I got to review this for the amazon vine program & I absolutely loved it. I'm pretty easy to please as far as fairytale adaptations go & that Lo made it into a retelling that had lesbian pairings was just too intriguing to pass up. 
 If I had to describe this book in just two words, those words would be "sweet" & "timid". For a first novel, the book is amazingly done. It's just that at times the book seems a little well... undefined, as if the author was just a little afraid of pouring just a teensy bit more of her passion or ideas into it- like she was worried that it would almost overwhelm the book. The book's description of Kaisa & Ash's relationship describes it as delicate & that's a good way to put it. At times I'm unable to get as good of a feel of their relationship as I'd like but at other times I'm left breathless at the chemistry & dynamics between them. 
 The imagery in this book is very strong, with very much description of places, things & occasionally in a description of a scene. Some of the scenes seem to have multiple layers to them, especially one scene (my favorite in the story) where Kaisa offers Ash a slice of apple after telling her a fairytale where a princess sought the help of a fairy queen to woo a huntress but chose to remain with the fairy. The gesture is as intimate as a caress and it is in the moments such as these that you can truly feel the romance brewing between the two of them. It's just that at other points it is so much harder to feel this passion between the two of them. Maybe it would have helped if we could have learned more about Kaisa & her past- there were just so many different things about her that I didn't know & at times she seemed as unsubstantial as a fairy. This may have been the author's intention but it just seemed to hamper my enjoyment of their romance. I would also have loved to learn more about some of the other characters in the book, especially the stepsister Clara. (Perhaps in another book?) Like I said, parts of the book & its characters just weren't as clearly defined as others were. 
 Still, for a first attempt this is amazing. I'm more forgiving of an author's first published book because that first novel is where they really begin to take their "toddler's steps" at writing. The writing may seem a little undefined & timid at times, but the sheer potential is overwhelming. If this is her first attempt, I can barely wait for her next book to be released.