[3.5 stars] 
 i went into this thinking i wasn't going to like it. i've heard so many people complain about how it copies so many other books. but since Victoria is going to YALLfest, and because she seems so awesome on twitter, and let's face it, that cover, i decided to give it a go. 
 so yes, i can see why people say it reminds them of other dystopians. i would say this is a cross between The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Selection (which i'm only about 100 pages into, so it may not play out that way, but RQ definitely gave me some Selection vibes). but the truth is, most dystopian novels remind me of other dystopian novels. i still enjoyed this, and did not see the twist coming. 
 -Characters: i liked Mare. loved Cal and Farley. 
 -Plot: it's okay. not the best, not the worst. 
 -World Building: i thought it was solid, but i also can't wait for more! 
 -Romance: i have a feeling it's gonna become a triangle, possibly a square. i don't mind if they're well written, so far, it's fine. 
 Diversity- not any that i noticed. but please, correct me if i'm wrong. i have a tendency to not pay attention to character descriptions. oops. bad book reviewer! BAD!