As a new mother and having been in a similar situation as the titular heroine previously, Ashwalk Pilgrim tore my heart to shreds and mended it back together again. I expected a lovely twist on the high fantasy genre starting out. Yet time and again, the author threw me through a loop and my emotions through the gauntlet. Mara's world is filled with flawed people and exotic locations and she approaches everything with slightly tinted vision. Her innocence above all was what tugged at me the most. She truly expects the best from other people only to be crushed at every turn. Her journey grabs you and demands you take each painful step with her until the end. To avoid spoilers, suffice to say the ending was simply beautiful.
Looking forward to the next book and return of a few characters from the first, along with new lands, more magic and promised peril. ( )