Likeable enough YA read, although I say that with some reservations (more on that below). Basically, it's a story of two young mutants who meet and fall in love while trying to mitigate the depredations of the local vicious kings. Particularly, they need to rescue the ten year old heir to the throne of the worst king so she can take her father's place and stop the abuse of the local populace. Katsa, the heroine, is born with a Grace - in this world, a magical power marked by mismatched eyes - and her particular talent is known to be killing. This naturally does not make her generally popular, a state of affairs that is exacerbated by her royal uncle's tendency to use her as enforcer. He's trained her as an attack dog since Katsa was a child, and she's very good at it... until she just can't do it anymore, and starts her own particular brand of resistance.

For once I'm finding the love interest, Po, far more interesting than the protagonist. Katsa isn't always pleasant - her tendency to misuse horses is played for laughs, mostly, but is frankly deeply unattractive - but given her upbringing one can't really expect a whole lot of compassion for others when that character trait has been deliberately ground out of her. What is likeable about her is her determination, her willingness to think for herself, and the bravery she ultimately shows in protecting others and learning to open up emotionally. As with many, many martially-inclined young heroines, however, there's the lamentable tendency to show absolute disdain for anything feminine (we get it, Katsa, you hate dresses), which is further underlined by the fact that she doesn't have any female friends. Granted, she doesn't have many friends full-stop, but all the people she chooses to spend time with are male. There's a very minor supporting character who takes on a briefly maternal role, and she's very kind to young Bitterblue (who is unreservedly awesome) but still. No girls her own age seem to exist anywhere in her circle - and this is something that I always, always find disappointing.