In this fascinating and complex historical fiction novel, readers visit the thirteenth century where Dzintara, a fierce pagan warrior all but exiled from her homeland, must satisfy her desire for revenge for her executed lover without jeopardizing her forces and their rebellion efforts. In the shadow of the Northern Crusades, readers travel across Livonia and into the city of Riga, a city broken by power struggles, as they follow Dzintara on her quest for vengeance. With its fascinating personal and political components, this rebellion and quest for vengeance are multifaceted and complex, and readers will be immersed in this fascinating environment and Dzintara’s personal narrative. With so many exciting plot points and engaging adventures and unexpectedly complex characters, readers will love Winters’ new release and the characters populating Livonia, Riga, and everywhere in between. Dzintara is a complex and fascinating morally grey protagonist, and readers will love following her adventures and meeting new characters alongside Dzintara. The characters and the setting really make the novel shine, and for readers interested in a grittier kind of historical fiction, this medieval crusade-revenge plot is perfect for these readers, and Winters’ new release is a fascinating and exciting historical adventure readers will love.

The Khanjar's Crusade
By Z. S. Winters

What could have been an engaging story about crusaders, pirates, murder, revenge, Christians and infidels – was not. The lack of proofing/editing of this book is the least of its problems.

There are just too many holes in the storyline. It begins in the holy land with a female healer whose lover is captured and beheaded by a crusader named Anno. She vows revenge. The fact that she is from Northumbria, was sold into slavery by her father, and somehow ended up here fighting for the "infidels" and becoming a learned healer is glossed over.

Somehow she manages to hide the fact she's a woman (note to author: breast binding doesn't quite do it). Then she manages to track this Anno back to her homeland. Just how she obtained all this information is never explained. When the ship carrying her back to Riga is attacked by mutineers, she dispatches the bad guys handily, takes command, and brings the ship safely to port. Wow, amazing her skill set!

Just why the author thought interspersing German and Latin in the dialog is unclear. It added nothing. How the letter from her brother - which somehow made its way to her while she was still in the holy land – got to her is another of the mysteries.

I quit reading about half way through. Sadly nothing here caught my interest.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review

Dzintara is a lone female warrior in a man’s world. She lives in the time of the 13 century crusades where her life depends on her skill as a healer and her skill with a khanjar. We follow her through no man’s land and sea to avenge her lovers death at the hand of a mighty crusader . This book is not for the feint hearted and is full of twists ,turns , betrayal and graphic violence where betrayal is almost second nature .
3 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I loved following along the story as it unfolded. I really recommend to everyone it give this book a go. I found the story ingrained me a lot to keep reading I couldn't put it down

Fast paced, exciting story of a female warrior in the 13th century. Dzintara along with her Khanjar blade is the hero of the story. Bereft at the loss of her lover, hiding her skills as a healer, Dzintara must thread a dangerously narrow path between her enemies and the city's politics. Set largely in Riga over a thousand years ago, the culture politics between the natives and the church are front and center in this gripping story. Impossible to put down, definitely worth a read!

The Khanjar's Crusade is a story of betrayals, conflicts of cultures and religions, and revenge. The book is well-written and tracks the saga of a young woman who was traded into child slavery to protect a family secret and rescued by a man who teaches her to be a healer and a warrior. After his murder she embarks on a quest to fight their common enemy and find out the truth about the family secret - a fantastic cache of gold. Is it real? Where is it or what happened to it? Will her father own up to what he did to her and tell her why?

This story contains harsh and violent events in keeping with a medieval time period which may not appeal to everybody. I thank NetGalley and Z.S. Winters for the opportunity to read the advance copy of this novel.

