After hearing so much praise for this book I was really excited about starting it. Maybe a touch too excited because it made the few things I didn't like stand out that much more. 
 Mostly that was the overly flowery writing. Over the top descriptions and endless philosophical ramblings along with every literary device known to man - that pretty much sums up the writing. And I know a lot of people like it, I'm just not one of them. That said, the writing style does make for a few beautiful moments, it just was, all in all, too much for me. 
 It also only underlined how arrogant Mariko could be in some things. She thinks she knows everything and can be really judgmental and I really didn't like her in these moments. Add her inner musings be all pseudo-philosophical and you had one annoyed Nina more than once. 
 But I still ended up really enjoying this book. Mariko eventually gets her head out of her ass (but not before risking everyone's life several times over) and I grew to really like her. The setting is brilliant too. The world is a lot like feudal Japan with just a touch of magic (though I suppose we will find out a lot more about that in the next books) and the author took a lot of care in creating her world. 
 And then there's Okami. He's what made me really fall in love with the story. He's such a contradiction with layers upon layers that we only scratched the surface of in this book. I also loved the romance which admittedly felt a little rushed sometimes but was just so sweet and heartfelt that I couldn't really care. 
 Now I'm dying to read the next book, especially after that ending. And I still have so many questions! Like (view spoiler)[ 
 - What exactly are the Black Clan's members' powers? 
 - Where does the Black Clan come from? 
 - What's the truth about Yumi? 
 - What the hell happened to Amaya?! 
 - What are Genmei and Kanako's plans? (hide spoiler)] 
 All in all probably more like 3.5 stars but I'm still very glad I read it.