Flora's mother, nicknamed the "Rock of Califa," the Commanding General of the military, is often on military duty and rarely at home. Flora's entire family, in fact, from her older sister Idden to her father --- who spends his days in isolation after being hopelessly shellshocked following a stint as a prisoner of war --- is well known for their warlike qualities, bravery in battle and brilliant military strategies.

Everyone, that is, except Flora. Named after her beautiful, brilliant older sister who disappeared in battle before the second Flora's birth and whose reputation hangs over her like a curse, Flora Segunda's deepest wish is to become a Ranger. Like her hero, the legendary Ranger Nini Mo, Flora longs to practice the arts of magick, to "act as the eyes and ears of the Army, to go where no soldier could go, and to use cunning and cleverness --- and magick --- to win the kinds of battles that are not fought with guns and swords."

But the Ranger Corps has been disbanded, and after her Catorcena, Flora will be expected to go to the Barracks and fulfill her hereditary destiny: "to be a killer, a servant, a slave. To learn to follow orders like Idden, and to learn to kill, like Poppy, and to learn to give everything for my country, like Mamma." Flora's mother despises magick, her father is incapacitated, and her sister is just plain gone. In whom can Flora confide her true ambitions?

On the eve of her Catorcena, Flora embarks on some adventures of her own, escapades involving pirates, executions and disguises that would be worthy of Nini Mo herself. Flora is just learning, though, and her exploits both illustrate her intrinsic bravery and her inexperience, as she makes mistakes that put her own life, and the lives and careers of her friends and family, in grave danger.

FLORA SEGUNDA, Ysabeau S. Wilce's first novel, is an ambitious and largely successful debut. Her fantasy world is intricately detailed and elaborate, with its own political systems, national and group loyalties, and language systems, including a particularly innovative use of slang. Some readers may be put off by the book's heavy focus on military strategy and espionage, as well as by its linguistic and narrative complexity. Others, though, especially fans of robust, detailed fantasy novels, will be drawn into Flora's world wholeheartedly and will eagerly await the next installment in Wilce's projected trilogy.