An immersive, imaginative, spirited fantasy that will keep the reader glued until the end…
When 20-year-old Arithel accepts both a bribe and a gift while working as a tax collector’s scribe, she unknowingly sets a tragedy in motion with appalling consequences for her younger sister. Fallon, Arithel’s estranged childhood friend, offers a solution: accompany him on his quest to fulfill an errand orchestrated by the latter’s employer in exchange for his help. Arithel agrees, leaving for a dangerous journey that will not only test their friendship but also throws them in the path of outwardly perils. Arithel, as a young woman, is a true embodiment of feminism; she is defiant and a rebel; she tramples traditions with her impious ways; she enjoys her loneliness and independence while working on a job away from her hometown. In the same context, Mira, one of the secondary characters, is highly independent and utterly resourceful. She is a likable character while Arithel, with her utter selfishness and her cool disregard for others’ life fails to make a place in the reader’s heart. Fallon is a stereotypical male with his snubbed attitude toward the opposite sex. Neilsen draws him as an enigma: it’s difficult to figure him out; to know him more, readers have to wait for the next installment in the series. The prose is intriguing without being elaborate, the plotting tight, and the book’s length (almost 500 pages) doesn’t hamper the flow of the story. There is no dull moment, and the liveliness of the narrative makes it an electrifying read.