I really enjoyed this book. The storyline is creative and the characters are interesting. There's not a huge cliff hanger at the end but it does leave room for more to come. Be warned that although this book is marketed as a young adult book, I felt like it read a little bit middle grade. But then it throws you off with a couple of bloody fight scenes. That being said, it wasn't off putting for me. I still enjoyed the book quite a bit.

Nailer is a tough kid but he also has a kind heart. His father is cruel and a nasty character and Nailer has to decide whether family loyalty is important when your father only seems to hate you. He has a lot to deal with but Bacigalupi has given him a strong support system and he is able to direct his loyalty their way.

I do wish there had been more world building and explanation of how the and why the world was this way now. I don't know, maybe I just like my worlds to be a bit more complicated. I'm strange that way. There could have been just a tad bit more detail built into it. Overall a great dystopian book!