While reading this novel, I didn't feel like I was reading young adult genre literature. I felt like I was reading classic literature. The way that Stiefvater tells this story is epic and her characters are beyond...I can't even think of a word for it. They are unimaginably amazing in every way. Even though it has a little bit of a slow start, the plot will suck you in as if you're being dragged out to sea by a water horse yourself and you will drown in the world that you find. The love, devotion, loyalty, and friendship that is displayed throughout the book is unique in such a way that it just leaves you yearning to feel as deeply as the characters do towards what you care about. The back and forth POV from Puck to Sean is phenomenally balanced and gives you introspective into the minds of two people I would love to meet myself. And lets talk about Puck and Sean for a second; Puck is not only relatable but will inspire you in a way many book characters won't. Sean is wise and clever in a way that will impress you like none other and his need to protect the things he cares about will capture your heart and pull at it's strings. Together, they are a force not to be reckoned with by anyone or any force of nature. 
 This book has set a new standard in young adult fiction and I'm not sure many other books will cross this line of profoundness any time soon. Needless to say, if this book is anything like it's sequels, this will be by far one of my favorite series of all time. Stiefvater will captivate her audience with yet another amazing series even better and more sophisticated than her first.