than ever, whilst Silas finds himself at the mercy of The Blackwatch and a woman named Delliah, also seems to be playing her part on a very twisted turn of events that could possibly change Albion for ever.

I love this series, I simply love it.  The characters are so different and Unique and instead of having clear cut ‘bad-guys’ as you would get in most novels there are characters who have different levels of evil and often good reasons for what they do (that doesn’t make them good by a longshot, but it does make a change to have 3-dimensional reasoning and emotions)

Silas is by far my favourite character, as he was in the previous novel.  Maybe it’s because I have a thing for the literary bad boys but it’s also the fact that despite his bad points, he is the most complex character in the book.  He’s dangerous, ruthless and can be very cold, but at the same time can be equally caring, concerned and capable of doing the right thing. He was the anti-hero of the previous novel, but I think now he’s edging more towards Hero, not that I mind, he is an awesome guy! 

Kate also shone in this novel and her bravery never ceased to amaze me. At times she was hunted, stalked and attacked on an almost constant basis and she still stood her ground and stood strong. But at the same time, she wasn’t foolish and she also knew when to admit defeat when she had to and I admired her for that.  

Edgar impressed me a lot too!  He was such a hero in his own way and added some humour when I felt it was most needed. Some of the things he came out with had me laughing ages after I’d past them in the book. As for his actions at the end I was stunned, he really was brave and I can see his relationship with Silas becoming interesting as well especially since the two of them never really got on. But I can’t say anymore without ruining the ending (or anything else in the book for that matter!)

Anyway, read this! It’s brilliant and it’s released in book stores and with other very nice book sellers from the 14^th April. Read it I tell you! J