** spoiler alert ** 
 3.5/5 
 It was a easy, quick read, and Kestrel kind of reminded me of Mulan. No, but seriously, that ending really did remind me of Mulan 2. 
 I thought at times they dragged the story along, especially in the beginning since it seemed like the same arguments time and time again. It was different from any books I had been reading and it was a good way to start reading after the longest time (1 month...) so it was refreshing. 
 I know (and I'm pretty sure she knows too) that she's smart, but I hate the she's easily swayed. And maybe it was just how I read it but it seemed like she brushed some events off that I'm assuming should be important... It didn't seem like much of a big deal. But it's okay she redeemed herself when it came to it. And I would've liked to see more up-close Arin and Kestrel interaction before the Herrani takeover to actually see how their relationship developed instead of just glancing over it. 
 She is a character actually able to think things through and methodically. I liked seeing her figure things out by the little details and her development in this book, so I'm interested in how she will fare in the next 2 in the series. AND MY POOR ARIN. Arin was conniving and sweet and ugh I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about him. 
 Overall, I'm excited to read the next book!