TL;DR: THIS BOOK IS AWESOME. Stick with it in the beginning, and let it get going. You won't regret it!
I picked up this book on a lark when someone mentioned the author and I happened over to read their blurbs. The blurb caught my attention and the book was cheap, so I grabbed it and started reading. At first, I was a little concerned because the writing was a bit weak in the beginning and I was nervous about where the author was going with things. But I stuck with it for a short time, and it started to get increasingly better.
Throughout the book, the writing tightened up significantly, and the story was AWESOME. The characters were rich and lovable and the plot was truly intriguing! I had no idea where it was actually going to end up going by the time the real conflict started rising. It could have gone either way! It was so well done and I really enjoyed it to the last.
I think Steph Shangraw would have benefited from an editor looking over the book to tighten up the writing in the beginning as some of that nearly turned me off to it early on, but I understand that an editor isn't always possible and I'm just glad that I stuck with reading it long enough to get really hooked. Excellent. I can't believe I found a random indie book that rates a solid five stars in my very critical eye.
The only thing I really wish was different is... I wish this was a series!
(reviewed 40 days after purchase)