"I was marked from birth as belonging to the Goddess Epona--but that didn't make my life easy. Because of my "blessings," I was set apart, worshipped, unable to make real connections with others. Then came the Feeling, and with it a glimpse of my destiny. It led me to the MacCallen castle of legend, deserted since the terrible Fomorian war.
I followed the wordless call to breathe new life into a place long dead, but I didn't realize there were dark remnants of the war lingering in the nearby forest--victims and survivors who remained hidden. Others marked as different, powerful. Feared.
My choice was now twofold. I could keep to the happiness and safety of my newfound home, or I could choose a path that led to something more terrible, more dangerous, more thrilling than anything I'd ever expected.
And in that future I might never be alone again. . ."
What I have to say: I like it. It's not an overly complex book, and there are a few things that I was confused on, but it's a pretty good story. I've already read the second book (Brighid's Quest), which I liked better, but this isn't too bad. I'm a little bothered by my inability to imagine Elphame, though. She's half human, half centaur, and I can imagine a centaur. The thing that confuses me is that it seems like she's got two legs (like a human), only they're centaur legs. With the hooves. It seems like it would mess up her balance to me, is all.
Other than that, I like the draw from Celtic mythology (Cuchulainn is the name of her brother, who is named after a hero) and the fact that Cast keeps her characters real. I think when you're writing a main character, it's really easy to create characters that are either unrealistically perfect or unrealistically flawed. (I feel kind of like her main character from the House of Night series, Zoey, could be in the 'too flawed' category) but Elphame seems very well balanced between the two. The end is kind of sad, but (as I've said), I've read "Brighid's Quest", which picks up where this ends, and together these books create a great story in the imaginary world of Parthalon.
P.C. Cast also endorses a unique relationship with nature (very 'wisewoman') and I can see the rituals maybe bothering some people (especially in the House of Night series). Personally, I wasn't bothered by it, but it almost seemed overdone.
Overall, a good book. If you're a huge fan of P.C. Cast, you'll probably love it. If you can't stand her books, you probably won't. If you've never read any of her books and you like fantasy, give it a shot.
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