Gah! I love this book so much! Even better than Cinder if that is possible.
My brain is exploding! There are so many layers to this book. While reading, I had to walk away from the book for a few seconds and take a couple of deep breaths before I dove back in. Inhale. Exhale. Try to stay calm. My heart was racing so fast while I read the action scenes, and my muscles all tense with the suspense.

Even thought the narrative switches between more characters in this book, the changes never felt awkward or annoying. Seamless writing in every respect!
I loved seeing more of the world outside the Eastern Commonwealth, especially the scenes on the train and the rubble of Paris after WWIV. So much history and background to the setting gives it color and makes the world believable.

The writing is a bit more forceful in this book. We're not tentatively feeling our way through, like we were in the beginning of Cinder, getting to know the world little by little. We are dropped right into the middle of a maelstrom of dirty politics, criminals, and spies, and our characters are thrown into the action with barely time to breathe.

I adore Scarlet's character so much! Her interactions with Wolf are complete perfection from start to finish. She's gritty and tough, but also tender and compassionate. I love how determined she is, and how she draws strength and resolve from her love for her grandmother. Such a well-rounded, beautifully real, fantastic character!

I loved seeing Cinder making friends with the most unlikely people, struggling to make sense of her new situation, and showing herself to be the marvelous person we met in the first book! I was glad to see that while the focus is on Scarlet, Cinder's part of the story does not lose momentum.

I am in love with "Captain" Thorne! He's so goofy and charming and adorable! I cant' wait to see his character developing more as I read the next books.