Another buddy read with the lovely, Dini @DiniPandaReads! <3<3

I’m so glad to have finally gotten to this one. It’s been sitting on my shelf for so long and I just kept ignoring it. haha. I tend to let the hype die down a little bit before I jump in.

The beginning of this was a bit of a struggle for me. I’m not sure if it was because of my mood or the actual book. The subject matter was very interesting. It makes me think that it was my mood that had me struggle. There are a lot of unique elements to this story but there are some things that are quite graphic. Just keep that in mind if you decided to pick this up.

One of the best things about this book is the GirlFriends! The sisterhood that’s formed from the ones that are known as outcasts and treated terribly. I loved them so much, especially Britta. She was probably my favorite character, even more than Deka. It was lovely to see them find each other and form this bond.

There were some things that I found a bit confusing about the whole blood thing. I find it VERY unlikely that most of these girls would make it through 16 years, without showing ANY blood. It would have been much more believable if they checked their blood way earlier than 16. I don’t know how they would have been able to go without a cut, scrape, or anything. She talks about being sheltered but I don’t buy it. I have a toddler and there’s just no way he would make it. haha!

The romance in the book is not the main focus. It’s actually very subtle, which I liked for the most part. By the end of the book, it completely flipped and I was not feeling it. I didn’t think it was believable because we didn’t see it happening. I almost wish the romance was left to a minimum to keep it consistent.

Overall, I did think this was a unique story and I did like the last half of the book. It was a slow start and there are some inconsistencies in things that stuck out after some time to process. When the pacing picked up it was really hard to put down. I don’t know that I’ll pick up the next book. I am so mixed about this one.