This book was great! I've been stuck in a stagnant reading loop for a while--rereading old favourites or new books by a select few authors, and it was refreshing to read a novel by an author whose world and writing style were new. Of course, I would have prefered a happy ending, but maybe i'll get it in book 3 (I don't know, i haven't gotten that far), but that's because I'm a grown-up that hasn't quite discounted the existence of fairytales yet. But that isn't how life is, and Colins does a very good job at accurately portraying how our world could be in the future. All around the world, many governments are oppressing their citizens, and who's to say their methods are not as cruel and brutal as those of the government of Panam?

This book is a very ensightful depiction of human character.With the popularity of "reality TV", such a plot is not inconceivable.