I'm a little conflicted. The high rating is for the brilliant writing and attention to detail between these two races. As far as story progression and romance, I didn't really care for it. Man, it took quite awhile for things to pick up. Sure, it won't matter to some people, but I'm just not into slow reads. I need something to catch my attention and keep me interested/invested in the story and its characters and I just wasn't feeling it here. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story enough and the latter 2/3 was when things really picked up and I started paying more attention, but you know how I get. If it takes that long, it doesn't bode well for me. I liked Kestrel though. She's a tough female lead in a male-driven world and she definitely holds her own, especially against Cheat, the bastard. I didn't care for Arin though. Not that he wasn't a decent guy and he obviously had feelings for her, but he was a bit too hot and cold for my tastes. My heart kind of went out to him towards the end, but that's about it. Overall, I liked the book, but didn't love it (and I know I'm in the minority).