Well this was my third "girl-makes-it-alone-in-wilderness" book over a few months, and I was worried that that would cloud my judgment of this book when I struggled to get into it through the first couple of chapters. But I've got to say, this was definitely my favorite of my made-up trilogy; the pace picked up switching between past and present, and I was absolutely hooked. For once, even when I was kind of frustrated with Kya and her refusal to let the good people in, I also completely understood where she was coming from. She was not being stubborn or dense; she was protecting herself and her heart after all the abandonment she'd suffered. Delia Owens laid out her history so perfectly, so that you came to a place of knowing and understanding Kya, feeling sorry for her at times, but also respecting her and her constant survival.

She was a great protagonist, surrounded by a great (not always in character or morality, but in development and real-ness) supporting cast that made the story so alive and moving. And not only that, but the novel was so beautiful—it was truly a love letter to nature and its hidden life.

And the ending really just blew me away.