This was a really fun book that throws you right into the action and keeps that pace right the way through. It tells the story of Daine, a young girl who has always had an affinity with animals and finds herself in the middle of the Tortall court. What I enjoyed most here was the simplicity and cleanliness of the narrative. There were no deep dives into character motivations and no twists to pad out the plot. The story is very linear and the heroes and villains are refreshingly heroic and villainous. As the first in a four part series, this is a great introduction and I was able to read this without issue, despite not having previously read the Alanna books. There are a lot of strong roles for women here, which is always welcome in a fantasy book, particularly those aimed towards children and young adults. All in all, I found this to be a delightful opener to a series that I will read with great interest. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.