This book was an enjoyable, easy read.Simply-put, this is a Mary-Sue fantasy novel set in a matriarchal, often sapphic society. Men are not demonized or absent from this book. However, there are maybe three or four named male characters, and they are not the focus of any major plot points. The story is told from the perspective of an adolescent girl who comes from a line of warriors and aspires to the same status. She enters the home of her mother's friend and what follows is mostly character development through development of friendships, mentorships, and love of various mostly undefined sorts. While there is occasional discussion of woodcraft and combat, that is not the main focus of the book. There is very little violence of any kind, and any that occurs happens "offscreen" and is not vividly described. Gotta say, this was a breath of fresh air after trying to stomach some more popular fantasy titles, which shall remain unnamed. With this book, go ahead and self-insert (no pun intended, though during certain scenes it does get a bit steamy). Most characters are given only one or two physical descriptors, and the main character's only physical trait is "small" (which is not mentioned as a point of attractiveness). The narrator is pretty unbelievable, in that she is an absolute textbook Mary Sue, but it's still a nice slice-of-life story. I am looking forward to the next books in the trilogy. This was not what I expected, it was better. More elegant than Tamora Pierce, less angsty than Paksenarrion (sp). The story moves slowly, but I was never bored. The descriptions are almost pastoral - I could envision each location and situation clearly.In this female-driven culture, there are lesbian overtones, but that is not the core of the story, and there is no steaminess at all. I think this would be an R-rated YA book.I'll be reading the rest of the series.
What do You think about The Warrior's Path (2008)?
I read all three books in this series. I enjoyed them all. Great relaxing holiday book reading.
—yenny
Note to self: free books are free for a reason
—sloane
