Tbh, this really shouldn't have been when I decided to read at the moment at all. But yet here I am, having read the whole thing without skipping any bits (which is quite a challenge because I am impatient and lose interest easily so only good captivating stuff holds more urges to skip in check) and is left itching for more.
I myself don't really understand why I decided to read this instead of leaving it in my never ending list of to-reads but, to be cliche, fate works in mysterious ways.
I am glad that I picked this up instead of my preferred genre of romance (most of which just involved me skipping parts because I don't find them substantially captivating enough).
On a normal day I won't have picked this up, but normal is hard to define. Either way I am glad I picked this genuinely intriguing and well-writing story up to read instead of, what one might call, 'crappy romance fiction'.
Title
The title is understandable and is obvious as to what it is pointing at. It's simple and to the point.
Grammar/spelling/punctuation/all-those-English-thing
I really should take this section out... I really shouldn't judge other people when I can barely use the right tense ^^"
Plot/Characterisation/General Comment/What-not-and-stuff/SPOILER
Well the plot isn't that original. It's quite typical of the dystopian genere which this, imo, falls under.
Honestly a lot of the major plot devices are very predictable but even then my fickle self still found enjoyment reading it because it is well written.
The language and tone is very good (for the lack of.a better word and a lack of knowledge of English savvy terms).
The transition between the different character point of views are seamless and feels really natural (which is just another way of saying seamless.. I don't know why I repeated myself ^^"). Most chapters focus on the story from a different character's perspective. It is a really clever way to show your character instead of explain your character. It allows us, the audience, to understand the various characters deeper and from more angles than possible if it was only written from one perspective. It's clever.
Another clever thing about this is how I don't find any discrepancies in the events described. It all falls on a pretty clear linear timeline. It all seems to me a very well planned out world and not just some random ideas of the future thrown together. It's panned, clear and sensible.
I like the characters too. They all feel 'human'. They have their flaws. They are all prone to confirmation bias and prone to being in denial of things that might shake up their established idea of the world and their place in it. And they are all quick to judge and often fail to truly to understand/know even their closest companions. All very 'humane' flaws along with other character specific flaws.
As a psychology junkie, I love the realistic-ness of the characters. It puts a smile on my face :)
I like how the main character Lai is different in a very relatable way imo. She is just feels very real in a 'I am anti-social and different but I don't care' kind of way which is probably not the best way to describe it. Although at times I thought there were slight discrepancies in her character (which might just be my paranoia talking) it doesn't seem unrealistic.
I like Alec and how initially judgmental he was of Lai. SPOILER I like how he slowly learns about her but doesn't exactly change his opinion of her until it kinda clicks naturally that she isn't exactly what he thought she was.
I like Cade and kind of how almost puppy-like he is. SPOILER I like the issue to do with how his appearance changed and that he became more confident because of it and whether he is still the same person (which I still believe him to be internally - his software is updated but his hardware is still the same kinda thing). I like how normal he is and I can't pity him in a way.
I like Ema (who for some reason my brain decided was call Vera.. Probably something to do with how her physic description reminds me of those beautiful creatures in Harry Potter which I have associated with the name Vera even though I can't remember what they are called) because I dislike her. I think her character is interesting but I just don't like her as a person.
SPOILER My reason for my facination and dislike is, simply put, because she is, in my opinion, delusionally trying to maintain the perfect order in her life and rather ignore the fact something 'wrong' has happened lest her perfect world be destroyed. She is also display subtle evidence of self-centreness which is masked by her need to help people. It is kind of expected though because she is 'perfect' in her orderly world and she knows it. So now that bad things is trying to destroy her world where she is perfect and she realises that she is not as 'the best' as she thought she runs away and is in denial in a way. And ofc she needs to convince others that she to follow her and run away with her to assure her that she is not wrong in what she chose. It's quite fascinating and since this is not a psychological rambling section I will just leave this as my opinion and not try to prove anything because even if I did throw data and savvy terms it really is just my opinion.
SPOILER Another interesting thing also related to Ema for me is how she said she always "wanted to be the first imp to fall in love" and she is the first imp to fall in love. It really makes me think whether she is in love with Cade or whether she forced herself to fall in love with him. Especially since they met when she was distraughted and he helped her. So it won't be improbable that she mistook the comfort and fondness she found with him as 'love'. But then again... What is love? So I don't exactly doubt that she did love Cade, I am just questioning whether really was in love him. But I do have doubts about her "I love you" to Cade/Les at the end. Isn't it just convinient that she decided that she did love him once she needed someone to assure her of her actions. So I just don't buy it.
End Note
Anyway! I just really sound like an rambling lunatic (which is why I ended it there before I started on another trail ^^"). Well *shrug* what can I say... I just really like this story.
I like it so much I actually kind of want a sequel. And this is a big thing because I have an irrational prejudice against sequels. Well I don't mind if there wasn't one... But I would really like to read it if there was one (but I will probably wait until it's completed before I read it).
Conclusion: doing things outside of the usual might lead to insane rambling but it also might lead to fascinating gems :)
