Spoiler Free Book Review: The Cruel Prince [Folk of the Air, #1] by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince [Folk of the Air, #1]
by Holly Black

Genre: YA fantasy

My Rating: ★

Description:

Jude has lived in Faerie since she was seven, since the redcap general Madoc murdered both of her parents and spirited her and her two sisters away. Since then, she has struggled to find a place of belonging in a world not her own. 

Her dream is to become a knight, to serve under the High King of Faerie. But the Folk have other plans, and soon it becomes apparent that secrets are being hidden beneath the surface. Jude must struggle for survival -- not just her own, but also her sister's, and perhaps... the entire world.

Overal Thoughts

I wanted to love this book. I did. I mean, the whole idea was just so intriguing -- our modern world living alongside the ancient myths of the Faeries (I believe mostly derived from Irish folklore.) But it never captured me, if that makes sense. I never really connected with any of the characters, and some parts of the writing style (the way Jude would start talking to the reader, in particular) pulled me out of the story. I probably will not be continuing with this series, especially because of a certain subplot that was introduced near the end of this book that I'm afraid will become more prominent in later books. 

The Characters

The main character, Jude, was not very sympathetic, and did some really awful things, of which it seems she has hardly any regrets or human emotion about. I feel like maybe this was an intentional choice by the author, but it made me dislike Jude quite a bit. 

The side characters were... interesting. I think of all of them I probably liked Oak or Vivi the best. Most of the Faerie characters were disgustingly evil, and though the author tried to give motivation to one of them near the end, I don't feel like those kinds of motivations made up in any way for the things the character did. Perhaps that was the point. 

However, I did respect another character's backstory reveal -- it made a lot of sense, and made me feel sorry for her. 

Jude's change arc was... kind of scary. I don't know how to say more without spoilers, but I will say that it didn't leave me with a positive impression. 

Overall, the characterization didn't resonate with me. 

Plot/Pacing

The plot took a long time to get started. I was a third of the way through the book before anything plot related started happening. Though there was always stuff happening, without a solid goal, it seemed to drag. In the last quarter, the pace picked up, but because of the slow beginning, I doubt I would have finished unless I was intending to review it.

Worldbuilding

Something I loved about this book -- the setting! The way the author wove ancient myths into her storyworld worked beautifully. I loved the descriptions of the buildings and forests, and I also liked the contrast between the land of Faerie and the human world's descriptions. 

The world has interesting rules, and I liked that a lot -- faeries can't lie, promises are binding, salt and rowan berries are important to ward off enchantment. It was intriguing, and I learned quite a bit about faerie folklore reading this book.

Content

Recommended for ages 16 and up. 

Violence was common. A mock battle was staged, no details. Two girls are attacked and thrown into a river, on the presumption that nixies would eat them. A character stabs another in self-defense. Faeries glamour people into doing their will, which results in some nasty things happening. Descriptions of blood. A major character murders another on-page. Two instances of attempted strangulation. A number of other characters are murdered on-page. Descriptions of blood. Descriptions of poisoning.
In terms of sexual content, this book contained several detailed kisses, as well as comments that imply sexual immorality. Two characters sleep together. Characters discuss the king's "consorts." A girl is forced (under mind control) to strip down to her underwear in front of a group of people.
One female character is bisexual and involved in a relationship with another girl.
Swearing is moderate, including a few strong swear words, used semi-frequently.
Several faerie foods act similar to drugs or alcohol in their affects; mentions of consuming wine. One character is characterized as being a drunk.

Spoiler-Free Book Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner [The Maze Runner, #1]
by James Dashner

Genre: YA dystopian

My Rating: ★★

Description:

When Thomas wakes up in a strange clearing called the Glade, with no memory of anything but his name, he's desperate to get out. But soon, his life becomes less a search for truth than a race for survival.

The Glade is the only safe haven against the mysterious beasts that lurk in the Maze beyond -- and the Maze is the only way out. Thomas quickly signs up to become a Runner -- one of the few who dare to venture beyond the walls of the Glade to try to find an escape route. 

But when a girl is left in the Glade, all the rules seem to fall apart, and Thomas realizes he may have signed up for more than he bargained for. 

Overall Thoughts

When I picked up this book, I was expecting something that lived up to the amount of hype it received. I was honestly disappointed. This book did not draw me in. 

