Hmmph. I wanted to like this, so much. Girl assassin? Competition to the almost-death? Hidden intrigues? A fantasy land ripe for rebellion? Yes, yes, yes! 
 Sadly, after just finished Tamora Pierce's Trickster books (Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen), all I can say is: puh-lease. The writing was clunky, the storyline weighed down with uninspiring glimpses into the other characters' heads, and the central character is a lopsided, uneven heroine who sleeps through things you'd think she'd be trained to detect. I won't be hunting up the sequel to this.