My experience of this book was completely different reading it through for the second time. If you enjoyed it the first time, definitely read it through once more - it's absolutely worth the time.

I love this story. The tension between who Lale was born, who she's been molded as, and who she would like to become is something I think everyone can relate to. There's intrigue, action, romance and intricate plotting. The book is narrated in the first person from the perspective of some years after the events in teh book take place, which leads to lots of cryptic comments about what's happening and what it means. The first time I read the book, they drove me crazy trying to figure out what was going on. The second time through, they really added to the sinister tones of what I knew was happening.

Highly recommend! ( )

This novel is not your average fantasy story. It has a plot full of intrigue that is more like a spy story than a fantasy story. However, the characters are a bit bland for my taste. I would definetly recommend this book to Tolkien fans. ( )