AMAZING!!! I feel like this book is going to stay with me for a long time (which totally makes sense, if you know the ending XD). I was positively reminded of The Golden Compass, Coraline, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Language of Thorns; Kestrel belongs in The Club for Traumatized, Resilient, and Intrepid Girls right alongside Lyra, Coraline, Ophelia and Ayama. This book took classic fairytale archetypes - like the wicked witch or the huntsman - but retold their story with fresh and sinister results. More importantly, this book took a grim, honest look at our home-grown monsters: abusive relatives, bullies, toxic friends, and our own insecurities. A perfect, dark fable! <3 <3 <3 I already want to flip right back to the beginning and glean what I missed the first go-around XD.