Nina Winter longed for a peaceful and fulfilling life after her father’s tragic death, but when a mysterious beast who can tear through dozens of men begins terrorizing her village forcing them to flee, her world is turned upside down. What little remains of her village run to Lord Braemar’s castle for safety, but they are met with cruelty from their nobles. Along with her mother Emma, childhood friend Tomas, and archer Günther, their little village must band together to find a way to kill the shadowy beast that lurks outside the walls, before they all become its next prey.

Nina Winter and the Age of Darkness by T.S. Maynard is an eerie fantasy period piece that centers around young teenager Nina Winter and her story about the beast who turned her village’s life upside down. We follow her as she navigates through grief, the fear of death, and finding a way to kill the beast. This fast paced read had me turning the pages as I wanted to know more about the origin of the beast. Even though it was never explained in detail where the beast came from or why, the tension and creepy factor kept me wanting to read more.

The gruesome deaths, and gory imagery were shocking at times but it added to the tension in the story. I did enjoy some of the characters such as Günther, an accomplished archer with a tragic past. I also enjoyed Lars, the blacksmith who despises the nobles for the suspicious death of his son. These two were very enjoyable characters and they captured my interest the most.

Nina Winter and the Age of Darkness is a dark and intriguing story that has everything readers could want in a short dark fantasy story. With compelling characters and perplexing mystery that begs to be explored, readers will devour this novel quickly.

Pages: 162 | ASIN: B0BKLKYDT8