I loved reading this book, even as difficult as it was for me to handle all the themes. I'm pretty squeamish! But all of the theming was necessary and added to reader gratification as we watched the Iron Widow progress.

There were a few times that the romance felt flat for me, and I don't know if it was due to the titular character's perspective, the YA genre, or the fact it's the author's first book. I think if the perspectives shifted more often than in just the first chapter, that would have brought the book a lot of strength. I could see myself really loving a Midnight Sun-type work with the perspectives of other main characters.