Originally posted on my blog Zach's YA Reviews (zachsyareviews.com) 
 Review: 
 Protagonist: When I think of a protagonist I usually think of them as the good guy, the one to root for because they are on the path to make their world a better place, but when we meet Gabe it's a bit different. Due to his circumstances he's thrust into a role more akin to an antagonist and for most of the novella he was a grossly unlikable character. Since he was a victim of his world there were moments when I sympathized with him, but the way he reacts to the Psi children makes it hard to sympathize with him for too long. His growth as a character is remarkable and I will say that as the novella progresses my disdain for Gabe lightened remarkably. 
 World-Building: For the first time we get to see how the sickness and dawn of the Psi children effects those outside the directly effected families. Due to the Psi children it became harder for many citizens who barely escaped the sickness to find work or pursue higher education. It's a great look at how this predicament is effecting the "civilians" as opposed to our usual protagonist Ruby who is not only deeply involved in what's going on but was a first degree victim of what happened. I was really impressed with this approach to the novella, and once I really got a feel for Gabe and how he's been affected then it begins to tie in with characters and events from the main series. 
 Predictability: I don't know if it was the unconventional narrator or what, but I was really thrown off by a good amount of moments in this novella. There was a revelation that was almost too convenient or serendipitous, it was something that made me immediately say, "Really!?" but it was still a nice moment that through me off a bit, but I do wish that is was a bit more realistic. There are also moments that I knew were going to happen, they weren't really about predictability, but more eventuality. 
 Ending: NOOOO! This ending was pretty crazy, and I was shocked at what happened, It was sort of cliffhangery in that it's very ambiguous what could happen next. Yet, at the same moment it nearly spells it out. I'm hoping that this was supposed to be something that was left hanging and that we may see what happens in the next installment, but I'm sort of scared of what may have happened with that ending, but it jsut looks like I'll have to wait and see. 
 Rating: 
 I really enjoyed this side story, but it didn't pull me in until nearly halfway through due to the lack of likability for the narrator. That being said it really is a great look at more of a civilian side of this world and the epidemic that's been going on in the story.