Lots of action, very little romance, fade to black ending that's basically a cliffhanger.

I liked Ash's attitude, but it's hard to determine if her affections for Rykus are enhanced by the loyalty training. It makes things a little weird when I can't tell if she really loves him or if she's been brainwashed a bit too much. But I like the way these two characters play off each other and I'm very much interested in how things proceed between them while they try to save the universe.

I've got the sequel on my TBR list, but I'm so aggravated with the ending that I'm gonna put it off for a little bit and read something else first.