For me, character and setting define a book. The plot is just what happens when characters and setting interact. In this book, Jon Sparks has created a believable post-apocalyptic world and peopled it with engaging and captivating people. More than that, he gave them something interesting to do.

From the first, Jerya and her friend Rodal embark on a journey that is only partly measured by geography as they both seek to find their way in a world beyond their limited experience. The guild, the village, with world as they know it all work together to weave a tale that could end any number of ways. That uncertainty held right up to the end. Hardly a surprise, it simply defined a path and left me to wait for the next leg in the journey.

Highly Recommended.