Couldn’t get into it. Interesting set up, but it took too long to settle on a plot line. Would have liked to see the main character grappling more with the notion of killing her sister or trying to actively survive instead of just trying to escape her situation and thinking about how awful it is. It is awful, but that is understood from the set-up. We don’t need convincing of the awfulness of her situation, but rather of how she is going to get out of it. I unfortunately wasn’t convinced and gave up early. Wish the plot would have moved faster because the world, characters, and idea are all super interesting.

If you’re looking for a more sedate, thoughtful piece, I’d recommend checking this book out. If you, like me, were attracted by the idea of a desperate fight for survival, The Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir creates that feeling to a greater degree.

The publishers are fully responsible for printing this book without proper editing. They marketed it with comparisons to 2 of the most well-written and popular books in the genre in recent years, knowing full well that readers who enjoyed those books would be looking for very high-quality writing. This book needed a few more rounds of edits before it reached that level, but the publishers were clearly more interested in making a quick buck off a book they knew would sell than they were in supporting this new author in his career.

Shame on HarperCollins for putting this book to print without editing it more. Warning to consumers and writers: Do NOT buy from or work with William Morrow imprint! They do not care about readers or authors, only money. The second star is for a great idea and the author who deserved better than what his publisher did to him.