I enjoyed the setting and the writing style, as they provided a lot of interesting and rich detail about the complexities of culture and politics in Alaska. I was disappointed the main character - Kate Shugak felt like a Mary Sue with no flaws. Her aloofness never posed a significant challenge to her image in the eyes of other 'good' characters, her dislike for fashion was easily overcome with a makeover, and her morally questionable actions felt like an unfair advantage to ensuring that she could easily Get Stuff Done in ways that other characters couldn't. Other female characters who were described as being conventionally attractive never seemed to get along with her, often in ways that implied that they were inferior to her.