This is a book that requires some world building. As a result it is difficult to form a first impression as the characters and setting of this book need more than just a few pages to coalesce. I felt myself needing more information about the underlying premise of women and their relationships to the community, their families, and each other. This need for information made the book seem to be lacking. It is likely that all of this unfolded as the book progressed, but I felt the need to understand these issues before I could try to invest in the characters of the book. The descriptions of the town and its relationship to the world were well done so I can see some promise of a good story. The author seemed to be trying to develop the world and characters at the same pace. This did not work for me as I needed to understand one to understand the other.