Yes. That word just about sums up this book. I finished this book in a single sitting, and as you probably know if you read my Top Ten Tuesday bookish habits I’ve quit post…that hasn’t happened in a really long time. The last time it happened, I was reading Andrea di Robilant’s book Chasing the Rose, well over a year ago.

This book is everything you could want in a great YA fantasy series–an intriguing and complex magic system, a dark, fascinating fantasy world (this one is very loosely based on Russia), a feisty heroine, good love interests, and an important quest to decide the fate of the fantasy world. What more could you ask for? The writing is fast-paced and engaging and well constructed. I cannot wait to finish the rest of this series, and I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I know. And now, I’m recommending it to you. Though you’ve probably already read it if you’re up on your fantasy YA reading, and if you have, you can squeal about it in the comments with me.