I'm giving it two stars because of one, because the setting and other characters are really quite great. You can tell the author did an extraordinary amount of research into this book. Unfortunately, it was really painful for me to get through this. Ayla feels like a complete Mary Sue. She doesn't adapt to living with the Clan really well and doesn't make sacrifices that harm her. Everyone realizes how special she is, and even when she goes through punishments it results in her being rewarded. The part where she is told she is more a man than the leader of the clan and how Iza loved her more than her actual daughter...was too much.

Without Ayla, this book probably gets three or four stars.