While still solidly written, this novel lacked a certain polish that I’ve come to expect from Jane Austen’s work. Part of this might be attributed to the fact that there was much more exposition than normal, even for a Jane Austen novel. Overall, a well-written novel but you can definitely tell it was her first.

The characters felt alive and full, but I missed a bit of development from one of our main love interests, simply because he disappeared for the majority of the novel. Both the sisters had an amazing balance between them and, even while they fought, Austen found a way for you to empathize with both plights. Some of the side characters felt a little underdeveloped in the sense that the author simply told us how we should feel about them instead of naturally developing those feelings. 

I am still bummed that I missed out on the conclusion of this romance plot. While we see how everything ends, I wish we had been present for the end and not simply told how each of the characters pairs off. At some points in the novel, things lined up a bit too nicely – not in a way that suggested good development but in a way that suggested a bit of a heavy hand from Austen. The story is a great tale, but I wish it had been given more moments to truly shine. Overall, still solid.

Okay, so the book was *good* but there was no reason to leave out the characters actually getting together. I felt absolutely disappointed that I never got a scene in which the sisters unite with their loves. The ending also felt a bit contrived, focusing so much on the antagonists throughout the novel that I felt jaded as the reader.