I picked this up via Libby from my local library purely based off the gorgeous cover and it was beautiful. I loved the world that was unrolled before me and how the characters changed and grew.

The Good:
- A different and diverse fantasy. The way leadership was set up was interesting and different from anything I've read before.
- The many facets of the land were beautifully described. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Swana.
- The ending was just right in that it wrapped certain things up but also created lots of routes the second book could go down.

What Could Have Been Better?:
- I'm aware this is YA but sometimes the characters behaved in ways that seemed too young or out of character.
- Some of the plot lines were more interesting than others and consequently made for different enjoyment levels during different parts of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the sequel which, I believe, is out in August.