At the beginning I'd have never thought this book was about to conquer a steady place on my favorite shelf, but it did indeed and here's a solid 5 stars rating. The story can't be described as an easy one to understand at a first read. I got lost several times throughout all its twists and turns, its political intrigues between the different reigns and the intricate family relationships. The whole plot was, in my personal opinion, made harder to remember because of the weird names Melina Marchetta gave to her characters and settings. Nevertheless the story didn't fail to mesmerize me, keeping me breathless till the last pages. I loved the descriptions of Charyn (that I found later having been partly inspired by the Italian town of Matera) and its barren landscapes that seemed to mirror the dismay of its inhabitants. I also enjoyed some of the new characters introduced by Marchetta in this new chapter of the saga. Among them, Quintana was undoubtedly the most original, but Lirah struck me too for her untamed personality and Phaedra left me wondering..... 
 I won't add much to this review. Enough to say that I'm looking forward to finding out where the fate will lead Quintana and Froi, but also Isaboe, Finnikin and the Lumaterans in the final installment.