I had previously seen the movie, and was also not impressed, but I'd heard that the book was better, so I thought I would give it a try. After all, the concept itself is intriguing -- amnesia, boys trapped in a shifting maze, strange monsters... it's compelling. But the execution itself was not to my taste. There were elements I liked, just not enough to make up for the parts I didn't. 

I hate writing reviews that are less than positive, but I also feel that they're necessary, so here goes.

The Characters

Characterization was not a strong point in the novel. 

The main character, Thomas, experiences mood swings seemingly at random for the sake of the plot, and some of his desires and motivations were hard to understand, because it seemed the author was forcing them onto him. 

Teresa was plain annoying. Her character, while serving a role in moving the plot along, was very flat. 

The side characters were unremarkable. Most seemed more like cardboard cutouts, and I never really grew attached to any of them. That makes me sad, because I really wanted to like at least one or two characters. But for some reason, none of them appealed to me.

Plot/Pacing

I'm glad to say that the plot for The Maze Runner was fairly solid. The story goal stayed consistent, while still offering a few key twists. 

The pacing was excellent, and never slowed (which was one reason that I managed to read the whole thing.) In this respect, the book was well thought out. I like comparing the plot of The Maze Runner to a video game -- not particularly brilliant, but paced perfectly to keep readers engaged.

Worldbuilding

Set in the center of a giant shifting maze, the concept for the world was interesting. There were monsters (with mildly horrifying descriptions), a strange illness, and a mysterious elevator that brings up new kids and supplies to the kids living above. 

Later on in the novel, something happens that shows everything in the Maze in a new light -- but not one that I'm sure I completely understand. It left gaping plot holes in the storyworld. Without giving away spoilers, I was slightly confused.  

There was also a random telepathy element that seemed to have no bearing on the plot apart from adding elements of mystery.

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

There was a good bit of violent content, as well as descriptions of blood. Several characters die on-page. Monsters were described in semi-detail, and could scare sensitive readers. Detailed descriptions of what characters look and act like when they are poisoned by a certain creature, which could be disturbing for some readers. 

Sexual content is limited to a kiss or two, as well as some suggestive comments. Teresa is the only girl in the Glade, and there are several comments about that. 

Language is mostly made-up, along with a few cases of mild swearing. 

Rude humor is fairly common and lessened my enjoyment of the book; it seemed juvenile, in my opinion.

Characters use a medicine in order to cure the disease caused by the poison.

Spoiler Free Book Review: Everless by Sara Holland

Everless [Everless, #1]
by Sara Holland

Genre: YA fantasy

My Rating: ★★★★

Description: 

Never go back to Everless. 

In a world where time is money -- literally -- the rich like the Gerling family live for centuries while the poor bleed their years to pay their debts.
Jules Ember's father warned her never to go back to Everless. Since a fateful accident forced them out of the noble's estate, she and her father have lived in fear and hatred of the Gerlings.
But now, with her father's life hanging in the balance, Jules returns to the manor to help prepare for the wedding of the younger Gerling brother to the Queen's heir, Ina Gold.
Her pockets may now be heavy with time, but there are more secrets and temptations at Everless than Jules ever dreamed of. Her search for answers drags her into a centuries old struggle that could change her future... forever.

Overall Thoughts:

Everless impressed me. At first, I was unsure of it: the pacing seemed a little slow, and Jules's motivations were weaker than I would have liked. But by the halfway point in the novel, I was engrossed. The worldbuilding and characterization was clever, and the plot twists were well-crafted. I'm very excited to read book two, Evermore now. 

The Characters

Jules was an interesting character. I didn't immediately like her, and some aspects of her personality grated on me -- her obsession with Roan annoyed me considerably -- but I enjoyed seeing her relationship with her father, and the way she genuinely cared about him. 

Many of the secondary characters were likeable. Hinton, Tam, Lora, and Ina Gold all seemed like well developed personalities in their own right. Caro was also an interesting character.

The villains near the beginning seemed to have rather weak motivations, but I was surprised at how well the author resolved this. I thought it was just a mistake. But Holland very carefully set up the motivations, and by the middle of the book, I knew there was more going on than what Jules was aware of. And then the reveals started coming.

