This is definitely a must-read for anyone who has love for medieval fantasy. I loved nearly every character, and at first the story was going so well but then it kinda dropped in the end for me honestly...This is my first book by Melina Marchetta and I really loved her writing but I think she could have provided a better ending to a really great story, because after finishing the first book I'm not feeling any urgent need to move on to the second book.