I had really high hopes for this. A historical fiction set in the 13th century with settings ranging from medieval Levant to the Baltic Sea coast with Crusader knights with a sprinkle of Baltic mythology and folklore? This should have been right up my alley! Instead, I was so confused by the mass list of characters; a POV that bounced from one character to another, sometimes in the same sentence; and a series of events that I always felt left me wondering “how did we get to this again?” It got so confusing for me that I had to call it quits 45% in. ☹️

Out of the numerous POVs you get, I assumed Dzintara was the main protagonist because she really was the most interesting of the bunch and that’s a bit of stretch even there. A traumatized and slighted woman, she’s set on revenge after watching her lover die at the hands of wicked Crusader. I was expecting the reader to really dive into her background and see why her father sold her off in the first place. Instead, she’s as slippery as an eel, and I could never pin down her character. Plus, it never really goes into how she ended up in the Levant area, how she learned healing, and even how she learned to sail a boat. Maybe it’s described later on in the book, but I’m just so lost as to how a lot has happened this far in the book, but at the same time, nothing is being explained. 🤔

The other big POV in the book was Anno, and I hate to admit it, but I started mentally calling the guy Anus because he’s at a stick in the mud. It’s also a bit of giggle for me because his name in Spanish (ano) literally means anus. 🤭

But for real though, I’m just flabbergasted with this. The concept sounded amazing and the cast of character should’ve made for an incredible tale, but the execution just fell so flat for me and missed the mark by a long shot. If you enjoy historical fantasy and maybe don’t mind being being bamboozled for almost half the plot, this might be a go for you, but I do wish it felt a bit more concrete with the characters and plot. 😕

Thank you goes out to Book Whisperer and NetGalley for reaching out and recommending this to me. I really wish I enjoyed this more than I did. 😢

Publication date: October 9

Overall: 1.5/5 ⭐️

I received a free copy of, The Khanjar's Crusade, by Z. S. Winters, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Dzintara is back home wants revenge, and she wont stop until she gets it. This book is different then books I usually read, I found it to be interesting.

This was interesting book to read. I hadn't even thought about this time in history before and after reading it I went on a google search to learn more. I love this about a book that it sparks your interest and you learn something new..

As it was such a complicated history I found it quite difficult to follow the characters throughout the book especially with all the betrayals etc, so I had to keep a record of this whilst reading. I found the book quite well researched (based on my limited knowledge) and kept me intrigued.

A great very historical book that kept my interest throughout. Intriguing, a great period in time and the setting worked very well. This book had a bit of everything and was thrilling and suspenseful. But having said that sometimes the story seemed a bit slow and the characters (certain ones) didn't gel well for me.

But all in all a good and enjoyable read and a great way to discover an new author for me. I do look forward to seeing what else the author writes. 3 1/2 starts from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Book Whisperer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

ARC Review ✨️

☆An intriguing story☆

This is a new to me author, and I really enjoyed the writing. The multi pov added to the story and made it even more enjoyable. Dzintara was such an interesting character. I ended up loving her so much. The story as a whole was very intriguing and had a nice touch of politics and revenge.

Thanks so much to the author, Book Whisperer, and Netgalley for the ARC!

“Her demeanour was calloused and merciless. The blade of the khanjar was the answer to everything for her.”

During the Northern Crusades of the 13th century, everyone wants a slice of Livonia, and the power and fortune that accompanies with controlling it. Dzintara, after watching her lover executed, returns to her homeland with only one desire; revenge.

There’s politics, alliances, backstabbing, revenge, but also, unlikely allies and friendship.

Dzintara is a haunted, yet strong woman, absolutely ruthless in her quest for revenge. I enjoyed reading her story. This book is multi POV, but Dzintara’s tale was definitely my favourite part, and I almost wish the whole book was from her POV. There is a lot of political intrigue so I understand the need for other players. However, I found myself only really drawn to Dzintara, everyone else faded in the background, and as a result, chapters from the other characters seemed slow and dull.
I enjoyed the aspect of the treasure hunt and how the mystery of the treasure was slowly dripped in until the final reveal.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and learning of the Northern Crusades.

Thank you Netgalley and Book Whisperer for this ARC.

This was a wonderfully done historical fiction novel, it had everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed about the genre. The plot worked well overall in this world and time-period, it had characters that I cared about and wanted to know more about. Z. S. Winters has a strong style for this type of book and hope there is more in this world.

What a fun, mystical tale! I am here for pagan adventures and twists! So glad I got to pick this one up!