Ranira is a bond servant, more or less owned by an innkeeper after her parents were killed for being witches. She knows they were innocent, but that didn’t stop them from dying. When some foreigners make arrangements to stay in the city, even though the biggest religious festival of the year is starting, and all foreigners must leave, Ranira is intrigued. Their actions set of a chain of events that will have Ranira leaving the city, and all she’s known.
I definitely liked this book better than the first Lyra book – the writing is way better, and the plot makes way more sense. Still probably not as good as Wrede’s later work, but an enjoyable read none the less.