The Book of Deacon, by Joseph R. Lallo

This was another book I received free from Bookbub and Barnes and Noble.  The book starts off a little slow but gives you plenty of background about the main character Myranda Celeste.  She's a young woman that has been orphaned from a war that has ravaged her country for over 150 years.  Being alone in the world, while everyone is suspicious of outsiders, she is always moving from place to place.  She wants the war to end so badly that without thinking about what they are fighting for, she makes unpopular comments about the war.  She feels sorry for all the enemies that have died as well as her fellow countryman.  Causing suspicious townspeople to chase her out of their towns and calling her a sympathizer and treating her as badly as if she was the enemy itself.  

She also has the hope that her father hasn't died in the war and that if she moves onto the next town she might be reunited with him one day.  Along the way she finds herself in the middle of an Epic tale.  Where she will meet warriors, wizards, and many different mythical creatures.  As the story unfolds she may or may not be one of the key players in stopping the war.

At first I didn't like Myranda.  I understood her being upset and a little weak due to losing her family.  But it didn't seem logical to be a sympathizer.  I think as this book advances you seen her grow up.  She ends up rescuing a baby that becomes her sidekick and will definitely be your favorite character in the book.  I think being responsible for someone else makes her more mature and changes her as a person.  I found myself liking her more and more towards the end of the book as she finally finds her courage.  There is also a hint at a possible romance in future books between Myranda and a character she meets along the way.  

I really enjoyed this book and eagerly bought up book two, to see what is instore for Myranda and her companions.

The Great Convergence(The Book of Deacon #2)
The Battle of Verril(The Book of Deacon #3)

Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality.  It's a way of understanding it.

-- Lloyd Alexander