Great things about this story:
Textured and real-feeling fantasy world not set in a European forest. I love the multiple religions, countries, languages and belief systems we experience in just 12 installments of this story.
Lots of different kinds of people inhabit this story: husbands, wives, mothers, young adults, kids. This isn’t a world full of teens, or a world of adults mysteriously without families or context.
The "Strong Heart" of the title, Jo the mercenary, looks on the surface like so many of the "strong female narrators who can kick your tail" that clog the bookstore shelves these days. -Unlike- them, however, she doesn’t seem to have relationship problems. She speaks fondly of her family, and of having family connections. She likes kids and knows how to treat them. She is protective of other women instead of uncomfortable because they remind her of some feminine ideal she doesn’t fit. This is a -real- relief.
I only rated this story at 3.5 stars, however, for a couple of reasons:
The story is billed as "A female mercenary who insists she’s a man. A naive young magician, and interesting times ahead," but while the naive young magician’s appeared on scene the relationship between him and Jo hasn’t really developed yet; and:
We’re 12 installments in, and I feel like we’ve barely started the story. If someone were to ask me, ‘what’s the plot’ I’d have to say, "Well, I think . . . I’m not sure yet . . . "
Also, a minor point 3: the author says this is a rough draft and in places it reads a little like one. But not as often as I would expect from a rough draft. 
Having said all that, I’m willing to see where this is going. I like that the strong female mercenary’s a family person at heart, that she doesn’t give in to the typical "gotta be more male than the guys" tropes, and that the world is broad and intriguing. This is on my ‘currently reading’ list.
5 of 5 members found this review helpful.
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