So I've read Novik's Temeraire series, but let me tell you, her writing style is very different in this book. Or so I felt. She definitely took on a more story-telling like style, which makes sense, since she was inspired by Polish myths and stories. It almost gave me the same feeling as when I read Robin McKinley. A great plot, with wonderful characters, but a writing style that my brain just has a hard time easing into. It's almost as if the books are written by foreign authors (who don't speak English), and when the book gets brought over here and translated, some parts are so foreign my brain doesn't comprehend it well. It's always worth it in the end, though! The ending to this is not quite what I expected, which is great, because everything about this book was unexpected and original!