Actual rating 4.5 stars 
 This book was amazing! I flew through it, and never once wanted to put it down. Yes, it is that good. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I knew going in that it was dealing with time travel, and was a little wary. I have read many time travel books that have just flopped because it was way to confusing and not well executed. But, time travel is very difficult to write about, so I never let my opinion of those books influence my opinion of those authors. However, there is nothing to fear with this book. Everything is very well explained (perhaps this is one of my favorite parts of the book), and the story is extremely well written. The first sentence draws you in, and by the end of the first chapter you will find yourself speed-reading to finish this book in one sitting. 
 One of my favorite aspects of this book was the characters. Each had a very distinct personality, and was very strong in their own right. Our lead, Amanda, whose code name is Iris once she becomes involved in the Annum Guard, is an extremely relatable and bad-ass heroine. I loved her! She had the right amount of sass and snark, but was also very honest and flawed. She never felt fake or unrealistic. Iris reacted to everything how you would think a person in her situation would react. I loved all her fellow recruits, and all very similar to Iris in that they were all very honest, real characters. 
 Another great aspect of this book was the time travel. As I said before, it was well explained, and one of the more enjoyable things was being able to learn with Iris. This is one of my favorite parts of any novel, being able to feel so connected to a character that I actually feel like I'm part of the novel. When the character learns something new, you learn something new, and you start filing everything away because it's a clue for later on. However, the time travel aspect is also the only place I had a small (and by small I mean teeny tiny) problem. I wanted more time in the places that Iris and her fellow recruits traveled to! There were several times in this book where the setting and time period were elaborated on, and these times shone like a bright beacon on a dark night. But I wish that the other times Iris traveled, there was a bit more description. This is the type of book that you wouldn't have minded the extra pages (thus making the book longer) because you are enjoying it so much. Nevertheless, this was the only flaw I saw, and honestly, it's not even really a flaw. 
 The writing is superb, and Ms. McCardle is one to watch! I thought I had things figured out, but you will be completely blown away when everything comes together. However, I think if you pay close attention to every little detail, you might...might be able to figure things out ahead of time. Even if you do, trust me, it won't detract from the book in anyway. There will still be something that will throw you for a loop! 
 I am highly anticipating the next in this series, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I just hope the sequel comes out soon because I don't know if I can wait a whole year!! Happy reading :)