The steerswoman's road Book

Fantasy and I have had a tepid relationship as of late. I've always been more of a science fiction fan, anyway, but I've been thoroughly unable to get into the last few fantasy books I've attempted to read. The Steerswoman was thus unexpectedly awesome. As many reviewers have noted, this is basically a science fiction story in the guise of fantasy, which probably explains my reaction. The main characters (who are awesome, by the way) use critical thinking in their search for knowledge whereas a lot of fantasy delves into superstition and unexplainable magic. There is "magic" in this one, but you'd have to be an extremely oblivious reader not to notice that the so-called "magic" has some natural, scientific explanation (it's fun figuring out what's really going on). The Steerswomen (and a couple Steersmen) are a group of people dedicated to the search for, and free dissemination of, knowledge; their adversaries, the Wizards, are an elitist, secretive group who use "magic" and resolutely refuse to share their knowledge. This dichotomy sets the background for the story. Rowan, our intrepid Steerswoman, finds some mysterious jewels and goes on a quest to learn about them. She travels with Bel, an Outskirter who defies stereotypes and has an amusing "odd couple" relationship with Rowan. Along the way they pick up Willam, a commoner who can nonetheless use some "magic." Highjinks ensue, wizards pursue. Without giving too much away, I can say that my favorite dramatic tension was when Rowan had to decide whether or not to do the one thing Steerswomen aren't allowed to do: lie. Did I mention that this has the typical fantasy setting vaguely based on medieval Europe without the medieval European misogyny? I personally would love to be one of the rare Steersmen, but for now I suppose reading the sequels will suffice.
(I will review the second book, The Outskirter's Secret, later) See my discussion of this and other fantasy for science fiction fans here: