I admit I bought this based on the cover, and I can happily say that the cover matches the tone and quality of the book very well. I would recommend this to fans of Howl's Moving Castle the Studio Ghibli film (not the book it's based on), but the atmosphere is somewhat darker and less fanciful. I would also compare it to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, but the writing felt closer to the characters and easier to submerge into. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a great job of  handling the complex pronunciations and reflecting Liska's positive attitude in the face of danger and horror. 

I expected the ending, but I hoped I might be wrong. The epilogue offers a small glimmer of hope.