I will say it again, Penelope Douglas is a genius. I knew that I was going to love Madoc, but I had no idea how his and Fallon's story was going to effect me. 
 I'm going to preface with the fact that I was not prepared with where this story went and wasn't completely agreeable to it as well. I felt like an irrational child during parts, wanting to throw a tantrum and shout, "This isn't suppose to be how it is!" But like always Douglas shows us who's boss by creating a story that is unique and effective. 
 As I mentioned before I knew that I was going to love Madoc, but with how Until You finished I was wary of Fallon. I was a little perturbed about their relationship. But I was very pleased to see that Rival was dual perspective. I loved Fallon right off the bat. She was bold, funny, a survivor, and didn't give a shit about what people thought about her....or did she? 
 I loved delving deeper into who Madoc really was, how Fallon made him become true to himself and not an alternate version that just floated through life pretending to be the life of the party. We got to see him grow up in the presence of Fallon and then return to his adolescent ways in her absence. 
 I really hurt for these two. It's been a while since I've read a book were both characters were deeply wronged by people that they should've been able to trust, which effected their lives completely. But seeing them overcome this, to strategize for a resolution, was amazing. 
 I wouldn't mind spending a few moments hanging out in Penelope Douglas' head. I think that it would be revolutionary and perhaps disturbing. This woman knows how to plot. She knows when to sneak in the tiniest bit of information without you noticing, only to bring it to the surface to make it fit in the storyline with ease and perfection. It's a slap across the face, a punch in the balls, it is an art form.