THE GIFT
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The Gift is the first book in Alison Croggon's Pellinor series, which begins with The Gift and ends with The Singing. This tetralogy (or quartet, as Croggon herself refers to the books), is aimed at young adults, and is a very descriptive account of the adventures of a young girl called Maerad. The story takes place in the world of Edil-Amarandh, and the books are based on ‘The Riddle of the Treesong’, or ‘Naraudh Lar-Chanë’ in Annaren, the language spoken in Annar, which is a region in Edil-Amarandh.

THE CONCEPT
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The Gift is part of a quartet about a girl called Maerad.
Maerad has grown up as a slave in Gilman’s Cot, and is recognised as a Bard by Cadvan, as Maerad is the only one who can see him in Gilman’s Cot. In The Gift, Maerad and Cadvan travel towards Norloch to instate Maerad as a full Bard, as Cadvan believes that Maerad is important in the ongoing struggle against the Dark force of the Nameless One.

THE STORY
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Without giving away all the good bits, here's a summary of the story:
The Gift (also known as ‘The Naming’ in the US) is about Maerad, who has been a slave in ‘Gilman’s Cot’ since she was little. Her mother and herself were brought there together, but her mother died a few years before the story starts. One day, when she is milking the cows, she sees a man who appears to be hurt somehow. This man, Cadvan, is astounded by the fact that Maerad can see him, and he believes that Maerad is a great ‘Bard’, a Bard being a magical being who has ‘The Gift’. After finding out that Maerad may be the only survivor of the house of Pellinor, Cadvan believes his meeting with Maerad is destiny and decides to help her to escape from Gilman’s Cot. However, their journey is a dangerous one, and it becomes clear that Cadvan would not have reached his destination without Maerad.
As they travel on together, Cadvan begins to suspect that Maerad’s Gift is an unusual and very powerful one, which he believes carries some significance for the future of ‘The Light’. He takes Maerad to the School of Innail, where she learns more about the struggle in which her father and her little brother were killed and in which she and her mother were captured. Maerad also learns about The Nameless One, who gave up part of his identity to become immortal. She begins to understand that this new world she is discovering is being threatened by a dark force. Cadvan, who is convinced that finding Maerad was an important event in the struggle against the dark, and the pair embark on their travels to the city of Norloch, where Cadvan hopes to instate Maerad as a full Bard. Their journey is a difficult one, and the further they travel, the more they become aware of the spreading influence of the Nameless One. Will they make it to Norloch in time or will the Dark forces be waiting for them?

The plot of this book is easy to follow, and whenever you are left with questions at the end of a chapter, this is clearly done deliberately, as it adds to the pace of the story. This is a book which I would describe as valuable, because it’s not one of those books you read all in one go, but rather one you want to read chapter by chapter over a few weeks. The author cites the Lord of the Rings as her inspiration (dating back to when she was ten years old), and there are definitely elements in there which remind the reader of the Lord of the Rings style. But don’t worry, at no point in this book is there a 50 page long description of a meadow!