I'd give the first half of this novel 2 stars and the second half 4 stars. The writing style didn't work for me--it felt YA but also detached--and I found the romance unconvincing. But the second half focused more on the narrator's state of mind and transformation, which was much more interesting and in which the detached narration actually paid off. I almost DNF, but I'm glad I stuck it out until the end.