I usually don't read a lot of military Sci-Fi, but I kept hearing good things about this series and have been in the mood for something fast-paced and plot-driven, so I picked it up. I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I liked Kloos' writing style, which is simple, direct, and a little snarky. Usually a lot of technical stuff about weapons and battle scenes bore me a bit, but the clear writing made this book a quick page-turner for me. Grayson, the main character, was likeable enough and had a good sense of humor; I kind of agree that it seemed a little too easy for him at times to just be good at everything in basic training and tech school, but at least he's terrible at flying ships so he's not a Mary Sue (or whatever the guy version of that is). It made sense, though, that he could pick things up pretty easily because he was bookish and smart to start off with, but then fully dedicated himself to the physical aspects of military life because there simply wasn't anything else to do and getting kicked out of basic was not an option for him, so he kind of had to succeed or all of his dreams were pretty much dashed. Also, a lot of the technology seemed to compensate for the skill level of the users, as they had battle armor that helped them aim etc. 
 One aspect of this book I really liked was the gender parity; women were in high-ranking, respected positions and were rewarded for their skill. The men in the squads didn't seem to treat their female counterparts any differently, and there seemed to be a good amount of solidarity and loyalty amidst the different squads that Grayson joined. It's kind of impressive that people who have grown up in violent slums with few opportunities could still be really good people when it came down to it. Meanwhile, Grayson's growth from being a somewhat angsty loner to a loyal member of a team was one of my favorite parts of the story. I also really liked Halley (what is her first name though???) and hope to see more action for her in the next book; I already have the next two books loaded on my Kindle!