Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott

In the village of Vranille, where perfection is a requirement, Abisina is an outcast. When Charach comes to Vranille, Abisina must flee from her village to keep her life. She embarks on a dangerous journey over the mountains to find Watersmeet and, potentially, her father. To survive the journey, she must overcome years of fear and prejudice and learn to accept help from others.

Toward the end of the book, it seems as though the author is trying to tie everything up quickly to make the story work in as few pages as possible. This book could easily have been five hundred pages. There are several aspects of the story that simply cannot be rushed without appearing unrealistic or leaving the reader unsatisfied in some way. There were also a couple of times that I felt the writing a bit too juvenile for the intended audience and other times I felt the writing was too advanced for the intended audience. It just wasn’t uniform.

These are, however, fairly minor objections in comparison with the story as a whole. Watersmeet is very imaginative and unique. There are many lessons to be taken from it. While it wasn't an "I couldn't put this book down" experience, it was a good read. I recommend it to anyone who loves Quest Fantasy or High/Epic Fantasy.  I give it four stars!