I agree with a lot of the other reviews on here saying that the second half is much better than the first. I found it difficult to get into the story and the characters for most of the book. The action in the last 30 percent was pretty good though. 
 I liked how smart Kestrel was but other than that she really didnt have much personality. Arin was about the same, smart but lukewarm in the personality department. 
 The action is good enough for me to give book two a try. I gave this 3 stars because it wasn't bad but it also wasn't great. It was just sort of likeable in the middle.