The characters are also very well written, and I found myself wanting to be friends with several of them, disliking the ones I was supposed to, and feeling sympathy towards others. Becca is fiercely loyal and protective of her brother, and I think the whole sibling thing was very well done. I feel like siblings are too often portrayed as distant and not fond of each other, but Julianna captures a pretty healthy sibling relationship here. Especially considering the big age difference between Ryland and Becca. Alex was an excellent love interest, and the romance between him and Becca ran as a nice subplot to the main story. It was there, but it was never instalove or in the way of the underlying issues Becca had to face. I can't wait to learn more about the rest of the Holders, especially those in the council! 
 This book kind of just ends... which usually drives me crazy, but I felt like even that was really well done.