Very solid 4-4.5/5 stars for me

I'm really glad I read this book. I didn't know what it was about before having it, but I just read some reviews here and there, so I didn't have much hype, but I was also intrigued. It is a really good YA fantasy story, with an interesting world building that is not sooo detailed, but enough to feel immersed in it.

My two top aspects of the book are: the characters and the ending. First, the ending feels self contained even when it is a book that is going to form part of a series. It is a good beginning, but it doesn't feel like it was only made to give you glimpses of the story that will come. A lot happens and by the end, I felt satisfied with the whole story. Happy to know that there is going to come more, but satisfied with what it is for now. The story had a lot of twists, some expected and some really unexpected. And the pace was pretty fast, so is a very easy book to read.

Now, the characters. In my opinion, the real highlight in here, especially the female companions of the main character. They are all lovable, not without flaws, with compelling individual stories. They are not explored as much as I'd have liked, but enough to make them interesting. We definetely need a Britta in our lives. And even with all the horrible things that the MC suffers through the first part of the story is not something everyone has experienced, she is written in a very relatable way. Even if she's not your favourite, is not a bad MC by all means.

Now, some spoilers:

If you wrote or read fanfiction when you were younger, this is like the best example of a really good self-insert inspired fanfic. I do not mean that the author made a self-insert story, but it feels like one. Like a power fantasy, where the MC is what you'd like for yourself, with a cool set of special abilities, and how you would defy all odds and end victorious. Deka even have a cool animal companion that can telephatically "speak" with her. And I loved this aspect of the story, though it may not be for everyone. It made me enjoy the story so much, but I felt that it was important to mention.

White Hands was such a great character, because I was never sure if I should trust her. I honestly thought she'd be the final boss, the main villain, but I was so happy with her true identity. And the thing with the deathshrieks being good was not surprising, but being the final form of the alaki after their final death was. So happy that Katya came back, even as a deathshriek; I loved her character!

So TL;DR: great YA fantasy story, totally recommend it!