illegible_scribble
1/18/2017
A strong but flawed female character, a story which avoids or subverts a lot of the quest tropes
Synopsis: A woman comes to consciousness with a bloody animal sacrifice laid out before her. She realizes that she is bound to the shaman who did the sacrifice, by a geas that will force her to follow his command: to bring back "blood from the cauldron of the Lhian". Never mind that he doesn't tell her who or what the Lhian is, or where the cauldron is located: she doesn't even know who she herself is--and he won't tell her that either, because he says it's safer if she doesn't remember.
What I thought: I really, really liked this. It features a strong but flawed female character, and avoids or subverts a lot of the quest tropes. This is definitely on my longlist for next year's Hugo nominations--and I'll be seeking out some of Brennan's other works, as well. There's a sequel, Lightning in the Blood, coming out in April 2017.