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"Kept me reading to the end"
The writing quality of this book seemed rather shaky at first, but things generally smoothed out as the chapters progressed--there were a few lapses, but nothing that really detracted from the storyline. The characters were well-defined, and even though it took a while to get going (I wasn't really interested until after two of the original main characters had died), I couldn't put it down once the pace picked up. As soon as I thought I knew who the 'betrayer' was, the story headed off in an entirely different direction. The tension between the characters was palpable; I loved how it really got through to me. When Gem's possessed little sister was killed, I... More > felt the triumph of knowing that one of the numerous bad guys was out of the way, but at the same time, I felt sick, remembering that without Mara's influence, Crystal would have just been another little girl. I may have been indifferent to the deaths of Myriad and Ares, but I was horrified at the genocide of the orphans, and speechless when Renee (Raven's adoptive mother!) gave Crystal permission to shoot and kill Raven. I could feel the tension Gem felt on the ride back with Crow with his sister's corpse--the heart-fluttering thrill of her affection for him, her sorrow over Raven's death, and her hatred of her murderous younger sister. Each character seemed alive to me, and even though there are a LOT of them, they're easy to keep track of--the names are distinct, the physical characteristics vary greatly, and a strong plotline with maybe a dozen sub-plots really kept the story running. I was really wound up for the ending, but what happened was still totally unexpected. In spite of the occassionaly wobbly style, I still give this book five out of five. < Less