My attention was caught by the set-up - we've been given a fair amount of world-building already, but not enough to drown us in it, and what's there so far is interesting. I liked the set-up of the hungry forest and the mysterious witch. The book is well-written. However I did feel that, while the characters are in their turn likable/intriguing/despicable, they also feel like YA fantasy tropes - a heroine with a skill with weapons and aversion to love, a reluctant prince with an evil father - hopefully they fill out with different depth as the story continues.