Oh, this is so very, very good. Had to read this twice because Rae Carson's debut novel reads like she's been a published author for far longer. A huge plus for this novel was that even though Carson delves into imagery the way I delve into a chocolate lava cake, she didn't waste it on describing a) how beautiful the female protagonist is or b) how handsome the male protagonist is. Especially because the female protagonist is NOT beautiful. She's a coward, she's overweight, and she loves to read. She's smart because she is too shy to talk to people, and thus reads and observers the people around her. That is true intelligence, and it's refreshing to see a female character who is not this undiscovered amazing superhero. Elisa [the main character] is honest, the way a heroine SHOULD be. The only thing wrong with this is that she's only 16, but then again, she is described as being an old soul. I think she has the maturity and thoughts of someone who has experienced a lot more in their life. 
 Another reason why anyone who loves the YA fantasy genre should read this is because of its Spanish/Latin influence. All other YA fantasy that I have read is staunchly influenced by British monarchies, but this is not. I had to ask my boyfriend how to pronounce several character names for me [Ximena??] and translate a few words that I did not believe were made up [they totally were]. All in all, fantastic read!