Plot

The story goal itself was a little watery. For the first ten or so chapters, I really didn't have a good grip on what Jules' goal was, apart from earning money for her father. Some of her character motivations early in the story didn't seem to make sense -- why would she want to get closer to the Queen if she's been warned away? This was explained more fully a few chapters later, but I wish that Jules' motivations had been clear from the beginning.
The pacing was a little slow in the beginning, but picked up after the first half. Several plot twists caught me off-guard, though they were foreshadowed.

Worldbuilding

The overall vibe I got from Everless was one of 18th century Europe -- the manner of dress, social order, and the style of some of the buildings gave me this impression immediately. 

I liked the lore and history of the world -- it seems as though there's a lot there, more than Holland reveals right away. The rules of the storyworld itself seem clear from page one -- time can be bought and sold, stolen and hoarded. The rich can live for centuries, while the poor can squander all of their time to pay their debts. It's an interesting concept, and somewhat frightening at the same time.

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up. 

Time is bound into blood in the context of the storyworld, and thus there are quite a few descriptions of blood; characters cut themselves to bleed their time; mentions of a character being poisoned; one woman gossips about another character eating the hearts of children to stay young; a character uses a knife on another character in self-defense. Several descriptions of characters being murdered on-page.
In terms of sexual content, it is stated several times that Lord Gerling only hires young and pretty servants, with the implication of sexual affairs. One character attempts to touch the main character in a sexual manner. There is a scene where one character notices another character is disheveled and makes the connection that they have "been with" their fiancee, no details. There is an implied affair between two unmarried people, no details.
Characters consume alcohol and become somewhat drunk.
Minor swearing used very infrequently.

Book Review: Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

This review contains spoilers for Renegades. To read my full review for Renegades, please follow the link here.

Archenemies [Renegades, #2]
by Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA post-apocalyptic

My Rating: ★★★

Description:

With crime on the rise in Gatlon City, the Renegade Council approves the use of a horrifying new substance -- one that could threaten not only the Anarchists, but all Prodigies. 

Nova's alter ego, Nightmare, is legally dead. Now, her cover in the Renegades should be more secure than ever, but she is still terrified of discovery. Her mission is clear -- find the helmet of Ace Anarchy, and figure out a way to weaponize the Renegades own Agent N against them. 

Meanwhile, Adrian's cover as Sentinel is becoming perilous. Sentinel has been declared a threat to the Renegade's order, and an order for his arrest has been put out. But Adrian is sure that the Sentinel is someone the city needs -- a person who will fight for justice even at the risk of breaking the Renegade code. 

Over everything, questions arise -- is Nightmare really dead? How far will the Anarchists and the Renegades go in the struggle for power? And above all, when the time comes to choose sides, who will Nova pledge loyalty? 

Overall Thoughts

I had high hopes for this novel. After the cliff-hanger ending in Renegades, I was desperate for more story! However, after reading the first couple chapters, I have to say I was disappointed. These chapters, while full of action, felt almost like a first-draft attempt, with little to no revision. There were some strange POV mistakes -- Adrian, at one point during the fight scene, becomes an almost omniscient narrator which I found both odd and jarring.
I'm glad to say that after the first six or so chapters, the writing style improved, and the chapters and POV fell back into their ordinary places. I only wish that Meyer had spent more time on these opening chapters.

The Characters

The Anarchists still hold their place as some of my favorite characters. I feel that their personalities are well-rounded, and each of their voices was very distinct from the others', so I was never confused. Ruby and Oscar still made me smile, and I'm excited to see where their relationship will go in the final book. Max is also an interesting character. 

Nova's characterization was good. She has a lot of doubts and conflicted motivations, but overall her character arc was consistent. 

Adrian's character, however, disappointed me. Although he was tolerable as a character in Renegades, merely being overshadowed by the better developed characters, in Archenemies he became not only flat, but annoying. I hope that this improves in the last book. 

The Council members also seemed fairly one-dimensional, although some of them did get more development than in Renegades. I can't say I'm particularly attached to any of them.   

Plot

Though well-paced with plenty of action, there is not much real change in the overall story arc until the last quarter of the book. I still enjoyed the story, but I feel that more advancement could have been made before the final act.

