Daughter of Sand and Stone

I enjoyed the book, but it took a while (until part 2) for me to get into it. The main character, Zenobia, is 17 in Part I and the author portrayed her as so obnoxious that it was hard to enjoy. Much of the charm in this book is in its rich atmosphere and setting, fast-paced and high-stakes plot, and romance. The writing itself was somewhat overblown, but I still enjoyed it.