An excellent slice-of-life dystopian novel. The world building was fully realized (all internal logic was consistent, the rules of Changes and dangers made sense and seemed rooted in practicality), and while I was left with questions, they weren't big, distracting ones; rather ones that made me want to continue reading. ( )

Teen fiction (sci-fi/fantasy-action/adventure. "Norms" and mutated humans trying to work together in a post-apocalyptic world with vicious predator plants and feuding territorial lords; everyday diversity; series fiction). The diversity of characters here is striking in that it's so rare to see so many mixed ethnicities and LGBTQ people casually thrown into a story (yay, #weneeddiversebooks). For the most part the action and plot move along pretty briskly, and by the end (when you've sorted out who the many characters are and how they relate to each other), you're invested enough to want to continue reading the series. Thumbs up. ( )

It wasn't bad, but it's not a good sign when you get to page 20 and can see what the main plots and subplots are going to be. So I gave it up and am sending it back to the library, mostly unread.

RGG: Exciting fantasy read. The characters are engaging; the setting is cool, and the romances are heart-warming. The number of secondary characters and the familial relationships are numerous and may be confusing. And the diversity of sexual preferences seems a bit forced. Reading Interest: 14- YA

Interesting concept but I found the writing very low-quality, surprisingly so. Lots of explaining and too many characters whose motivations were like cardboard cutouts, and twists were telegraphed. Gave up on this one about halfway through. ( )