If you can set details aside for long enough, Sorceress may be a book you might enjoy. While I had a few issues (some serious) with the story Jackson tells here, I found it to be an engaging book that I didn’t want to put down.

Bryanna is the middle daughter of the Baron of Penbrooke, and since his death she’s lived with her older sister, Morwena, at Castle Calon. However, since the murder of her nursemaid and her sister’s marriage, Bryanna feels compelled to leave the castle to go on a quest of her own – and I mean literally by herself. Bryanna hears her dead maid’s voice telling her she is the “sorceress” with a destiny that must be fulfilled. With a leather map, a magical dagger, and her trusty stead, Bryanna sets out to find the mysterious place her maid tells her awaits.

Gavyn of Agendor is a man wanted for murder on the run for his life from the very man who gave him life. After his father’s wife arranged for Gavyn’s mother’s murder, he kills his father’s sheriff in a literal fight for survival. As he flees, he is plagued by dreams of a woman in trouble. He is surprised when he comes upon the very woman of his dreams alone in the woods and recognizes her from his childhood.

Hallyd, Lord of Chwarel, is a man cursed to remain hidden from the light of day. He ruthlessly murdered a sorceress sixteen years earlier and, as she died, she levied a curse upon him that makes daylight excruciatingly painful. But now he has the opportunity to lift the curse through the sorceress’ daughter, Bryanna. The curse will be lifted once she completes her quest and reassembles the magical dagger. He then plans to take the dagger, use it to become the ruler of all Wales, and defile her until he grows tired. He is guided in his endeavor by an evil witch named Vannora, who also has her own agenda.

As I read Sorceress I was so engaged, I didn’t initially question certain plot elements. It wasn’t until I began reflecting that I realized that some things didn’t quite make sense. First, Bryanna’s sister who along with her husband, governs Calon Castle, allows the sixteen year old to leave on a quest into the wilderness of Wales alone. This didn’t seem particularly historically accurate, to put it mildly. Even though she allows it, the sister is so troubled that she hires her husband’s sleazy brother to find Bryanna and protect her – all behind her husband’s back since she feels that the brother secretly wants to redeem himself. Though he somewhat ineffectively finds redemption in the end, I find myself questioning the point of the character or his future role as a character in upcoming books. Further, I always thought that a sorceress performed magic and I kept waiting for Bryanna to show herself as one. While she is referred to as a sorceress, she basically uses no magic. She hears voices in her head and sees visions, but there is no real magic. And, I have to warn readers without giving too much away, that there is a major ick scene between Bryanna and Hallyd. Finally, the story seemed as though it was resolved too quickly. The quest itself lasted a little under a year, but it only took minutes to resolve (with no magic on behalf of the sorceress, I might add) – a little bit of letdown in my opinion.

And yet, Jackson’s story was a page-turner I didn’t want to put down. It had the gritty feel of a Medieval romance – meaning that even though I love them, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to live then. Both of the characters are young, yet not too immature. I believed in the love story here, even though it is not the main focus of the plot, mainly due to their prior connection and the feeling of fate intertwined in the story.

If you like a good road romance with strong elements of adventure, mystery, suspense, magic, and can ignore some inconsistencies, then I can recommend Sorceress. It was truly an engaging read for me. However, if the little things bother you, this may be one to avoid. I liked it and look forward to Jackson’s next installment in this series.