Stories like this show the humanity and cruelty of people. They show the horror that is our past, present, and future. These are the books that must be written and must be read widely. If we had books that looked at the horrors of humanity while also showing the purity of love and dreams then maybe some people would be less interested in destroying others to achieve their own goals. The writing is lovely and moves along at a nice pace while also taking the time to fully detail the story and characters. The setting is vivid and integral to the story. It is a real success when an author makes a setting live and makes it part of the story. This author was successful in this and it really takes the book to the next level. I love the cover. It is subtle and yet has a strength to it. It both pops and also is easy to look at which is not always the case these days with bright and loud book covers.