It has been a while since I have been completely blown away by a fantasy novel, and the debut from Australian author Jo Spurrier is just the thing to bring strayed and disillusioned fantasy readers back into the fold.

In the tradition of Sara Douglass, JV Jones or Robin Hobb, this is going to be an unforgettable series.

Jo is either incredibly intuitive, able to write for the reader not just the plot or she has taken on board feedback and common criticisms of other fantasy (particularly high fantasy). Despite having quite a large cast of players, we don't have six with similar sounding names; we have nicknames, but these are used interchangeably within the same page, so there is little chance of not knowing who is referred to. The characters are also well separated, so there is no blending of roles, no trying to work out who is who. The character introduction and development is smoothly done.

Sierra is tainted with magic. She was taken by the king’s magician, Kell, a particularly nasty guy who thoroughly enjoys breaking people through torture, with the help of his assistant, Rasten.

Cam and Isidro have been on the run from Kell and the queen ever since the queen had their fathers slaughtered to secure the throne.

Then we add in the wolf clan and the Akharian’s and the world gets a little too small for Cams small band of refugees.

Yet, none of the characters are quite what they seem. All Jo Spurrier characters have been developed as realistic personalities with depth. Although we do have basic stereotypes to start from, they're not left to wallow in their mundaneness, nor are they thrown out of the stereotype for the sake of giving the reader a twist.

Watching the characters evolve and develop over the space of this first novel is wonderfully absorbing and the layers of plot that are woven in to tell the story just entrancing.

This really is the start of a wonderful series, with a first book that is both teasing and satisfying to read.

Winter Be My Shield is a keeper, a re-reader, and a buy copies for your friends’ type of book.