This is not my usual genre and I am not the intended age group but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book opens with a lovely hand drawn and illustrated map of the regions and subdivisions of the lands in the tale. This is very helpful and beautifully presented. The first third of the book introduces us to the three main characters. They all have very different lives although two come from the same region. Through their very different stories we get to see how their paths converge and they all end up on a very important quest together. The book is written in a way that the text flows very easily and confident readers from 9 years upwards would enjoy this tale. It is a fast packed adventure that has many twists and turns along the way. All three children discover that their beliefs ingrained in them from their upbringings are conflicting and not completely true, thus leading to removals of the prejudices against other clans/races. Wonderful descriptions of not only fantasy animals but also the flora, often missed in such stories. It also includes a guide to these animals, again with lovely illustrations. My only quibble is that the ending is really to be continued so now I will have to wait for the next one.