Naming by Allison Croggon

Synopsis: Maered has been a slave at the dreadful Gilman's Cot since she and her mother had been sold into slavery when she was a very little girl. She has no memories of her life before slavehood, but yearns for the freedom she must have known before. One say as she is milking cows she is surprised to find a stranger hiding from sight. The stranger, named Cadvan, takes a great interest in her as he realizes she has seem him, and decides to help her escape. Once released from the bonds of slavery and the walls of Gilman's Cot, Maered is tossed into a fierce and intense adventure which tests her abilities as a human being, as well as her newly discovered magical powers which Cadvan helped her to find. He introduces her to the world of Bards, full of magic and mystery and becomes her teacher and friends on their journey to correct ancient wrongs.

Review: I liked the first book very much. I think it moved a little slowly, but I found that I didn't mind-most of the time. Croggon has a wonderful way with description that interests me. She also impressed me with her development of this fantasy world which she created an entire history and culture for. I felt engrossed in the world and intrigued by the various folklore. I really like the poetic inserts often found between chapters, that portrayed their folklore and mythology.