This is the world that Seri knows. The People live in the safety of the trees and fear the beasts that roam the rainforest floor. The valiant, warriors who wear armor made of the beasts the slay, hunt the beast, protect the People, and explore the unknown world. Seri, a girl running from her past, volunteers to live in a settlement at the edge of the Known World protected by Eshai Unbroken, who is a young hero among the People. Then the beast begin to act strangely, and while trying to warn the People of incoming danger, Seri meets Tsana, a mysterious girl who she can't help but be attracted to.

I love this book. I listened to the audiobook and every time the reader, Amielynn Abellera, read the first precept ("Be dauntless, for the hopes of the People rest in you"), I got chills.

The world is fascinating, and feels so fresh since it's not only not a western fantasy, but the technology level is different from what many readers would expect (

there are only two swords in this book, Seri doesn't even know what metal is, and I feel like even in the Eastern-inspired fantasies I've read, there are swords aplenty

.

Seri and Tsana's relationship was a little too quick and dramatic for my liking (I'm all about queer romances so it felt weird to me that I was more a fan of the straight couple, but it could be the pining). In the middle third of the book Seri thought about how quick/strong her feelings for Tsana were and how they made her act in ways she knew she shouldn't, which only drew attention to her actions and frustrated me. Thankfully, romance isn't the main focus of the book so I could gloss over the parts that had me rolling my eyes and focus on the action.

I'm very glad that Eshai also got to have POV segments because I thought she was a particularly interesting character. Although she's only a little older than Seri and Tsana, she is much more experienced, and while the other two girls are more outcasts, Eshai is a leader and feels more entrenched in her culture.