This was SO worth the hype! I'm glad I got it in before the end of the year, because I'm pretty sure it's going on my best of 2015 list. Much like Cinder (on my 2014 list), this book is reminiscent of so many great stories - yet wholly original. If I had to pin it down, it's like Game of Thrones with Harry Potter, Romeo & Juliet and The Hunger Games thrown in. That narrows it down, right? The world building (complete with a map in the opening pages, which I love) is so vivid, as are the unforgettable (and bad-ass) characters. Following the story of Elias (a graduating soldier from Blackcliff Academy) and Laia (a scholar who's family has been killed by said soldiers) is complex, intense, romantic, engrossing and exhilarating. I CAN'T WAIT for the next book.