- The Characters: Madeline was a good protagonist, most of the time. I liked her, and I usually felt pretty connected to her, so that was good. She wanted to be well rounded, she wanted a chance to study before settling down to have a family, she was quite strong in her convictions. There was one inconsistency that irked me about her though. While she was sympathetic to the Rootless, she was ridiculously worried about some cosmetic house damage, which didn't seem to fit with someone who was otherwise not that concerned with gentry things. I understood even her wavering when it came to rebelling against her father, that made sense. But the drama over the house stuff confused me.
I was also very intrigued by what Cara's situation was, and certainly felt sympathetic for the Rootless. And I had lots of wavering feelings about David, but I more liked him than I didn't. And Jude didn't seem necessary, and I feel like maybe he isn't what he seems. Or I hope, because he needs a point. Otherwise, dude needs to go home. So the characters overall were a positive. - Parent-in-YA Syndrome: Ugh, your typical horrible excuse for a father, who only cares about his precious legacy. And a mother who is pretty useless overall. I do like the interaction with David's mother and Madeline's father, that was kind of fun and different. Otherwise, they were just... there.
- The Romance: This was not a love triangle. It was a love... pentagon? But it wasn't. It is so hard to explain without spoilers, but it is not any kind of typical love triangle, so that was good. There was some insta-attraction, but not love, so that was fine. I enjoyed the romance part of the book.
- The writing: It was good, though a little slower than I would have liked at times, but overall, I can't complain.
- The Plot: It was entertaining, but just a bit overdone. I think this may be in part because I oversaturated myself with dystopian books in general, but there isn't anything that really stuck out as completely fresh to me. It's Girl Meets Oppressive Society, mixed with Girl Meets Rebellion. The nuclear stuff gave it some freshness, but I felt like it could have been replaced with anything else (insert plague, war, or villain here) and it would have been pretty much the same. Perhaps it will stand out more in Jubilee Manor.
Bottom Line: It wasn't a bad book by any means, it just didn't wow me. I am probably curious enough to read the next book, and I did enjoy the author's writing, so it definitely was worth reading, but not one I would rush to read.
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight