Like most people, I have a bit of series fatigue, and have been trying to aim for more stand-alone novels. But then I accidentally picked Stranger up after seeing it recommended somewhere, not realizing that it was a series until I started writing this review. 
 This is an ensemble story, beginning with a scavenger (called 'prospector') coming upon a small town. He tries to fit in while each of the other characters deal with their own drama and the regular dangers of their environment, while their own local Lord Humungus brews up dastardly designs on the town. 
 The most obvious thing about this book is it's diversity. There are many different ethnicities, many religions, many sexual orientations and types of romance... This is a book that is chock full of diversity. 
 It does read a little odd at times. This town, that seems to be so inclusive (except, of course, along the Changed/Norm axis), has preserved its distinct ethnicities for generations. It also feels almost a little collectionist, in the "one of each" style of diversity. 
 But, you know what? This is not a complaint. Maybe I'd count it against the book if diversity were so common that it were humdrum. But I don't live in that world, so I will clutch to any book that intentionally and thoughtfully gives as many people as possible a character they can identify with. 
 I really really loved the romance triangle in this book. I don't want to spoil it, but this is how love triangles are done right. When the romance stuff first started and it was clear that a potential conflict was coming up, I groaned because I have just been through this love triangle biz far too many times and I just can't even. But then it resolved, almost immediately, and to great satisfaction, and it was wonderful. 
 This is YA, and perhaps even on the younger side of that bracket. There were times when it felt a little extra kiddy, maybe even late middle school-ish. It was still a perfectly enjoyable read for this 32 year old, but there was a certain naivete to the narrative that reminded me that I'm not the intended audience. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to the 12-16 crowd, though. It's a very enjoyable read with great representation, interesting worldbuilding, meaningful conflict, and some great messages scattered along the way. 
 Some of that naivete is in the worldbuilding - little details that feel off. Like when a town of about a thousand people, a town that rarely gets visitors and then only one or two at a time, has street signs. I grew up in a town about that size and most of our streets didn't have signs. They probably had names, though I never knew them. Places were referred to as "by the bakery" or "next to so-and-so's house." Small towns get by perfectly well on relational descriptors, and yet these are completely absent in Las Anclas. 
 While part of a series, Stranger does work as a stand alone. There are plot threads that don't get resolved, but not in a terribly unsatisfactory way. I'd say it's a safe book - fine for people who might be feeling a bit of series burnout, but with the option of continuing the story if desired.