I was pleasantly surprised by this book. As a 2008 YA fantasy I was expecting more predictable tropes and plot lines, but the storyline actually felt pretty original to me. 
It was definitely a little 'I'm not like other girls' coded e.g. "She was not normal", BUT, unlike a lot of books with this trope, she actually did have skills and life experiences that made her markedly different from the other characters. Most of the time this sort of character is pretty bland, and starts off the book with no skills then magically gains them through no effort of their own, in this book Katsa was a refreshing take on the trope. 
The biggest let down of the book was Bitterblue. No 10-year-old would EVER be able to monologue or tell a concise and eloquent story as well as Bitterblue did, it was insane. Kids can be well spoken, but would not interact with adults like this, or be able to anticipate other's needs for plans/schemes. She was essentially written as an adult in a child's body, which made every scene with her in highly unbelievable. 
The climax of the book started off with a really fun shock, but then was pretty underwhelming - I wanted more trauma from Leck's grace!
Overall, this was not a masterpiece by any means, but still a really solid, enjoyable fantasy. I plan on continuing the series.