The Centaur's Daughter by Ellen Jensen Abbott

In this sequel to Watersmeet, Abisina must fight to unite the North and the South in the aftermath of the war against Charach. Watersmeet's supplies are exhausted due to refugees flooding in from the South and the surviving villages in the South are in the same situation. It's up to Abisina to help them all.

I was skeptical at first, because I thought Watersmeet was a decent stand-alone book. However, I actually liked The Centaur's Daughter better. This book deals more with the depth of the characters and their attempts to overcome generations of prejudice. I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy and anyone looking for a great allegory.