I held off of reading this one for years, despite having faithfully (nearly obsessively!) read and loved all of Tamora Pierce's earlier works. I thought I wouldn't like this one because it was in first person. I was WRONG. I am so glad I decided to pick it up, although my productivity in the few days it took me to devour this fell off considerably. Like a terrier, I was incapable of letting this one go after I sunk my teeth into it--it was fantastic! Exactly the kind of unbelievably good storytelling that I'd come to expect and love from Pierce. If you are on the fence about this one for the first person narrative, do yourself a favour and give it a chance. I am off to the library to grab the next two, quickly.