Yay! What a great surprise! I'm a bit wary when I pick an older YA because we all know there were some issues a while ago. But I loved this one! This hit your typical YA beats in terms of the structure of the story and the MC has a bit of a "not like other girls" BUT not in an annoying way! I loved Katsa all along! I honestly think it holds up and was even quite ahead of its time: no miscommunication, no impulsive decisions, healthy relationships...I love to see it!

Bullet review:
- Great characters
- Interesting world
- Top-notch OTP
- Feminist message
- Quest+survival tropes

I loved the feminist commentary here, representing a young woman who knows what she wants, doesn't want kids and doesn't want to get married. I think it's really positive to have that depicted as a healthy possibility in YA. Highlighting the importance of not losing yourself in a relationship should be done more often. On top of that, the fantasy element was really interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing what more is happening in this world.