This book was such an enjoyable read.  It was refreshing to read a book that was in a completely different setting than my typical read since this was more medieval time period.  I would almost go to say it could be close to fantasy due to some of the characteristics of the groups of people, special abilities, and even a character that is practiced in mystical powers.  I enjoyed how the author was straightforward in her writing; she balanced the narrative and story by giving good context and dialogue.  It is a story that keeps a reader interested because it is centered around a handful of main characters, but then is supported by numerous amounts of side characters.  However, even though there were many side and supporting, characters, the author did not ignore them or not give them credit.  She still took the time to fully explain the purpose of the characters, to give them their background and history, and even came back around to them as the story progressed.  It was enjoyable to see a full cast of characters along with the main; it made me feel like I truly got a look into the world and helped me better understand characteristics of the society she created.  I really enjoyed getting to see how the main character, despite her sad life and unfortunate events which she had experienced in her short life so far, was able to find a new family and rebuild her hopes of having a mother, siblings, friends, and a home.  I am a sucker for love stories, so I loved getting to see a budding romance come from an unexpected friendship and to see how they handled the turmoil that hit them.  The plot and storyline I felt were very balanced and kept me interested throughout, with having the climax hit and then having enough time to have the solution and basically wrap up the story and characters.  This book has made me want to read even more in this world and in the Valarsard Chronicles.