Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

So, I've given myself a night to absorb the book and my feelings haven't changed. This book was good, but not great. There was nothing in there that truly wowed me and it wasn't until I reached...I'd say the halfway point that I started really enjoying the story.

What worked? The premise was excellent and well-executed. The characters weren't all cookie-cutter; I didn't have to work to remember a face every time they made a new appearance.

What I found...difficult with this novel came from my feelings for Yelena. Connecting to her (or even caring for her well-being) took much too long and if the premise hadn't intrigued me, I might have given up on it altogether. It was nice to read a female protagonist who didn't immediately swoon over the eventual love interest and had enough spirit and drive to become independent of needing others to protect her at all times, though there was simply...something that kept me at a distance from her for the majority of the book.
The writing itself was awkward at times and put an unnatural feeling to quite a few moments. (Sorry for that. Avoiding spoilers is more difficult than I thought.)

Being the first in a series, there was a lot going on, though I feel this will become less overwhelming as the story continues and the need to get the reader up-to-date isn't quite as pressing.

My overall impression is positive and I look forward to the next book.

Edit (4/4/16): Forgot to mention my annoyance with the rat metaphors. Every other page she was referencing her feelings of being a rat in a cage or she was being called a rat or she had a mouse in her belly. Enough already!