A fantasy protagonist who is NOT distinguished by her beauty, unparalleled ability, or "destiny"

[Maron]

If you're looking for a book with a female protagonist who does NOT stand out because she's beautiful, because she possesses some amazing or unique ability, or because it's her "destiny," then this book is for you! Laika is a scholar who travels to a mysterious foreign country with a repressive dystopian society, and the challenges and opportunities she encounters in the story are the result of her own decisions and the powerful situations she finds herself in.

Here is the book's official blurb:

"I wish I could say this is a story of how I saved everyone and set the world to right. But it isn't. This is a story of my failure."

Laika Roen has always been strangely attracted to Lisan, a mysterious and isolated country where the citizens worship their despotic leader. When Laika is invited to travel to Lisan as a visiting scholar, she jumps at the chance to experience Lisan’s unusual culture firsthand.

But Laika gets more than she bargained for when her trip is disrupted by violence and she’s forced to set out on her own. As she journeys through forbidden sections of the foreign country, Laika discovers horrible truths about the relationship between Lisan's leader and his people.

Can a simple scholar change the course of an entire country? And even if she can, should she? The distinction between right and wrong blurs as Laika explores not only Lisan, but her own conscience.

Laika in Lisan has been reviewed by two fellow Fringers as part of the Pay-it-Forward challenge. You can read their reviews here:
First: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Second: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

You can also check out the other reviews on Goodreads if you're interested: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

If the blurb and reviews interest you, the book is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JYNFXTC