So I guess this is kind of a win-win for me. I don't have another series to start following (cause that's just getting out of hand).

Firstly, the hardcover copy of this book is beautifully designed. The cover, the spine, the end pages, the title page is all so physically appealing to look at and have on your bookshelf.

The plot of this book is fine and the cast is wonderfully diverse but the execution: yikesssss. The pace is just atrocious. It's slow. Not slow in the beginning and then fast at the end. It's just slow and I don't know how you make an alien invasion slow but this did.

I definitely came away confused that the Nahx could...I guess, understand English but couldn't speak? That was never really explained...and can they speak all languages on Earth since they invaded everywhere or what? Somehow, the main girl is able to completely (and almost immediately) understand the majority of the Nahx sign language? That is something that should've taken time to learn and it been addressed but it really wasn't. There were just a lot of things like this that should have been explained and it left big gaps and detached me from getting absorbed in this world by it being ignored.

The writing is choppy and there was no character or relationship development. I just didn't care about any of the characters. A main character does die (which happens in every dystopian book) and my reaction was "ugh, I was super tired of that person! finally!" when I know the death was supposed to be heartbreaking. The relationships are all romantic and none particularly scream "healthy relationship." In an alien invasion where everyone survives only by depending on each other...I want friendships! Not creepy romantic relationships that come off as super unhealthy.

I wanted to like this book--so badly! It's set in Alberta, Canada where I live and written by a Canadian author but I am not impressed by the writing. The fact that this isn't a debut is also mind-boggling to me.