reread March 7- March 8 
 Yes, I reread this book immediately after reading it because I had to. And once again, I was completely blown away. 
 The world is so, so richly imagined, and so unusual in UF-landia. The characters, richly drawn, each with their own clear motives propelling their actions. The mythology is unusual, and it shows in the characterization. There was no mistaking the Others for humans who shift into/became otherworldly creatures. No. The Others are clearly otherworldly creatures who figured out how to shift into human beings and maintain a human veneer. This fact that made the Others so unique also provided a bit of comic relief in certain scenes. 
 Additionally, the book was enriched by the clear distinction that the Others were the ancestral form, so to speak, and humans are the ones who don't fit into this world, who must exist only because of the benevolence of the Others. The world is the Others' home, and humans are just renting the place from the landlords. 
 And Meg. Loved her characterization. Not everyday strong/kickass female characters; some days let us explore quieter characters on the quest to figure out life on their terms. Loved the departure from standard kickass UF heroine here. 
 Double props as well go to Ms. Bishop for no love triangle and no insta-love. There is something between Meg and Simon, but at this point is just a spark. I'm looking forward to seeing that spark grow. 
 And I'm still rambling. Long and short: breath-taking book. Simply superlative. I cannot recommend this one enough. 
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 Wow. 
 I was utterly blown away. At the beginning of the book, where publishers list rave reviews, there was a review that called this book "Best Book of the Year." they were not lying; they weren't even exaggerating. This was amazing. 
 If you read a lot of UF you realize that a lot of things are the same, even if they're different/appear in a unusual iteration. Lemme just say I have never come across a world like this one, and it is fantastically imagined. 
 This is a world with strange and wondrous creatures (Tessa, anyone), a world where humans are actually the impostors/out-of-place group, and not the paranormal beings 
 And what beings they were! Even their names alone were splendid - sanguinati, cassandra sangue, elementals, shifters, Tess. How often do you come across worlds and books where the shifters and vampires are actually the least dangerous of the things that go bump in the night? 
 There's nothing I can say that other reviews haven't said better. Reading this book was a treat. Loved it.