4.5 STARS 
 I really enjoyed this book, however, it definitely reminded me of The Selection in many ways. Like as in her name is Mare ('Mer, am I right?) and she's poor etc. Also, one of the main gentlemen is named Maven (Maxon, anyone?) and he's what? You guessed it: a prince. But, I loved The Selection Series. Therefore, I really enjoyed this book and I'm sure I'll end up enjoying the entire series. 
 What would I not love about a dystopian/paranormal caste system? Give me a good dose of that and add in some romance/magic/angst=winner. In all seriousness, I think that Victoria Aveyard did a wonderful job with this book. I was rooting for Cal, then Maven, then Kilorn for goodness sakes. I was rooting for Mare and the Guard. I definitely did not expect the ending. I'm so ready for Glass Sword it's not even funny. I'm almost happy that I waited this long to read this book due to the fact that the sequel comes out in nearly three weeks. 
 Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!