Book Review: The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

Eighteen year old Maia was banished from her kingdom by her own father--with quite a bit of persuasion by his new lover.  Now, her only hope to save herself and her people lies in a quest to rid the world of the Myriad Ones, a nasty group of spirits drawn to all forms of human suffering.  Her dabbling in reading and magic (which are forbidden for women), however, has left her with several powerful enemies.  As she fights to stay one step ahead of those who hunt her, it becomes clear that something has already gone horribly wrong.  Something is wrong with Maia, and that something threatens to bring doom down upon not only herself, but anyone around her.

'The Banished of Muirwood' is the first book in a series entitled 'Covenant of Muirwood'.  It is a followup series to the original Muirwood trilogy called 'Legends of Muirwood.  Although Maia's story occurs one hundred years later than that of the first trilogy, 'Banished' does seem to expect the reader to have a basic understanding of its world and magic system, so, if you haven't read the first series, I would recommend you do so before trying this one.  I feel that the 'Legends' series was better than the first book of this latest series, but I did still enjoy 'The Banished of Muirwood'.  The character development and elements of magic were not as strong, but still managed to paint an interesting picture.  There is an element of Cinderella and her Evil Stepmother that I found difficult to get through, but Maia's story is, thankfully, more than that. Maia is part ruler, part young girl, and the combination of the two both saves and hinders her progress.  By the time she begins to realize that her quest has begun to unravel before it has really begun, multiple layers of the plot have converged, and the action of the story really takes off.  If you are a fan of epic fantasy, you'll want to add the Muirwood series to your list.

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