Search - Doppelganger (Also Published as Warrior) (Doppelganger, Bk 1)

First of two books (the sequel is Warrior and Witch). This is a straight fantasy (the cover made me think it was urban fantasy but it is not). Mirage is a Hunter - a trained mercenary, and one of the best at what she does, while Miryo is a witch and about to take the final test that will allow her to access her full power. There was some set up in the beginning - showing how witches operate, the different Paths, their schooling and testing and conversely how the Hunters operate, the different Hunter schools and jobs they are hired for afterwards, while also introducing us to the two main characters. This felt a little slow to me. It is about midway through the book after set up is done and both learn about the other that things really get interesting, so I would recommend reading further because once I got to that point I read the rest pretty quickly. The doppleganger idea, the warrior and witch schools and religion in the world felt original and very feminist, but the characters and the journeying from town to town felt a little stale. A solid novel.

Hard to believe that this is Marie Brennan's debut novel. The author has crafted a divine world of magic and warriors. She gives just enough information to make it real. This could easily evolve into a wonderful series. Recommended.

I love this book and can't wait for the sequel!!! Great strong female lead, great plot, very imaginative. Loved it all!

A fun easy read...predictable, but still enjoyable.

This book sucked. I couldn't finish it. Beyond all the hand wringing and second guessing after the fact, it would seem the main warrior character could either be a complete bad-ass bitch, or a completely useless dish rag. And don't get me started about the Witch character half.
Man, just sing a song and think about your feelings and relationships and you'll get through this just fine.
I'll never be reading anything by Brennan again. I suspect that 30'ish males were NOT the target audience of this novel...