First, the cover is lovely. The colors are great; it could depict sunrise or sunset. I think I see bird wings where Talin is standing. The cover is what got my attention right away. I also like the inclusion of maps, as it shows where everything happens. The names of cities are witty as in "Houndsfang" a city that lies at the foot of a ruin of a jagged steel needle, that looks like a fang. The capital is "Newage," which could be a play on "New Age." You jump right into the plot. Very descriptive language/world building. The reader almost feels sorry for Ghosts, but they have to be killed. How do their bodies keep regenerating? Are they a form of zombie or vampire? Talin is performing a thankless, awful job on behalf of some very ungrateful people. Suffering from PTSD, she gets insulted by the country she is protecting, while all the while grateful that she can keep her mother alive. The characters are memorable; the scene where she tried to give Corian's uniform back to his family reminds me of the vicious treatment Jane Eyre suffered at the hands of her relatives because she is the poor relation. The author delves into classism/racism as Corian is blonde and from a wealthy family. Talin has very black hair. She also explores the effects of a long term losing war that is a stalemate at best in the good times. Talin is as worn down as her adopted land, which is physically/psychologically falling apart. Who are the Early Ones? The author hints that they just vanished, but where did they go? To the stars? Did they die from a mass illness or did they war against themselves? The Karensa Federation is similar to Nazi Germany in that they desire "living space" (something Hitler spoke of). They view themselves as superior and worthy of inheriting the world from the Early Ones. All other people in other countries are not worthy of life, sub human at best. I liked Adena who is resourceful and kind. The bond between Talin and Corian is movingly depicted, especially where the author reveals the reason Strikers work in pairs; they have to be prepared to kill each other if necessary due to a Ghost bite. Even some of her fellow Strikers are cruel to her due to her being a Basean. She doesn't get affirmation from her own group, and is stuck as a perpetual outsider. In a land of refugees and Marans there seems to be a pecking order. People from other lands are allowed to contribute and are seen as valuable, but Baseans seem to be kicked around by everyone. At the end of Chapter 3, she still hasn't found a new partner. But I like how she sees that the captured prisoner about to be interrogated might just be a weapon, or a kind of Trojan Horse. The Federation may have sent a weapon of mass destruction into Mara to wipe them out once and for all. Is the war wearing down the Federation too? Or does the mystery prisoner have his own plans? Do the other Strikers see what she sees?