Two warring nations worship the same horse deity, but their priests differ on how to worship. The warrior prince, Kyrem, is sent as a hostage to peace to be the guest of his enemy. An outcast girl, Seda, must masquerade as a boy, and befriends the prince when she saves his life from brigands on the road.

There were some things about this book that I really loved, and some things that were confusing, and some things that were just weird.

I loved the characters! Their relationships are complex and always changing. They all have secrets and inner turmoil that they have to resolve. I was so engaged in their character development and their emotional reactions.
The world-building was sometimes confusing. There are all these myths about ancient gods and horse deities, and there is a lot of magic concerning curses and healing powers. Some of the characters are seers, but they don’t see the future, only the present. They can see around the land to know what is going on in other areas. Some of the magic was explained well and fit in with the plot, but other things like the magic of the gods didn’t quite make sense to me.

And then there was the weird stuff. There is a bunch of magic and myths about twins, and how the gods can split into a good and evil version of themselves as if they were two deities, a god and a demon. It was never quite explained to my satisfaction. It makes sense on the surface, but the more I think about it, the more questions I have. Some of the magic gets pretty dark with the curses on people to bend their bones and rot their teeth, and the suffering is described in such a heart-breaking way. It’s upsetting to read about sometimes.

Overall, an enjoyable read with some great characters, excellent writing, and an interesting plot. It’s definitely imaginative, and quite different from anything else I’ve ever read. It’s not my favorite book or anything, but I’m glad I read it.