If you’re looking to read a book that has a lot of pissing contests but are not much for full blown fights, then A Dagger in the Winds might just be for you. Pissing contests galore, but with words! Yep. There is plenty of banter in between characters plus young men of various standing having at it each other. With words. You know what? I enjoyed it much more than I would have if it had come to blows every time a character attempted to show dominance. 

Our male MC, Waclaw, is not one to brawl or sting with well placed words in a sentence. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. He is the Chief’s bastard son and gets a LOT of stick from the villagers, as well as his own father. So, it’s no surprise that he is actually quite shy, fearful and lacking self-confidence. But all the shunning has not made him rotten to the core. He is, in fact, rather nice. Perhaps too nice. 

If you’re not thinking, oh no! a softy main character? Fear not. We have a second POV in the book. A female main character Otylia. And she. Takes. No. Shits. From. Anyone. Yeah, she’s your character to get behind on, she’s your badass. But she has also had a fairly tough time in the village. 

Now… this is the place where I need to say, these 2 MCs make the character dynamics interesting. It remains consistent throughout and it’s vibing. Hard. Waclaw and Otylia are complete opposites. Not only do they have some past stuff to sort out in between each other, they also have a difficult journey to undertake together. Story, aplenty. It is essentially a version of a road trip adventure where our main characters are being put to the test and through hardships, they must learn the secrets about each other and the world around them. The only downside for me was the pace that lost some momentum around the halfway mark but even that is only a half-hearted observation because I can’t say I was entirely bored. Yes, the young ones get caught up in moments that are important to them, I understand. In the matters of the heart, it often is the case that the world could literally crumble around you, and your brain would still only be calculating the possibilities with the opposite sex. 

Now, the secret sauce of this novel, however, within the 600+ pages, lies in the Slavic culture element. Let’s be honest, if you know naught about Slavic culture of folklore, it feels new, unique, fresh and romantic. It just lifts the story with some great scenes and little details. In fact, even if you are from a Slavic culture, it’ll be fun riding the wave of nostalgia. Being from Estonia, I am not directly from a Slavic culture, but I am pretty darn close and some of the things in the book simply made me smile. Good use, Brendan! Good use… It does, in my mind, also keep those traditions and way of life from the days past alive. So, my final words? I would recommend this book. It holds its own and it has much to like about it. I would also tell potential readers not to worry about page count – somehow the pages simply fly by and you will want to know how it all ends. There are no overly graphic scenes that could make more sensitive readers turn their heads away from the book, and there is no crude swearing which also appeals to some. I mean, solid. Sends a high five to Brendan Noble!