I picked up this book wondering if I would enjoy yet another YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel. Believe you me this book is a trip and a half. There still is room in this genre for an extremely good read and this sure is one.The writing was quite impressive, especially for a debut novel. The main characters have believable, well-defined personalities and I liked the way they were at first seperate and then interacted. This could have been a drawn out process and the clincher for a lesser author, but Marie Lu avoids the pitfall of a simplistic plot and there are just the right amount of surprises in the story.Revenge playes a big part in the plot and it's tough to write a likeable hero who's hellbent on getting even. But the author handles this like a pro.What I also liked was the conflict between the different factions. There's a very thin line between good and evil. Nothing like being kept guessing.Dare I say (Dare! Dare!) this was the best YA novel I've read since the Hunger Games. I understand the ink is on the contract and the movie rights to this book have been sold. I can't wait for the next book in this series.