One star so far, as i couldn't get further than a page or two - so surprised and disappointed was i at the skimpily-clad, 2D sex star at its centre. Having read reviews here, the rest would leave me feeling the same if i ploughed through it. One day if i catch myself in a trash-fiction mood (and feeling more male in my sexual preferences, and less discerning in my literary ones, than i am most days) i read it and MAY change my rating. Or maybe not. By the author of Watership Down and particularly Sharkdi, i couldn't believe this had got into print. ( )

When I was in high school, I went to school in the U.S., but my family lived in Africa. On school breaks I would fly home to see them, a trip that usually comprised of 20+ hours in the air, plus a layover in at least one (usually European) airport. One time, rather than take several books with me, I walked into a bookstore and found the first really thick book in the fantasy section. This was the result.

Maia is at its core a relatively standard fantasy story about a fictional kingdom surrounded by enemies and the political intrigue that results. However, it is told from the perspective of a naive, beautiful young girl sold into slavery by her mother and turned into a high-class prostitute, which makes it somewhat unique. I'm not sure if the uniqueness is worth it though - Maia seems to enjoy her sexual slavery a little too much, too many men seem to simply lose their brains when staring at her assets (of course some would, but everyone seems to fall in love with her almost immediately), and the love story that results in her happy ending seems almost tacked on at best. The alleged plot, which takes hundreds of pages to get to, seems almost like an afterthought added in between depictions of Maia's wide-eyed wonderment at the glories of how good slave-hooker sex is.

With a much better editor, this book could have been cut down by several hundred pages and might have been considered a top quality piece of fantasy. As it is, however, it never rises above the merely average. ( )

Delightfully looong tale of a young girl sold into the sex slave trade for betraying her mother. She becomes involved with a lot of upper class people, her naivety, charm and beauty leads her to be involved in dangerous and exciting situations--including becoming a revered heroine, at the cost of again, betraying someone close to her. Lots of adventure, a little kinkiness (lol), some murder, war, and suffering. Amazing descriptions make you feel as if you are right there along Maia. There are many different characters and places with unusual names which can be difficult to keep track of at times. The book does include a map and list of characters for handy reference--you will definitely need it! Nice ending too, that doesn't leave you disappointed. ( )

Read this at a very young age, early teens at the latest, so it may not be the 4 star book I remember. Suffice it to say it is EXTREMELY different from Watership Down.
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Never quite finished reading Maia. Tough to remember all the names and words in the fictional language. ( )