The Truthsayer: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of Winter’s Chill

About the Book

Book: Winter’s Chill (the Nordic Wars Book Two)

Author: Morgan L. Busse

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Release Date: August 5, 2025

Fighter. Emissary. Long-Lost Daughter.

Brighid has one mission as she returns to the north: to warn her people of the oath that binds them. But the mountains are treacherous, and snow comes early, leaving her on death’s doorstep—until she has an unexpected encounter that not only reveals a secret about her past, but also brings new allies into her life.

Meanwhile, the healer Kaeden must come to terms with the awakening of his Eldaran power. With winter approaching and the war on hold, he ventures to the White City to uncover his heritage. As he walks the ancient halls of his people’s birthplace, he discovers not all adversaries are across the battle line. He must navigate political opponents while searching for a way to stop those of his kind who have turned to the darkness. Yet even the bitterness of winter cannot keep Brighid and Kaeden apart. A connection has been forged between them, and their bond might be the one thing that could save the Nordic people and end the war.

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

Winter’s Chill is another solid fantasy by Morgan L. Busse and a strong sequel to Winter’s Maiden. There were many things I genuinely enjoyed about this book.

First and foremost, seeing how Brighid has grown as a character. Her story line interested me the most in this book, and her determination to warn her people about the Shadonae, no matter the cost, was encouraging. Even when it got difficult–seemingly impossible–she refused to give up. As her story continued to unfold and truths from her past were revealed, I needed to know more.

We also get to follow Kaeden as he grapples with his new power and role, as well as the death of his close friend and mentor. I do love Kaeden–his ideals, his personality, and his desire to serve the Word in everything that he does. I would honestly love to meet this character in person and befriend him. He carries a quiet peace, and his presence is like a balm. However, his story line was quite slow at times, and I found myself wanting more from him and his plot line.

But outside of the main characters, there were other aspects that left a lasting impression on me. First of all, the concept of the Word and how the author weaves in Christianity and the Bible. I think it is incredibly creative, but also made me reflect on my own faith. There was also the aspect of war–when in war, how we view the other side as “inhumane”, but oftentimes, the other side is not much different than us and honestly, wants and desires similar things. I believe this is incredibly applicable today in many different areas, and something I genuinely appreciated reading in this book.

While there were many things I liked, there were a couple small details that could have really elevated this story. Speeding up Kaeden’s story a little for one. But also, the main villain is not revealed until much too late and then the ending is somewhat rushed. There could have been so much more depth to the story if there could have been more with that.

Overall, though, I would highly recommend this series. With this book, we get to see and know the characters a lot more. Again, there were some parts that were slow that caused the ending to seem a bit rushed. However, that does not take away from the other wonderful parts to this story.

I had received a copy of the book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of multiple series including The Ravenwood Saga and Skyworld series. She is a three-time Christy Award finalist and won the INSPY, Selah, and Carol Award for best in Christian speculative fiction. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

More from Morgan

How I Created My Viking-Inspired World

World building. One of the foundational parts of writing a fantasy novel. When I began writing the Nordic Wars series, I wanted a setting that felt like the Viking era but fit the context of the story, to recreate the feel but not copy everything exactly. For example, there are no longboats, sailing, or pillaging. But there are warriors, an emphasis on honor, and the country is in the far north. When I build a world for my books, I use the history and culture of our own world and weave it together with my imagination to create a new realm in which my novel takes place.

Here are some examples of how I built this world.

Places. The country of Nordica is set in the cold north. For inspiration, I used my own home in the Pacific Northwest and my childhood in Montana. From towering mountains to deep snow, to massive forests to valleys of green, Nordica feels like a real place because I used real places to create it.

Words. I studied Nordic words and phrases, then created my own that “sounded” like them. Some examples are the leaders of the clans are called Hjars (after the jarls of Scandinavia), Til Val (a victory shout and chant that I borrowed from the phrase “Til Valhalla” from Norse mythology), and places like Folkvar and Udenhalla (both my own creations). I also found a fantasy name-generating site that helped me craft the names of places and people.

Lastly, I studied the Viking culture itself, including food, furniture, homes, occupations, hairstyles, clothing, etc… Then I used that knowledge for my own creations or drew directly from the source. Even the smallest details were either inspired by my research or a real part of the Viking life.

In the end, when readers step into the Nordic Wars series, I want them to feel like they’ve entered a time from the past, and yet wholly different. I want them to smell the smoke from a firepit, feel the furs across a bed of hay, see the mountains, and feel the bitter cold of winter. And when they finish the book, it feels like they’ve visited a real place.