My first impressions of this book were a little rough, to be honest. I have to admit that I'm not the best at reading from multiple points of view and that, coupled with not having my footing in this dystopia at first, made the first few chapters a bit rocky. As I read on, however, I soon fell into step with the characters who lead us through this story. I understood that this was a future where survival was based on how important you were to the people in town. Where, although resources are limited, there are still good people who help others. Where, just like real life, there are those who take advantage of everyone else. Once I got my bearings, I was set. I knew this would be a book I'd devour.

Devour it, I did. I know that this book is technically classified as dystopian, but what I found on these pages had so much more hope than I'm used to in this kind of story. Jake, Sophie and Martha were each so different and yet they came together in a way that really made me smile. The setting for this story, an old historic mining town in Canada, felt perfect to me. Small, surrounded by nature, and the perfect way to really expose the damage that had been done to the world by the people who were now trying to survive in it. Like I mentioned above, so many people were still good people in this book. They fought for others, cared for others, and shared. It was lovely to read a story where, although it had dark undercurrents and violence, a little bit of love still shown through.

Martha, in particular, stood out to me. She has her own story arc, that winds through those of the others, and it really lets the reader further delve into the world that Liddell has built and where all the devastation came from. She was quirky, to be certain, but that made me love her more. Imagine knowing that your world was destroyed by someone close to you, and feeling like you were now the only one who could save it. Those are some big shoes, let me tell you what.

So why the three star rating? I think my biggest issue with this story was really the fact that it took so long for me to get enough information to finally feel invested. Although I appreciated the slow build up of facts, it also hindered my reading somewhat. I wanted to know why I should care about the people I was walking along with. That came eventually, but not quite fast enough. My other gripe was about the ending. After all the drama I'd gone through with my new friends, it felt like everything just wrapped up into a perfect forever after. Going from a tension filled, secret laden story into a place where suddenly everything is sunshine made me feel lost. It just didn't flow.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book. I powered through it, and I don't regret diving into Liddell's world at all! This story may have needed a bit more polish, but I'm definitely still a fan. I'll be back for more.