I really enjoyed the first part of Ruined. I liked the initial world-building and character introductions. But I think Ruined has left me with a case of wanting more, and sadly not necessarily in the really good way. I think the plot was rushed. Basically, I think Em's charade as Mary should have been expanded, which would have let us get to know the characters better, the world better. Exploring the political and social interactions among the four countries/kingdoms while Em was playing her role would have helped immensely. I think Ruined jumped the gun a bit. The warriors' attack would have been a great climax at the end of the book, but the effect was somewhat lost as there was a lot of undirected wandering around the jungle after that. The plot went stagnant. However, I do like Em, Cas, and Aren, and I'm interested to see how Olivia shakes things up, and I'll definitely pick up the sequel. A bit of a shaky start, but an interesting premise and solid action sequences make Ruined an intriguing start to a cool new fantasy trilogy.