I won and Advance Readers Edition of "The Heir of Night" by Helen Lowe. When it comes to fantasy books I don't know squat, because I don't read them. But, if this is what fantasy books are like, then I will need to read more! Helen Lowe artfully spins a complex story about a young girl, Malian, who has the fate of her world resting on her shoulders. There are elements of good vs evil, loyalty vs betrayal, youth vs wisdom, growing up and trusting others. One thing that stood out for me was the lack of traditional gender roles. In Helen Lowe's world of Haarth men and women are treated the same. They hold the same roles. One of my favorite characters is Asantir. She is the captain of the Earl of Nights Honor Guard.

Overall an extremely well told story that kept surprising me and I can't wait to read the next book :)