This story follows Tano, a character introduced in book 2 of Ryo's trilogy, but it's hardly a mere sidenote. This was just one punch to the heart over and over and over again.

Tano is a young man recently adopted into the inGara tribe from a very abusive situation. And can I just say, I LOVE HIM. He is wracked by self-doubt, trauma, and guilt, but he's so smart and such a little snake and I enjoy following him so much. (He's trying to learn NOT to be a snake, but as we see in this book, it's not always a bad thing!)

In Tarashana, Tano brings about the downfall of his abusive father and his father's tribe. In Tano, we see that that story is hardly over. Tano and his friends set out to chase down some members of his old tribe for what seems to be a good reason, and end up landing themselves in extreme danger very quickly. It was jarring to me how fast they went from lowkey to the most awful circumstances and narrowest escape ever known to mortal man. The TENSION. The SUSPENSE. I was flipping pages (metaphorically, on a Kindle) compulsively. It's really hard to work out and read at the same time, but today I managed it.

In the end, Tano has to face several of his deeply trauma-rooted fears, and comes out of it with steadying experience, on the road to confidence and healing. It's great to see the inGara in this, and how they strive to handle difficult situations with wisdom and thoughtful consideration. I also loved Aras' small part, because I am THE Aras stan. Truly this felt more like the cornerstone of a whole new series than just a side-character novella, and I can't wait to hopefully see more of Tano in the future.