Absolutely loved this, was totally absorbed start to finish. Foreshadowing and world building was incredible. Character development, chef’s kiss. The horror caught me off guard a bit as it went on but kept me totally engrossed. Found some of the gore a little gratuitous (especially, spoiler, the description of what happened to the women and babies in Golyn Niis) but I think you NEEDED that to understand Rin’s decision in the end. You needed to feel the horror she felt to sympathise with her decision, even if hopefully as a reader you’re still appalled by her actions.

I love Rin as a… protagonist? I’ve seen several reviews getting annoyed at her for being “immature”, ignoring the fact that she’s literally a teenager, 14 at the start of the book, raised on stories of/then IN war. Of course she’s going to be emotional and violent. And in real life, EVERYONE at that age is learning their own world view from the people around them, changing their opinions - she’s still being influenced and moulded, while trying to make sense of massive concepts for herself! Criticism that she just randomly changes her mind to fit the plot is frankly, bulls**t, and if you think that I’m not convinced you actually read it. We see her develop and her reasoning throughout, how she’s torn between two paths and WHY she makes the (HORRIFYING) decision that she does. That much power on the shoulders of anyone that young would make you insane.

It gave me a similar feeling to reading Lyra in his dark materials… yeah she’s a little annoying at times but she’s a very real and relatable character being pulled in a million directions by people she respects/loves/envies… and you’re still mostly rooting for her, or if not, sympathetic to her struggles. I think some people just get a kick out of hating on books led by women with personalities they don’t find attractive.

Also, people seem to have a real problem with her decision to sterilise herself. Her value as a female protagonist doesn’t come from her womb, you’re not making the feminist point you think you are. Don’t forget how many real women want to do this and have the decision taken away from them by men. It made perfect sense for her character in her situation. For her to be obstructed her pain and muscle weakness to ultimately fail out of Sinegard - the thing she’d been building towards for years - over her ‘bodily potential for motherhood’… naaaaah. That would have been very poor writing. If anything, I appreciated the acknowledgment that period pain would severely hold back young girls in her position.

Overall, the haters are fools and this was a brilliant read. Couldn’t put it down and now running between book shops trying to get a copy of the next one. Enjoy!!