This was more interesting for the insight into the culture than anything about the author's life.

A fun, light read. The ~mystery~ wasn't particularly difficult to figure out, but I enjoyed hearing about the process of book restoration. It sounds like a fascinating field.

This book started off slowly, making me wonder if I was ever going to really like Sinda as a character. Her passive reactions to some very emotionally charged situations were off-putting, to say the least. However, once she "found herself" (or more specifically, her magic), she became almost an entirely different person. Taking charge of her life gave her a newfound sense of purpose and I enjoyed the journey she took to the city and all the way through the conspiracy she stumbled upon. She has to make some very realistic choices as to how to protect the people she cares about and you know what? Sometimes she makes mistakes. That's how I like my characters.

I feel like O'Neal dropped the ball in not to exploring the relationship Sinda had with the king and queen - we got a short bit (right before the truth was revealed) about how little she sees them and barely a complete thought about them as parents afterward.

The writing itself occasionally carried too much exposition, introspection on things that seemed obvious to me - but I have to remember that it was written for a young adult audience. There were a few threads that I wish were picked up on a little more - Sinda's birth mother, for example. We know she left Sinda's father and he died heart-broken, but what else? What were her motivations? Where did she come from? The only information we were given was through Sinda's aunt, who is a biased character.

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to this where Sinda and Mika/Nalia grow into their respective roles as indicated at the end of the novel. There's plenty of political conspiracy to go around! The romantic tension angle doesn't even need to be a part of it (not that that tension was particularly taut in the first ...)

I loved the medical drama of this book, how Cherijo figured out the puzzles of anatomy of a variety of species and her ability to adapt to situations when they became dangerous in order to fulfill her oath as a doctor.

However, her relationship with Kao was severely underdone. They meet once "on screen" and then only a few times afterward (not shown) and suddenly, they're in love? Suddenly, Kao would like to Choose her, as a lifetime mate? It doesn't compute. I didn't feel any sort of emotional attachment between them and barely a sexual one. Her volatile relationship with Dr. Mayer or even the vile Dr. Rogan had more passion than this love affair.

The conflict she has with Reever makes me uncomfortable, to be quite honest. I feel as if he sees her as an experiment in some fashion, a way to learn how to be the human he never quite managed to become, but he seems to also want to possess her in any fashion he can. No doubt their interactions in the oncoming books will elaborate on this and (perhaps!) prove me wrong.

Edit: after having read a few other novels in this series, I hate their relationship even more.