This is my first Marie Lu book and I have to say, what an introduction to her work! This story was so whimsical, somber, hopeful, and with just the right touch of darkness that I was captivated right from the start. The pacing felt slow at times but never unsteady. The worldbuilding had such a dreamlike quality to it that reminded me of V.E. Schwab's Addie LaRue. Lu's writing is straightforward but gorgeous, and I am eager to read more from her. Historical low fantasy at its finest.