Title Daughter of Witches Series --- Author Patricia C. Wrede Cover Art Walter Velez Publisher Ace Fantasy Books - 1983 First Printing Ace Fantasy Books - 1983 Category Fantasy Warnings None Main Characters Mist, Jaren, Arelnath, Shandy, Ranira Main Elements Witches Website pcwrede.com

COME

...enter the City of Drinn, if you dare. The entering is easy, during Festival time; no guard will stop you, no priest will question you as you shuffle through the gates among the crowds, hiding the glow of forbidden magic beneath your brown pilgrim robes.

Yes, entering is easy.
The hard part is getting out again...

The only other Wrede books I had read before this one was the Dealing with Dragons series, which were humourous. I expected this one to have the same kind of tone, but it was deadly serious.

The story revolves around boundwoman Ranira, a slave to a greedy inkeeper. Her life changes when three strangers from outside Drinn show up requesting a room just before the Midwinter Festival starts, and no outsiders are allowed in Drinn during the Festival, nor can anyone leave till the Festival is over. Oh, and did I mention that magic is forbidden by the Temple, any witch found is burned. Ranira's parents had suffered that fate, and Ranira suspects that at least one of the three strangers may be a practitioner of this illegal and dangerous art.

The story was good, but not great. The characters interesting, but I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Many books ends where a main character goes off on a new adventure, but somehow this one really felt like it needed a sequel to finish up. Maybe it has one, I'll have to investigate.

Though the ending was rushed, and the story itself a bit drawn out, it might be worth a look-see.