Worldbuilding

Not much of the setting has changed since the first book; however, new worldbuilding elements did come into play. The Agent N was a new and terrifying aspect of the world. There were times when I was on the edge of my seat, begging Meyer to spare her characters and not to let Nova get affected by it. 

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

In terms of violence, there were several action scenes involving characters being wounded, characters using their powers on other characters (in a negative way.) One character dies a semi-detailed death on-page. Descriptions of blood and characters' wounds; one child is badly injured. 

A chemical is injected and used in a gaseous state to affect other Prodigies. 

In terms of sexual content, there were several mentions of kissing, of wanting to touch the other person (sexually), and one intense kissing scene between two major characters. Again, there are two gay characters who are in a relationship.

Swearing was confined to minor cussing.

Spoiler Free Book Review: Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Renegades [Renegades, #1]
by Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA post-apocalyptic

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Nova Artino wants vengeance against the Renegades -- a band of superheroes who are dedicated to preserving law and order after the chaos of the Age of Anarchy. Nova has reasons to hate the Renegades, and nothing will stop her in her mission to assassinate her prime target -- Captain Chromium, the head of the Renegade Council. Well, almost nothing. When she is inducted into the Renegades, she meets Adrian Everheart, and suddenly, everything gets more complicated.
Adrian Everheart wants justice. As a member of the Renegades, he knows that obeying the code is vital to maintain order. But when he discovers the mysterious villain Nightmare may have something to do with his mother's murder, he is desperate for answers. Under the guise of the Sentinel, he searches for the answers to the questions that have plagued him for years.

Overall Thoughts:

I really liked this book. The whole idea of a superhero uprising -- and then superheroes trying to rebuild the world afterwards -- was such a neat concept. Marissa Meyer's writing style has an enchanting quality, pulling me in from the first sentence and not letting me go until the last. 

The Characters

The characterization was varied. The Anarchists all had interesting personalities, and were definitely characters in their own right. Nova was a superb main character, and her POV was always fun to read. Her main dilemma -- whose side is she truly on? -- is compelling. Ruby and Oscar, two of the Renegades on Adrian's team, were extremely well developed as well.
On the flip side, Adrian himself was not a very interesting character. He had his moments, but overall was kind of bland, especially when compared to the other, stronger characters. The members of the Council, too, were all very flat.

Plot

As for plot and pacing, I thought it was done well. Of course, something about Meyer's writing style always pulls me in and keeps me flipping pages, so I can't really relate to anyone who says that the pacing was slow. I honestly thought the story progressed at a quick enough pace to keep me engaged, but not so fast that I'm left gasping for breath with no room for character development.

Worldbuilding

Renegades is set in the ruins of the fictional Gatlon City (for some reason, whenever I saw the name I thought of Gotham City.) I liked the aesthetic -- most of the city is reduced to an almost dystopian appearance, with normal people trying to live their lives in the remnants. I liked the descriptions of many of the settings -- the subway, the carnival, Renegades Tower. My one complaint would be that it seemed as though Gatlon City was alone in the world. Though there were several mentions of other places in the story, there was not much interaction with these places, making Gatlon seem almost alone. In a way, I suppose this added to the general aesthetic of the story. 

The uniqueness of many of the characters powers was so, so interesting. For instance, Red Assassin, one of the Renegades, creates weapons out of her blood, which crystallizes into solid ruby. Another, Monarch, turns into a swarm of butterflies. The two main characters, Nova and Adrian, also had unique powers: Nova can put people to sleep at a touch, and never sleeps herself. Adrian can make his drawings come to life. While these powers were somewhat unbelievable (especially when origin stories started coming into the picture) they were still fun and interesting to read about.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

There were a few instances of minor swearing, a few references of wanting to touch another person (romantically) and mentions of kissing. Violence was there, but was not described graphically by any means. Two characters are gay and in a relationship. 

Book Review: Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

This review contains spoilers for Steelheart and Firefight. To read my full reviews of Steelheart and Firefight, follow the links here and here. 

Calamity [The Reckoners, #3]
by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: YA dystopian

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

After the disaster at Babilar, the Reckoners are forced to find a new strategy. With their once-leader, Prof now corrupted by his powers and working under the Epic name Limelight, leadership of the Reckoners falls onto David's shoulders.

