I ended up not reading this book because of all the drama which surrounded it and unfortunately ruined my enjoyment and hopeful expectations of it. I wanted to be fair and do plan on one day picking up the finished revised copy but for now this is a DNF read.

Unfortunately this book has gone in my DNF pile. It just wasn't engaging me like it would have years ago when I first requested it. My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years as I've gotten older and unfortunately some of the books requested years ago have been affected by my reading tastes and the fact that a lot of books for younger audiences haven't been grasping my attention as of late. I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great unique spin on ya lit. It's full of twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night. Loved it!

Due to the egregious racism, I have no interest in finishing this book.

I feel like it is unfair for me to rate/review this book publicly since you have pulled it temporarily to make changes which no doubt would impact my rating and review. I will, however, share my opinions on what I did read in the hopes to provide some feedback!

Overall, I loved the premise of the book and the characters. It was well-written, and really enjoyable. I was invested in the story, and enjoyed both Vaela's character growth and the romance, as well as the people she meets along the way. I also found it to be quite thought provoking, and a good social commentary.

I did, however, see what people had to say about the representation of other cultural groups. In my opinion, the story is strong, and frankly needs no descriptions of ANY culture (fictionally based or otherwise) to still keep the foundations of the story intact. Therefore, I have every confidence that this book can be made to ensure that no one feels that their culture is being misappropriated while maintaining the integrity of Ms. Drake's story. And I would certainly be happy to read it again to provide a full review, if/when that time comes.