Chapter Fifty-Two: Sparrow in the Keep

Sparrow in the Keep, by Jean Ann Hudson, is the fun and interesting story of Sparrow, a young woman raised by her parents in the wilderness, and her encounters with the court of Count Gustav of Wilker, a medieval-esque land.  Sparrow is an excellent main character: she is unique because of her upbringing and her extraordinary abilities of observation and communication, the latter bordering on telepathy with both humans and animals.  However, the various dramas of courtly life anchor the story almost as much as Sparrow does, and Hudson successfully manages a sizable cast of court and village characters without letting the reader become confused about their identities, relationships, or motives.  This is a fun tale well worth the read!