Review: Worth reading
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2013
The plot is exciting and complex, the characterizations are smooth and believable, the emotional content is heartwarming.The complexity grows as Ryana goes from looking for the one who is assassinating her sisters, to dealing with betrayal and hidden agendas, to uncovering a conspiracy that involves half the kingdom.  Along the way Ryana makes friends with the Gypsies, with the Earth Wizards, with the First Lady of Araby, with the Zunji and eventually even with the king.Ryana is portrayed as the self-doubter who doesn't want to kill, but cannot sit by and watch her friends be killed, robbed or abused.  Subplots abound as Ryana encounters prejudice against her companions, abuse by mercenaries hired to find her, and betrayal by her own sisters.  The secondary characters are especially rich and rounded as they contribute to Ryana's quest and provide her with either transportation, disguise or information.Ryana's growth as a character is at least as imteresting as the growth of the conspiracy she is uncovering.  She begins the book as a frightened child, and ends up as the most feared assassin in the kingdom.  The progression is fascinating and inevitable as she overcomes one obstacle after another, each making her stronger.In some ways this book reads like a road trip, with each new city bringing new challenges.  But the real story here is the way Ryana's character developes as she goes along meeting each challenge as it occurs.