I'll warn potential readers- the heroine of this book will remind you of a Mary Sue type heroine. Why? Because she's instantly a great vamp with tons of control, takes to sword fighting like a fish to water, & is lusted after by a great many men. (Almost all of which are of course powerful.) 
 Yet despite these things, this was an incredibly entertaining read that I found really hard to put down. Neill might technically have written Merit as a Gritty Sue, but her writing style is so great that most readers really won't notice and if they do, they won't care. Merit's love interests are pretty interesting, although of course there's one that obviously stands out more & will doubtlessly be "the one" for her. 
 I can only hope that as the series progresses we begin to see more obstacles for Merit and her friend Mallory (who also gets much of the same treatment in this book). Otherwise this will turn an otherwise highly promising series into one that just isn't as entertaining. (I.E., if you already know the lead heroine is going to succeed, then where's the thrill of reading?)