What stands out about this book is that it has strong female characters without being too pointed about it. Flora isn't a ninja, or an excellent archer, or anything like that. She's just smart, brave, loyal to her friends, and learns lessons from her mistakes. No one in the book including the males act surprised or make comments about how women are strong or the leaders, they just are; it's normal. So is it normal for the men to be strong and leaders. That's refreshing. I also really liked the magic in these books. It's also not the point of the plot or story, it's interspersed in a fun and interesting way. The fact that a lot of things are merely left unexplained or only explained a bit is either great or annoying depending on the type of reader you are. I myself enjoyed it. And the setting was unique and fun: some sort of archaic/military/Spanish world, with multiple uses of 'pigface,' 'snapperhead' etc. It was fun. Udo her best friend was also awesome; a dandy, a future hero.