I liked this book ok, but definitely not as much as I did when i was in High school. Good overall, but just seemed a bit predictable and less nuanced than I remember. The whole southern barbarian thing seemed vaguely racist (desert outsiders condemned for their savage customs, ect) which was disappointing. I may or may not continue reading the series. This one was a reread, but I haven't picked up any of the sequels before and despite some criticisms I'm curious to see where the series might lead. ( )

I have had this book on my TBR pile for awhile and was excited to read this. I ended up reading the first 200 pages of this book and just couldn't get into the story, so I stopped. It was written in a very simple style and ended up being very boring. No matter where or when I read this book I kept falling asleep and I rarely fall asleep while reading.
The story bounces back and forth between a young hedgewitch named Makenna and a young knight. Makenna has befriended the goblins in the woods and is harassing the ruling kingdom with her goblin army. The young knight is sent to find her and lead a group of church sorcerers to stop Makenna’s rebellion.

I struggled with the stark writing style and how slow the story moved. I didn’t find the characters, the storyline or the world-building to be all that interesting or engaging.

Overall I didn’t like this book and stopped reading it after the first couple hundred pages. I won’t be continuing with the series, this was just not for me. ( )

Loved this book!! Good character development in growth, and I really felt for them both. Love love. ;) ( )

Love Makenna and her grumpy goblins.

Hate the antagonist. Always a good thing. ( )

Makenna is a young hedgewitch on the run after her mother is killed by the very villagers she grew up with. During a period of hiding in the woods, she encounters a group of goblins, and after some altercations, she grows close to them and they take her in as one of their own. Together, they begin working against a group of priests known as the Bright Ones, who are slowly eradicating all sources of magic that are not their own... the very same group that killed Makenna's mother. On the other side of this battle is a young knight named Tobin, who is working for the Bright Ones. However, once he meets Makenna, he begins to see how corrupt the group truly is, and sides with the goblins against the oppressive collection of priests. While the story leaves little room for character development, the plot is engaging and full of action. It's a fantasy novel stands out on its own, equipped with a unique and enthralling storyline and courageous characters full of wit. ( )