2.5 stars...I really had to think about this book because I'm so conflicted. I like the story. I do. However... Mare is insufferable. Half the book is just her thinking about how much more important she is than all the other Newbloods. I don't get why Kilorn and Cal are so drawn to her. I wanted to kick her ass the entire time. Idk. Still deciding if I'm going to read the next one. Then the writer killed of Shade and I didn't feel like I'd connected to him at all and, while it was sad, it wasn't as heart wrenching to me as the deaths of some of my favorite characters from other books. As I write this, I feel less and less like reading the next book.