Set in a land where there's devastating earthquakes and societies either try and survive through the aftermath or end up dying out. There's magic users (Orogenes), who have the power to prevent these earthquakes and wield its power (as well as the life force of other people / nature). Even though they alone can keep the world from falling apart, untrained Orogenes can be a risk to society, and so they're considered to be less than human and are kept under the control of Guardians who will eliminate anyone that steps out of line.
It's a good fantasy book, but it's not a fun fantasy book. The Orogenes are required to have sex with other Orogenes to produce babies, they lobotomise Orogenes that are too old to be trained and then use their natural instincts to subdue earthquakes, the book begins with a small Orogene child having her hand broken so that she is taught a lesson by her Guardian.
I liked the way the author brought together the storyline of three separate Orogenes - one just embarking on her training, another much further along, and a third woman who living a peaceful life, hiding her powers. I found it really engrossing and hard to put down. So for that I give this one a 5, but I also find it pretty depressing and so I won't be reading the next two books in the trilogy