Lol, this book... 
 So I go in thinking that I'll get an easy teen read, you know the type: light, romantic love triangle, some angst, etc. And it kind of starts out that way. But by the end....it spirals into horror, and from what I read from other reviewers, will not be a YA series but a distinctly adult one. 
 There are some explicit scenes that are a bit disturbing, but they make sense in a twisted way, considering how the villain(ess) operates. And overall, the world and the logic that rules the people makes sense. However, I do take some issue from my own personal preference. Conservative Christianity really takes a beating in this book, and while I get it-- right-wing nutjobs are nutty-- I find it terribly disheartening for the story to have barely anyone who has the the will/morals/ability to stand up to the villain. Granted, she has supernatural powers that makes it practically impossible, but that kind of pisses me off from the fairness standpoint. Why do the good guys always have to start from the bottom and get kicked down so much? Why can't it be a more even playing field? Why aren't there more townspeople who are suspicious? Ashleigh can't touch EVERYONE in town all the time, right? As Ashleigh really gets into her manipulations, I found myself skipping her chapters because there was nothing redeeming left. Once or twice, I thought I saw a glimmer of something likeable or conflicted about her, but then she turned back to flat evil. 
 Then by the end... 
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 ...it explodes into a massive bloody exploding pustule-filled massacre!!!! It's like, ESCALATION, HELLO. And I get that too! There's a bizarre cathartic release to know that those dirty bastards get what they deserve. But at the same time, I was filled with incredulity, because I would've thought it takes a lot to go from being a grade A manipulative bastard to murder! 
 And did a whole plaza of people REALLY deserve death by melting-blister-rot? Weren't they being controlled by Ashleigh still? Some obviously already had bad personalities that Ashleigh's powers amplified, but I think a strong argument can be made that everyone in that plaza did not have free will for many years. But Jenny rationalizes it in her explosion of (understandable) vindictive hate, and even though later she spares the pregnant teens, and I know I cheered when she finally killed Ashleigh, I still...got left feeling cold about the whole thing. 
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 I hear the series gets much darker before it gets better, and while the author is a competent writer, I think I prefer to fill my spare time with more hopeful entertainment.