This one started off feeling like a Harry Potter rip off. It took me a bit to get into the book because of that. However, once it got going, things rolled pretty well. I did find myself often distracted by questions I kept formulating about the world Holmberg has created, but hopefully some of these will be answered for me throughout the remaining 2 books of the trilogy. I enjoyed the general premise and the ending, while not fantastic, was strong. I'm looking forward to continuing on to book #2.