I want to rate this five stars. Trust me, I really do. And maybe when I wake up tomorrow morning and think things over more, I will. But right now, this book is four stars for me. Because even though this is wonderfully written, with carefully thought out plots and well developed characters, in the end, the story is just something that isn't entirely for me. 
 It's funny because while I was reading this (and its predecessor, The Young Elites) I absolutely loved it. Everything is written so well, and Adelina's descent into darkness is logical in the way it progresses (ie she doesn't start murdering people right away, at least in the first book). But once I reach the end, the darkness that I loved throughout the book becomes too much. I don't know if it's just me or an actual flaw in the writing, but I feel like Adelina needs to win at least once. But in every aspect of her life she winds up losing what she loves, and its incredibly painful to read. The ends of both books are so heartbreaking to read that it almost feels like a step too far, and leaves me less satisfied with the book. 
 I'm really interested in seeing how Marie Lu wraps this series up. The way the first two books have gone, it seems like things are bound to end badly, but even villains can be happy in their own right, can't they?