Review Detail

Nya is desperate to survive in a war-torn city. An orphan with a skill she can't let anyone see, she arrives early at the docks each day hoping for work. Nya is a Taker, but unlike her sister and the other Takers apprenticed to the Healer's League, she can't unload the pain she takes from the injured and put it into the pynvium metal like everyone else. She can only transfer it to another person. It's a dangerous skill, one that would get her either killed or kidnapped for a pain merchant's use.

But when Nya realizes something scary and strange is going on at the Healer's League, she has to intervene. Especially when her own sister disappears. Nya's skill is more complex than she knows, and she (along with an unlikely band of accomplices) is the only one who can save her sister and the city.

I was very engrossed in this story the entire time I was reading. The concept is unique, and the culture Nya lives in is fascinating. Add to that a few quirky characters, a love interest and a heaping dose of danger, and you have me hooked. There were a few times where I lost track of where I was visually in the story or couldn't quite understand how a scene had played out, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to read the sequel.