How disappointing. This book was nowhere near the hype it has received. I expected a lot more from a book lauded by the likes of Tamora Pierce, Christopher Paolini, and Alison Goodman. Characters were only mildly interesting, the main character herself unrelatable and unlikeable. The plot was simple and nearly boring, predictable in many places, and easily allowed me to set the book down several times. Hardly anything was resolved at the end of this lengthy, dragging book, which hints that a sequel must come to tie in the many loose ends that could have been taken care of had the author not wasted so many pages on nearly nothing. I won't be picking up the next in the series and I regret asking the library to order this one. I gave it two stars as a nod to Hartman's competent writing and descriptions.