Young At Heart

I had trouble rating this book, but I ended up giving it a 3.8 rating. It's well written, the world is an interesting one, the world building was well done, the characters are complex and intriguing, the premiss is believable and the story is definitely gripping. But, for some reason, it was easy for me to put this book away and almost forget about it for long periods of time.
What happened for me was that, even though there was plenty of adventure and excitement in Thalia's (the main character's) life, all the mysteries surrounding her past and what had happened to her were slow to unveil (and many haven't yet). For me, that made it feel like there was a pace problem. More mystery was being presented, but not enough mystery was being reveled.
Still, it was a very enjoyable read. The magical world of Calandry and the intriguing Denai make this a very captivating story. Thalia is a great main character, and it's great to see her coming to her powers and to herself. The secondary characters are also very interesting. There are hints of a love triangle (or is it a love square?), but it isn't overdone to the point that annoyed me.
For those who are wondering, actually, if this is a book that might be right for your children, I can safely say that this book is proper for any age. There is some romance, but nothing pass light kissing. There are some fights and mention of torture, but nothing overly aggressive or explicit (nothing more than blood running). This is actually a beautiful coming of age story. She overcomes her past and her fears and is slowly learning about who she really is. And it has plenty of adventure too.
All in all I enjoyed it, especially because Fantasy is my favorite genre. But I hope to get many more answers in the sequel, The Steele Wolf.