I really wanted to love this book, but it left me wanting to go back and reread the Hunger Games and the Lord of the Rings instead of picking up the next volume in this series. It has the feel of a great epic, but was overtly preachy at times. I'm a forty something female who is in complete agreement that slavery and tobacco addiction are bad things and strong female leaders are good things. I don't need to be directly told this. Making the story show me how and why would have been a more powerful reminder. I'm still not sure if the intended audience is YA or adult. It felt YA in terms of overall tone, but some of the graphic violence makes me hesitate to suggest it for younger and/or sensitive readers.

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