The first Marie Lu novel I ever read was Warcross, and I've been in love with her writing ever since: from Wildcard to Skyhunter to Steelstriker, none of her books have disappointed and from what I've read of Stars and Smoke, this one will not be the first. Winter Young is a perfectly complex character, maintaining a perfect - dare I say K-Popesque - front in front of his adoring masses of obsessed fans, but already seeking for more, facing mental challenges that Marie describes without sounding cheesy or fake. And as for the Jackal, his designated partner in his mission to infiltrate a trafficker billionaire's private party, she may not have shown up yet, but I can't wait to meet her, and the rest of this book.