I was obsessed with this and The Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was in 3rd grade, so much so I used to enact Barbie witch stories on the run from townsfolk. Simple and straightforward telling of the Salem witch trials, but not "dumbed down" for children.

I think there was a time in my life I wouldn't have appreciated how horrifically believable it is that something like this could happen again even, but I kind of think we're seeing it again with the stochastic terrorism happening against LGBTQIA+ individuals. Somehow we are still a puritan nation seeking to make 'heretics' fall in line or pay the price.

I first read this series when I was 11 and a seventh grader with a special interest in raptor birds of all types. I remember appreciating the magic system, the character building and the relationships I forged with the characters at the time.

What I didn't pick up at the time was the deft weaving of two very different cultures and stories into something epic and cohesive. There are themes throughout this trilogy that are not usually present in fantasy and I genuinely appreciate the historian's eye cast on the impact of technology creep in a more traditional fantasy and how that could be exploited on both sides. The series doesn't chew as much on this as much as I would have hoped, and I think focusing on that and not bringing back an old villain would have made a more satisfying trilogy, but I'm not unhappy with the trilogy ultimately feeling like a redemption arc for Theryn and those associated with him.

If you like Sanderson, I think this would absolutely be worth the read. I'm glad I went back.