rating:5 stars (as if that was even a doubt)

there has yet, and probably never will be, a victoria schwab book that doesn't get a five star rating from me. shit this was incredible. i loved victoria's writing to begin with but the characters, the plot, the world itself... it was so good.

victor vale. what a man. i loved him so much. the depth and complexity of his character was incredible. all the hidden layers made him so interesting; he wasn't some two dimensional character with one goal and one mindset. he had a million thoughts running through his head constantly and you could see him struggle between his morals and goals as you urged him to choose the one you thought was right. but is there ever?

he was definitely my favourite character next to sydney, who was the cutest ball of sunshine. her backstory was so well done and she also added yet another layer of depth to the plot since her sister was intertwined with everything. honestly, all i can say is: protect sydney clarke at all costs. then again, she can probably protect herself. she's the one bailing victor out constantly after all.

as for eli ever. wow. a complex villain who is the biggest hypocrite i've ever seen? love that. but no seriously, eli is fucking insane. his motive isn't stupid like some big bads i've seen and the fact that he used to be best friends with victor... the complexity is through the roof.

overall, the book was great, but i didn't have any doubts about it. victoria is a wonderful writer and i will honestly read anything she puts out and buy it in a second without thinking because i know it's going to be amazing.