There is something amazing about this book.

I am immediately going to get my one complaint off my chest: the first half of the book felt amazingly slow to me. Lauren Oliver spent a lot of time setting up the world and her characters, which was absolutely important, but made for some very slow paced moments.

But once the action starts, it is amazing, a string of chain reactions that comes to an explosive ending.

The world that Oliver has created here is breathtaking; the depth of it is absolutely amazing, with government documents, list, websites, myriad bureaucratic organizations, and a sense of horror and dystopia that really sinks in. It’s easy to imagine living in this world, both before and after having love cut out of your brain. There is a richness in the writing, and a depth to all of the relationships, friendship, family, and yes, romantic love, that takes this book to the next level.

One of the things that especially struck me was the image of a prison cell, with the word “LOVE” etched, carved, and gouged into every inch of possible space. It’s so unlikely, but so beautiful, especially when you consider the painful difficulty with which such a display would be created.

I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series. I wait with bated breath.