I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this. At first, I wasn't completely sold on the magic systems or the lack of detailed explanations. Then, the characters started coming to life, and I couldn't put this story down. All the characters have a bit of grit, but they all feel fully individualized. Even the one girl who didn't say a word the whole book felt like a fully developed character to me. It seemed like everyone had a dash of humor, which I think works extremely well with the type of grim, fast-paced story. I wish more of the mysteries had been explained, but the end, but that's what the rest of the series is for, I'm sure.