The thing that first struck me about this book and this world was how rich and enthralling the world building and sense of place were. I was intrigued from the first page and read the entire book in two sittings. It's not often that I find a book which literally makes me lose track of time, but this one did. On the surface, it is a coming of age story with romance and magic set against a backdrop of epic fantasy. Underneath the surface, it's a story which deals with universal themes. The author deals competently and honestly with loss, racism, xenophobia, sexism, ignorance, violence, threat, and inequity. I was unfamiliar with the author previously, and am inspired to go immediately and read all of her back catalog which I can find.
I did not have the original version of this book to compare with the updated release, so I can't speak to the differences in the manuscripts. A comparison of the page counts in the earliest and latest editions shows an approximately 200 page difference. Even allowing for typesetting and formatting differences, that is significant. The cover states that the newest version includes bonus material including new scenes.
This is a beautifully written novel. The language is relatively clean (shite, whore, etc), however there is physical abuse, sexual threat and implied rape, blatant racism, sexism, etc. All of it is used in context and despite being potentially depressing (and horrifying), after having read it, I was left hopeful, with positive feelings and a strong desire to read the next books and find out what happens.
Although there is a strong romantic subplot, it never tipped over into the maudlin for me. Protagonist Jacinda is strong and sensible and very likable. I was really rooting for her throughout.
Five stars. Looking forward to more.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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