I sped through this book in two days and just now finished, so hopefully I'll come back and write a better review after I've processed more or maybe after I read it again more slowly, but I feel the need to write down my immediate reaction:

Overall, this story impressed me because it went places I never would have imagined, and that was fantastic. From a certain point onward, I had absolutely no idea what to expect or what would come next. There were also just really great poignant moments (potential spoilers, but I'll be vague: the Panther, the night club, and Otto looking in the mirror refusing to accept himself. All fantastic, especially the last one). I really just can't get over how much this thwarted my expectations, it was so shockingly original (I think I'm still in shock). I also LOVE the way Sheehan confronts the harsh realities in her world and how eerily similar these unfortunate realities are to things happening now. Some have called it dystopian, but this hits closer to home than a lot of dystopian I've read, which is really fantastic. After reading others' reviews, I'm surprised I didn't love Quin as much as everyone else. I didn't dislike him, but he wasn't the best part of the story for me as he was for others. I've read stories before where the romantic relationship got so twisted and messed up that I reached a point where it wasn't even worth it to me whether or not they would make it together; where I just didn't care what happened to them any more. I think this story had the potential to do that for me (especially since I fell in love with Otto in the first book) but surprisingly I still cared at the end, and the twistedness of it, I realize when looking back, was really a fun ride.

I'm pretty sure Sheehan is (and all authors are) tired of hearing this, but the sequel doesn't beat the first book for me, which is absolutely phenomenal in my opinion. But I still enjoyed this book, and it really did make me think. I'm endlessly glad she worked so hard to get this published, it's definitely worth it to me.

Last thing: I love the way Sheehan creates and confronts moral dilemmas. They're always multifaceted, and right versus wrong become completely muddled. It's very real, and rings true to life.