Review to come! 
 Update 10/16/14: 
 Actual rating 4.5 stars 
 I was a little worried when I originally picked up this book. I knew it was going to be pure fantasy, but it sounded similar to other fantasy books I had read before, and was hoping it wouldn't be exactly the same. However, I am very happy to say that this book was amazing and completely original!! The story starts off a little slow and you have to get used to the writing (which were the main reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of the full 5), but as soon as you are several chapters in, the story takes off, and never lets you go. As I said, the writing takes some getting used to, I don't know if it was just me, but I found it a bit confusing at times. Nevertheless, I was able to get used to the writing style fairly quickly, and it didn't really detract from the story after I was a couple chapters into the story. In fact, I thought it worked extremely well with the storyline and setting, and gave the book an extra something. For me, this book read like The Hobbit/LOTR mixed with elementals, and let's just stop and realize how cool of a combination that is... 
 Lark was a wonderful main character. At first, I wasn't completely loving her character (as in the first few chapters), but she really grew on me throughout the story. It took a lot of courage to go out on her own, even though she didn't want to. She knew what she had to do, and ventured out into the wild lands to ensure that her family and village was safe. She grows significantly over the course of the novel, but that's not to say she doesn't have some silly, naive moments. I was able to overlook these however, and honestly it didn't take that much away from the story. The Riders were a wonderful element added to this story, and I hope that the future books in the series further elaborate on their history (either that or there could be a novella about the Riders, which would be awesome in my opinion!). Gharain is definitely amazing, and while I didn't like the idea that he went from hate to love with Lark, it's also completely understandable in the context of the story. I definitely hope we will be seeing him again! 
 At first, I thought there was going to be this insta-love thing, and if there were, I don't think I would have loved this book as much as I did. While there is romance in the book, it doesn't overshadow the storyline. The romance is in the background, but pops up every now and then, rearing its crazy head. Ms. Waugh did a wonderful job at balancing the romance with the action and adventure of the story, and I hope that she continues that same balance in the future novels. I think if the romance starts overshadowing the main storyline, I won't like the book as much quite honestly. 
 I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a unique, creative fantasy story that will take you to new, dangerous worlds. This is an excellent start to the series, and Ms. Waugh is definitely an author to watch, as I expect great things for her and her writings. This is packed with adventure, magic, mystery, and love, and you will not want to put it down. 
 Happy reading :)