This is a good book, like most of McKinley's books. However, unlike most of McKinley's books, it's the first in an intended trilogy, it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and apparently she got writer's block and hasn't been able to write the second one yet (despite the fact it was due in 2012). She's even blogged about the difficulty she's having in finishing the trilogy. So, overall, I would highly recommend NOT reading this book until she actually manages to write the sequels.