Warrior of the Wild

Rasmira may be the only girl entering the warrior trial, but she is by far the strongest candidate.  She just wishes their trainer would stop singling her out and showing her special favor because her father is the leader of their village. 

The boys in her training group despise her and don't hesitate to take out their frustrations with violence.  When she fails her trail through betrayal, she is cast out into the wild as all failures are.  She can't return unless she completes a task set by the village council.  No one has ever successfully completed one of these tasks.

But Rasmira's may be the most difficult task ever set for a failed warrior:  defeat a god.  Each year all the villages pay a hefty tribute to this god in order to avoid his wrath.  They have seen him kill a man with the flick of his wrist.  Rasmira is horrified.  They never expected her to return.

As Rasmira tries to survive the wild and plot a way to accomplish her matugr, she meets Soren and Irik, fellow banished warriors.  If they work together, maybe they can complete their tasks, but it won't be easy.  Each task is deadly, and the wild is filled with dangerous creatures who might kill them before they even get a chance.

Tricia Levenseller's new fantasy is a stand-alone with roots in Viking culture.  I liked it ok, but I just wanted something more.  It felt a little too plot-driven and episodic for my tastes.  Also, I was kind of hoping Rasmira would find a whole community living out in the wild.  I wanted more of her mother's backstory and more about the whole "god" situation.  No spoilers, but that was a key turning point of the book, and it's a bit of a throwaway.  Also, be aware that one village has to supply a girl each year, and there is evidence of abuse in his lair--no details but it's pretty obvious.  I can overlook a lot because I love a story with a strong female character, especially one who learns to balance strength and authority with personal relationships.  Recommended for 8th grade and up.