Possibly my favourite of all the Ness books I have read. I read it so fast that I'm only now realizing that I didn't log that I had even begun reading it on Goodreads. So here is my very belated review. 
 This book, in regards to conception, idea, writing, plot and illustration, is phenomenal. It is dark and Gothic, but like all of Ness' writing, has a poignant beauty that alleviates and transcends the darkness into something palatable for the reader. It deals with such heartbreaking issues and yet manages to keep them relatable and in an acceptable format for the young teenage age-range it was targeted towards. I can image this book becoming such a helpful form of escapism to someone who has gone through the traumatic events depicted in the book and it breaks my heart at how common the theme must be in real life. 
 The voice used to tell the story to the reader manages to keep a child-like and believable tone throughout, no matter how permeated with fear it might become. There is also an almost fairy tale quality to the writing, which lured me into a false sense of predicting the ending. I was, however, deceived. 
 I shan't delve into specifics concerning the plot as I went into this novel with no former opinion or idea on it and I think I really benefited from it. What I will say is this though: be prepared to cry your little heart out!