This book was sprung on me by my sister who, fortunately, knows me well. She was right - this was a good book, made particularly good because of the obvious thought that went in to the world-building and the reality of politics even (especially) in a fantasy world. The best part, however, is Marchetta's willingness to think about what it means to a strong female character and her willingness to write Evanjalin in a realistic fashion. Evanjalin breaks almost as many of the "strong female character" tropes as she embodies and the story works primarily because of who Marchetta allows her to be as a person. It's nice to read a high fantasy novel focused not just on a chosen boy, but on a powerful girl and the political situation that drives them both.