I was expecting a high fantasy with intrigue, backstabbing, and all around badassery. That's what you get for not checking the genres that a book is listed under. Middle-grade, Isaboe! It's a middle-grade book! Read the damn genre lists! 
 Anyway, if you couldn't tell, I was sorely disappointed. What I got was a plot that I could see from about 50 miles away, with a sappy, undeveloped romance and the standard bad villain types. Only 3 stars because Sage is my favorite.