Wow, that was dramatic. I'm sort of in shock right now. I read this book all in one day b/c I could NOT put it down! The suspense and the family drama and the mysterious characters all kept me interested from the first page. I love the comedic strains in the writing! It balances perfectly with the serious material too. This book has it all!

The plot seems at first glance to be predictable, then suddenly everything twists and the unexpected happens! The action is a bit slow in the beginning as we are introduced to the characters and their relationships, but the Big Questions keep you in suspense through that, so that it doesn't feel slow.

The setting is this outlandish super-tech underground lab, but it feels real. With a few words, I can imagine myself right in the lab. Excellently written.

Angie is a fantastic character! She's relatable and mysterious at the same time. I was right there with her through all her confusion, and dealing with her feelings, and making mistakes. She is a total mess inside and out, but she has this gorgeous fortitude at the core of herself that is incredibly admirable. I adore how sassy Angie is! There are so many great one-liners that made me snort with laughter.

Al is so mysterious and he's the real big question mark in the entire book. Is he friend or foe? I loved seeing his whole mystery played out.

A Doctor Who joke and a Star Trek reference in the same chapter?! Yes, please! I'm in nerd heaven.

There is a lot of information thrown at the reader in the last chapter. It might have been better to have explained the history with a small flashback or something, and made it more personal. It feels like an entire history book crammed into a few pages, which makes it difficult to follow sometimes.

I always like to look for an overall theme or message behind the story, and it really struck me how there are so many people pressuring Angie to be a certain way, directly and indirectly. William brings out her rebellious side. Eric pressures her into dating. Lakin demands loyalty (rightly so, but it's still a social pressure). Emmy and Eddie want compliance with a smile. Al wants her trust. etc...etc... But through it all, Angie decides who she is, and how she will feel, and how she will behave, and who she will trust and be loyal to. She decides. Nobody else. I just love this character!

Ah, the cliffhanger! I have to get my hands on the second book NOW!

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher or author for review. The opinions stated here are my own, and are not influenced by the publisher or anyone else.