Oh my word this was something else! Certainly a departure from my normal PNR, and at times a bit too heavy and above my head, but otherwise an entertaining read. Aslaug is the daughter of Maren, whose paternity has been shrouded in mystery, and life was kept hidden. She has no social ability at all because of her isolation, but the death of her mother forces her into the real world for the first time beyond the occasional supply run with her mother.
The story flips between pieces of her murder trial, to pieces of the life that brought her there, and I found that I was completely enthralled by the middle of the book. I read it throughout the entire day and that is a luxury I rarely get anymore. I would like to have some of the loose threads tied up a bit neater, but I don't know if there are more books planned for her story yet. If not, then I will be annoyed, but if so I will consider reading them.
All in all this is a story about a girl who has to find herself, and figure out her place in the world whilst overcoming obstacles that would crush lesser people. Beware of the extremely heavy use of horticulture and theology in this book though. That is what I was referring to when I said it was heavy and could be above my head, lol. I started to skim the Latin names of the plants early on because I had no interest in them, and the same with some of the theological discussions. Although I know now that I can use jimsonweed to poison my husband! (I kid, I kid!)
