I loved so much about this book--it is 4 stars WELL EARNED for its imagery, ability to transport me to the frontier, and make me genuinely care and worry about her characters. It lost a star for me because of how drastically some of the characterizations changed after a single event near the end of the book. It annoyed me that (in my perception) the author spent time telling us that it (of course) wasn't just because of said event after the fact, but happened over time, rather than show us those moments that would have chipped away at their previous notions.