Abbie's Panamindorah novels were the first things I read, and I didn't think I could get into a completely new world. I was wrong. This novel is a "fantasy" in the same way that Watership Down is fantasy; it touches on topics that are very human through non-human characters. Enemies are not always your enemies, friends are not always your friends. Vengeance crosses species, and peace can happen.

This novel focuses primarily on two "intelligent species," meaning they have readily understandable speech and writing; similar to how we view humans v. animals. Creasia are cats, and Ferryshaft are a new creature, somewhat between a horse and llama, but omnivorous. I would really have liked to know more about the Ela-ary, the large eagle-like birds. They have the smallest role in the novel, but I kept hoping they'd make more of an appearance. (Abbie, I hope you have a novel featuring them in you...)

As I was reading, I always managed to have to stop right at a crucial moment in the action. When I started the book, I thought I would just read a few chapters to get going, then go to bed. I ended up reading 2 hours longer than I had planned, finishing a third of the book before I had to put it down. Storm is a very compelling character, and Abbie does a good job of not revealing things you might think you know but maybe don't until the proper moments in the story.

Again, for fans of books like Watership Down or Duncton Wood, or Redwall, this is a very compelling novel. And anyone who doesn't mind anthropomorphized animals will get sucked in.