*3.5 stars.

I thought that the plot was very well done, and the writing was excellent. The reason I'm not rating it higher than 3.5 is that I didn't especially like most of the characters. I know that's the intention of the author- the reader isn't supposed to like Mallory or Ryland- but it caused me to enjoy the book a lot less than I might have. Also, Phoebe seemed a little bland. The only traits that I could really identify in her were her anxiety and insecurity, as well as her pride concerning her heritage. I think if she had been fleshed out a bit more, I might have liked her more.

The majority of the book made me sick to my stomach, but I really liked the last quarter or so, where we really get to see the characters develop. I wish the character Benjamin could have had a larger role in the story. All in all, I enjoyed it, but not that much.