I really enjoyed the references to various pop culture things that anyone in this day and age should know like Game of Thrones. They made me laugh and lightened up the darker moments like people being found with their eyes burned out. The twist between Luc and Evie was also not the one that I tried to guess and many of the other characters are not what they seem at first. The action scenes were also very good. Lots of Luxen on Luxen action to keep the story moving at a fast pace. The end battle with trees being uprooted and tossed as projectiles definitely showed off just how powerful and dangerous these aliens could be compared to the humans. The villain was ok but didn't really do enough to be that interesting throughout the book. Just a typical revenge type of villain that didn't live up to his hype. Overall, I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out that promises even bigger stakes than this one.