The first time I read this book I liked it but thought it was a little disjointed. It doesn’t seem that way on re-reading though. The book is divided into 3 parts, in the first Faris goes to a college cum finishing school (and reads a lot of three part novels), the second is journeying (with several stops) and the third, well that would give away too much plot.
Faris has had plenty of things in her life to make her defensive, which makes her uncomfortable for many people as a Point Of View character. Also this book makes you feel the emotional cost of being a hero and losing what is important to you. Usually this story is told from the POV of a trusty sidekick rather that the hero. So much more comfortable for the reader to be able to sympathize with losses from the outside! Not that the ending is that miserable at all.
It is also a fantasy that is not medieval, and although set around 1900, is not steampunk. This is one of those books that some people like a lot and most people don’t. I like it a lot.
A College of Magic first published 1994
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