I ended up loving this book. I almost gave up on it in the beginning because at first the author seemed to be trying really hard to write a "good book" and I found that annoying. But I hung in there and by Part II I was engrossed. I agree with another reviewer who said that these characters will stay with me a long time. By the end of the book I felt like I knew them each very well.

This book was a vivid reminder to me that this world is not perfect and it is not supposed to be. That message was portrayed very well in the book.