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4.5 stars
I couldn't put this book down. It was captivating and different. The mass gleanings made me uncomfortable, thinking of our current climate here in the states, but they made Goddard all the more despicable.

SPOILERS

One thing that bothered me was that Citra and Rowan having to still kill each other in the end made little sense: being taken by separate scythes no longer made them twin apprentices, in my opinion. But, the conclusion turned out well, and I enjoyed the ending. I noticed some errors the editor missed, but none were too glaring...

Except for when Rowan comments on Tyger wanting to be a professional party guest. He first says Tyger is the only classmate he knows that truly means it, but later says he didn't think he really meant it... It doesn't affect the story really, but it was an inconsistancy that I noticed.

The romance went well at first, but there was a point where Rowan's feelings felt too extreme. By the end of it, things evened out and I understood where he was coming from. I even like their distant feelings, even now at the end with Citra's epilogue entry.

I loved how deep it went with Faraday and his gleanings, how the kids reacted to this terrible but necessary thing. How the gleaned reacted to their end. Maybe it's a sick fascination, but it felt realistic. I felt for their loss.

Overall, the story kept an even pace. I was surprised, I even cried, and this is a very heavy book for being YA. I enjoyed both the main characters, and I'm curious to read the next installment.