This is, honestly, exactly what YA novels should be. 
 It's well written, with well drawn characters. These characters are the driving voice of this story and it's so easy to feel for them - to identify with them. These are people and not just cut outs. While most of the book is from the point of view of Fabiola, the main character, there are short snippets from other characters' point of views and I loved this. Getting even a short view of these characters from their own thoughts makes them become more than just characters in Fabiola's story - it's helps to craft stories of their own as well. You see them all as more than just people to prop up Fabiola. They feel there and important. 
 There's real stakes here - things actually matter. It's not just the basic "woe is me" and love triangle, which is such a nice change of pace. Even the romance didn't bother me - yes, it happened (in my opinion) too quickly and it's fairly unimportant in the big scheme of the weighty topics this book covers, but it's still better handled and adds more to the book than the majority of romance in YA I've read.