Can I give this six stars? It's the best book in the series since His Majesty's Dragon, and I've enjoyed them all.

No spoilers here, but I read this entire book with my heart in my throat. I came away thinking what an incredible commentary it was on how the right choice isn't necessarily the easy or popular one, and how making a moral decision can still exact an unbelievably high cost. I admire Novik so much for never taking the easy way out, for making her characters pay the consequences for their actions, and yet still leaving me both smiling and weepy at the end. I can't wait to see what happens next. Highly recommended.