“…quite engrossing… this heroic fantasy should please fans of, say, George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels.” Booklist
“Shepherd has created a court fantasy similar to George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire….a good epic fantasy that focuses more on the epic than the fantasy. Sasha
“Sasha was excellent, especially given that this is Joel Shepherd’s first fantasy novel. It offers a huge fantasy world, a fascinating heroine, heart-pounding descriptions of both small-scale sword fights and full-on warfare, several characters that genuinely grow and change, and — maybe most importantly — the hint that this is just the start of what could become a great series. While I wouldn’t rank it quite as high as George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I think Sasha will go down very well with fans of that series because it shares some of its characteristics, including its huge scope and cast, its focus on politics and noble intrigue, and (at least in the early novels of ASoIaF) the almost complete absence of magic and mystical creatures. ” Fantasy Literature