I don't even know where to begin. This book was delicious. There were very few light moments, and most came from small slits of hope or reprieve, but altogether, it was quite a thoroughly hopeless book. I mean, there's a third book (why do I not have this book now?), so I have hope, but the realism and the resignation of the two characters, Arin and Kestrel, is just believably heartbreaking.

Arin and Kestrel are so real and so complex, and are so easy to know. You know these two. Even their miscommunication, hidden agendas, and secrets that boil beneath the surface when they do met is so multi-dimensional and realistic that it (surprisingly) isn't frustrating to read at all. It only served its purpose in the story and made me want to continue to devour the book as quickly as possible.

The pacing and writing style is set as such that you barely notice as the pages fly by. Like eating a piece of delicious chocolate cake, you find yourself at the end of the book, and your fork scrapes an empty plate. I cannot wait to start the third book.