David has realized that the Reckoners old goal of killing Epics isn't going to be enough. Instead, he sets his sights on the impossible -- he wants to redeem Prof... and kill Calamity.
But there are more powers at work than any one of them alone realizes, and while the Reckoners attempt to implement their impossible plan, David struggles to hide a secret he feels sure will destroy them.

Overall Thoughts

By the time I finished reading Firefight, I was more than excited to read Calamity. It was, overall, a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and I really loved some of the plot elements -- David's dilemma over Prof, the discovery of who Calamity is, etc. I also loved the characters, and seeing their story lines come to a satisfying close.
However, by the epilogue, I almost felt... cheated. The conclusion of the Calamity plotline felt rushed, and many of my questions were left unanswered by the end of the book. Who really was Calamity? What was his motivation? What was Calamity?
Megan's control over her powers also seemed to jump suddenly from 'I can't do this or I'll be corrupted', to using them without hesitation with little to no explanation as to why.
So I have mixed feelings overall about this book. I wish there was more explanation about some of the plot devices, but at the same time, I feel that it ended the book -- and the series -- well.

The Characters

David's internal struggles in this book were very well written and not overdone. In the hands of a less skillful author, I feel like it would have been easy to become melodramatic, but Sanderson dealt with it gently and without becoming annoying. 

I enjoyed seeing Mizzy's character develop, and I liked the fact that while she and David had their own opinions, they still remained friends. I also liked the fact that a love triangle never developed between Mizzy, David, and Megan. David and Mizzy were just friends, and I loved seeing that. 

I also liked that even though Prof has been corrupted by his powers, he still acts like Prof to a certain extent. He didn't just develop a completely new personality. 

I still struggled with Megan's character, but I wasn't annoyed by her as I was in Steelheart. Her personality stayed fairly consistent, which pleased me. 

Plot 

It's really hard for me to decide what to say about the plot. On one hand, I thought that it was well-paced -- up to the last few chapters, at least -- and had a good build up of tension and plot reveals.
On the other hand, I felt that the final battle with Calamity was a bit rushed, and didn't explain a lot of things I was hoping to discover.
The plot twist at the very end was excellent, and I enjoyed the way the epilogue wrapped it up.

Worldbuilding/Writing

As I've come to expect from the Reckoners books, the city setting in Calamity was just as interesting and vibrant as the settings of Newcago and Babilar. The salt city was such an interesting concept, and I was intrigued by the way that the setting influenced the way that the ordinary people lived -- just as in the other books.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Action violence. Descriptions of blood. Characters are brutally injured, and there are semi-detailed descriptions of pain. Several characters die on-page. 

Sexual content is limited to a few comments, mentions of kissing; one character mentions what she and another character did "last night", not detailed. 

Swearing is minimal, mostly made-up swear words as well as minor cussing; implied heavy cursing is covered up by a profanity filter on the main character's phone. 

Book Review: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

This review contains spoilers for Steelheart. To read my full review of Steelheart, follow the link here.

Firefight [The Reckoners, #2]
by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: YA dystopian

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

What do you do after your greatest enemy has been defeated? After you free your city? After you have your revenge?

The tyrannical overlord of Newcago, Steelheart, is dead. For David Charleston, the Epic's death has left him with one question -- what next? He has spent the last ten years of his life studying Epics, learning their weaknesses, preparing to kill them. 

But is this really the way to win? Since his discovery that Megan is really the Epic Firefight, David wonders if there could be a way to redeem the Epics -- are they all really evil?

When Prof receives a strange summons to the flooded city of New Babylon, David may find some of the answers he seeks -- but in the end, is anyone strong enough to defeat the influence of Calamity?

Overall Thoughts

In this return to the world of the Reckoners, Brandon Sanderson builds upon the original concepts outlined in Steelheart taking us to new locations, introducing new and interesting characters and frightening villains, and all while building up to a dramatic reveal -- what really are the Epics? And what is Calamity?

Many sequels, especially in trilogies, tend to sag. But this was not the case with Firefight. Sanderson expertly weaves the plotline of the book into the overall arc of the series, and by the end of the book, leaves you breathless. 

The Characters

Firefight introduces us to several new characters from a different Reckoner group. These people were all well-developed and unique personalities, and I enjoyed reading about them. 

