This book took my completely by surprise and I loved every minute of it.

WHAT I LOVED:
-The issues of slavery and war that this book focused on. The idea that the conquered nation was "civilized" and the conquering nation was "barbaric" is not something that we see in history books (since they always skew whoever was enslaved as somehow lesser...because sometimes the people who 'create' history are assholes). It was such an interesting dynamic to see.

Spoiler

Then, when that all gets turned around and the conquered nation rises up, it created another complexity to that dynamic (and to the romance of our main characters).

-Kestral. She is a strong main character, but strong in ways that are very different than many YA heroines. She is very intelligent, very cunning, and uses those skills to her advantage masterfully. She is always 2 steps ahead of everyone else.
-The romance. It had a slow burn feel to it. I enjoyed how her romantic interest could keep up with her intelligence, but not quite! She was still a step ahead of him. They compliment each other well, as well as being opposites. Everything I love in a couple.
-The plot twists. They were done in a way that the story still flowed, and I didn't feel like any were thrown in there just as a way to surprise the audience. They made sense.

This series is very character driven, and the characters are so complex yet people you relate to. I am so interested to see where the rest of the series goes. I have already pre-ordered the sequel :) If you would like to hear more of my thoughts, I will be posting a spoiler-free review as well as a discussion video on my channel!