Weirdly slow for such a short book. Luckily the relationship dynamics are much better than in the other book set in this world, but the book as a whole is also a lot less fun and readable. The main character has a decent arc. The Rapunzel stuff is integrated creatively and fairly subtly, which is what I would expect from Gail Carson Levine. The oppression plotline is heavy handed but fine. Overall, not Levine's best, but it still had good moments, especially near the end.