A bit of a tough start, but I am hooked!

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The book cover is definitely attention-grabbing, as is the premise. I liked how the female character is considered the "badass thief" while the male character is the upright one.

At first, I found myself a little lost in the terminology and geography/world-building of the novel. I found myself rereading the summary of what each nation is in charge of over and over, trying to get them all straight. It reminds me of the Divergent series, separated into factions, and I just think more clarification or reiteration early on in the novel would help. Maybe like a prologue where the different nations and their separations are introduced so the readers will have some foreknowledge before they begin the story and also have some place to go back to in order to refresh their memories. I also think a map of Quardana (sp?) would be very helpful and beneficial for readers so we can visually see how each nation is separated and where they are located in relation to each other. I know that I as a reader find visual aids very helpful, especially when the novels take place in 'fantasy' worlds.

I like how the beginning of the queen's chapters start with their laws as that was a main point of interest for me. Their back story of how they came to rule all the land and their differing (and sometimes clashing) personalities was also a plus. The last chapter was so so good and kept me reading and interested. I am dying to know what the memories contained and what happens next!