Aranya is Princess of a land overtaken by another nation. To spare her family, Aranya is taken prisoner and put into exile. And that's just where the story begins.

The writing doesn't disappoint. My only complaint is the passive voice in certain sentences. I was drawn into the story pretty well right away. The action begins right off when Aranya, who is still in shackles, mind you, slays a windroc bird that happens to fly into the cabin of the air ship. She's not your average girl running away from danger. She saves the First Hammer, a warrior of renown. And all of this before she's dropped in exile. The middle of the story does drag a little. The ending makes up for it, however.

The terms of the world and the realms were explained well, so I never felt overwhelmed by a barrage of information. I could follow the story without having to go back and read over what the terms meant.

I'm looking forward to another book in the series.