David's internal struggle about Megan and his loyalties to Prof and the Reckoners was strong and interesting. 

The new villains introduced in this story were interesting as well, their personalities contrasting enough that it was easy to keep track of them all. 

On the flip side, I still had trouble with Megan's character. Though I found her personality more consistent than in Steelheart, I still had trouble sympathizing with her. 

Plot

The plot was well-paced and engaging, introducing new character arcs and individual motivations. Several plot twists caught me completely off-guard, but were well foreshadowed and carefully placed. The only real issue I had with the plot was one certain character who seemed to bear no relevance to the plot as a whole. I feel the character would have felt less random had he been important in Calamity, but as it is, he bore no real impact on the rest of the series, which disappointed me somewhat.

Worldbuilding/Writing

Once again, the entire idea of a supervillian dystopia really appealed to me. In this book, Sanderson takes us to a new setting -- the flooded remains of Manhattan, now known as Babilar (or New Babylon.) This city was very much different from the Newcago setting of Steelheart, but was still vibrant and interesting. In Babilar, spray paint glows, and fruit trees grow inside the ruins of office buildings and hotels. I loved reading the descriptions of the city because of the uniqueness of the place.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

In terms of content, this book is much the same as the first. Extended action sequences and violent action, descriptions of characters killing other characters, and mentions of blood. One character seems to enjoy killing and destruction to the point where he seems almost inhuman. 

There were a few sexual comments, similar to ones you might find in the average Marvel movie. One character is usually described as wearing tight clothing. The main character has strong feelings for another character, and there are several instances of semi-detailed physical descriptions. 

There are several instances of nudity (non-sexual.)

The swearing was mainly confined to made-up swear words and minor cussing.  

Spoiler Free Book Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart [The Reckoners, #1]
by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: YA dystopian

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

After Calamity appeared in the sky, ordinary people started to develop superpowers. Now, ten years later, these people -- the Epics -- rule the remains of the world.
For years, David has had a single goal -- to kill Steelheart, the overlord of Newcago. He wants revenge for his father's death, and regardless of what others say -- that Steelheart is unkillable -- he will stop at nothing to exact that revenge.
He joins with a shadowy band of rebels known as the Reckoners, and together, they may be enough to take on Steelheart. Because David has seen something he shouldn't have -- he has seen Steelheart bleed.
But the same thing that could give him the knowledge to defeat his greatest enemy could also get him killed.

Overall Thoughts

Steelheart blew me away. After reading Renegades by Marissa Meyer, I knew that I wanted to read more superhero fiction. This one seemed right up my alley, being a Brandon Sanderson novel; plus the idea of a supervillain dystopia really appealed to me. It didn't disappoint. 

Characterization

In terms of characterization, the main character, David, was fairly well developed. While not extremely memorable, he was alright. The secondary characters all have unique and contrasting personalities, particularly the members of the Reckoners. The villains are frightening and severely overpowered, making me question at times how the good guys were ever going to defeat them. The only character I had a hard time liking was Megan. She fits the stereotype of a "strong female" character very well, and her prickly and unpredictable personality was hard for me to understand. I'm hoping that she grows on me in the sequels. 

Plot

The plot was well paced and never boring. Even during the "intermissions" between battles and major conflict, the characterization and worldbuilding taking place was interesting to read. And the plot twists! I was shocked -- truly shocked -- by all of them, and by the end of the book, I couldn't keep the impressed smile on my face. 

Worldbuilding/Writing

The storyworld is fascinating. Set in the ruins of Chicago, now called "Newcago", most of the world has been taken over by supervillains, who war for control over pieces of territory. Normal people are forced to live in fear, subjects to their superpowered overlords. I liked that even though I still had a lot of questions by the end of the book -- what is Calamity, what exactly are the Epics -- I had a good understanding of how everything worked, and the unanswered questions kept me turning pages right until the end. 

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

In terms of content, this book stayed fairly clean for YA. There were extended sequences of violent action, descriptions of characters killing other characters, and some minor descriptions of wounds. There was some minor swearing; however, most of it was made up words (I.E. Calamity!) There were a few instances of sexual references and innuendo, not many, but enough to make me hesitant to recommend this book to very young readers. One instance of nudity, not described in detail.