I was surprised about how much I enjoyed this book, although since it's by Neal Shusterman, I shouldn't be surprised at all about how amazing it was. As always, it's the characters that make a book come alive for me, more than the plot. The concept of the Heartland War (with prolife vs prochoice armies) is conceivable, but the solution of retroactive abortions was far-fetched to me. Although this plot wasn't exactly solid, the characters were and their reactions to the story they are thrown into are so realistic that it makes up for any other failings in the conception of this story.

I can't wait to read the other three books in this series. I think Shusterman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.