Review: i wish this were a series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2012
Ronne, an exiled swordnoble, is living in a deserted outpost of the vast Empire when she decides to shelter a dying barbarian warrior. Erith, the barbarian who is an outcast from his people, miraculously recovers from his wounds. Much to the chagrin of Ronne who hadn't really thought he'd survive his wounds.  Despite the fact that the Empire may discover her harboring an enemy, she continues to shelter Erith in the face of winter storms.With his help and the help of other loyal Empire soldiers, they discover a betrayal that cuts deep into the vast realm of Ronne's people. Along with the aid of new magics they discover, they work to fight the evil that invades the land.I'm always a bit reserved when I start books that I got for free.* I quickly lost all reservations after the first two or three chapters. Chase's writing style is easy to lose yourself in.She also has a masterful way of seamlessly switching between the perspectives of Ronne and Erith. I don't know many writers who can do that without making me dizzy.The adventure is fast-paced without leaving you breathless. There's an easy flow to the adventure that you fall into rhythm with. It's engrossing and hard to put down. Yet not so intense that you need to take a deep breath and step away from every now and then.Her characters are nicely developed and I found myself really responding to Erith. He was a fish out of water and I'm sure we've all felt like that at some point or another. For me, he was the easiest to relate to.The cultures she wove into her world were fascinating and reminded me of several here in our world. Enough so, that I kept trying to see the correlation and the differences. She didn't fully flesh all of them out though. She gave just enough for you to get the feel for them and for me, that was enough.It was a well-rounded story and it made me wish this was the beginning of a series.*It's no longer listed as free but I think it's well worth the price!