Brennon was stolen from his family at 16 and forced to use his gifts in service to a malevolent goddess. For seven years he knew nothing but hardship and pain. When he finally escaped he returned home to find his sister and parent murdered and his little nephew blind and broken. He continues to persevere for his nephews sake, worrying that the dark stain on his soul will destroy him one day. Seren is an outcast an ostracized by her people. Her gifts allow her to transform into a deer like all her people however she was also granted a once in a generation gift - the power to heal grave wounds. When she reveals this to her peers their hatred forces her to flee far beyond her peoples borders in deer form. Brennon mistaking her for food, injuries her. When he finds her she has reverted back to her human form and he realizes his mistake and takes her home to nurse her. So begins a friendship that will cross races and heal more wounds than physical.
This book was a very light read (only 700 or so pages) but well done. I didn't feel rushed reading it nor did I feel like I was left feeling there wasn't enough character development. The story alternates between Brennon's pov and Seren's pov. I didn't find Brennon's nephew annoying which was huge bonus points for me. I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between the characters and how they over came obstacles like communication and differences in culture, realizing at the end that they can trust one another if they one talk.
I would recommend this light read for something a little different.
*Note: I didn't realize that this was #7 in a series of books. It didn't feel like I missed out on anything as it seems like each novel is standalone-ish?
