I really enjoyed this book – it’s about people outside of the regular magical structure of this particular world being able to find a place where they can wield power.
Onna is obviously magically talented, and is educated in it as much as her small town can manage. When she applies to the country’s magical college, she’s rejected, because she’s a girl. So she decides to go to the magician’s city of Hexos to see if she can get an education there.
The second story is that of Tsira, a half human troll who’s never really fit in anywhere, despite being the daughter of her clan’s leader. When she stumbles onto a half dead human soldier one night in the snow, she has no idea what this find has in store for her.
Tsira’s story is the more interesting of the two – I really enjoyed how the author made an effort to make troll and human cultures very different. The culture shock is very interesting. The two stories do eventually converge, when both Onna and Tsira investigate some troll murders.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this book – it was different. Good system of magic, and interesting characters. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more in this world.
The North Wind and the Sea 