A hard copy of this book was given to me by the publisher to review.
Although
this story had a clear goal, it was disjointed and lacked depth. Each
part of of the plot was rushed, and there were many quick and
unceremonious jumps in setting. The characters, villages, and societies
were not well developed and I did not, at any point, feel a pull that
made me want to know what would happen next, nor did I grow to care for
Henni, the heroine of the story.
The artwork was interesting,
but I did not feel it fit the story. The characters were drawn
androgynous, and at one point I was surprised to find that a character
that I thought was female for most of their time in the story was
actually a male. Some of the facial expressions were a bit too dramatic,
which was off-putting.
The book attempts tackles many issues:
gender equality, class systems, corrupt government, religion as a way to
control people, coming of age, and losing a parent. However, with only
150 pages, this book is too sort to effectively cover so much in so
little time. The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I feel no need to keep
reading.