uh-oh. 
 this book has crazy-high ratings and here i come in like a monster to muck it all up for everyone. 
 i just think this book is...lacking. it is another example of what happens when something gets overexposed. do we need another YA dystopian novel? well, i love them, so i would have to say "yes," but the problem is that when the market is flooded, some of the books are going to be waterlogged. and this one just doesn't measure up to the so-many-better ones out there. too many dystopias! leave them to people who can really build a satisfying world! 
 and it's not dreadful - i never wanted to stop reading it, but it doesn't bring anything new to the genre. 
 how did we get here??? 
 at least try to come up with something, please. it doesn't have to be the most convincing backstory ever, but give me a reason. why are things the way they are, why are people being executed for these infractions? what happened and who is in charge and why do the rules keep changing and how and when and wtf?? 
 throw me a bone, here. 
 oh my god, how hard is it to talk to someone?? 
 this is one of my biggest pet peeves in books, where sooo many things could have been avoided with a single conversation. it is the laziest way for an author to create tension - by letting the audience know more than the characters because they just can't possibly say what they are feeling. get a new bag of tricks, this one has been played out. 
 oscillate wildly 
 oh, characters... how like yo-yos you are. i love you i hate you i gaze longingly at you i scowl at you YOU CANNOT KNOW WHAT I AM FEEELING! 
 cuz i sure ain't gonna tell you. that would make this book like a hundred pages. 
 oh my god, seriously?? 
 sweetheart, when someone tries to rape you or kill you and they are baaaad because this is a dystopia, you cannot just let them go. sometimes you gotta kill someone. i know it's hard, i know it's not ideal, but your world isn't ideal - these people are going to come for you. and you gotta kill them. in a world where you can be executed for (view spoiler)[having a kid out of wedlock (hide spoiler)], sometimes you are going to have to get your hands dirty.or let your lover do it for you. because you are not so good with a gun. or a nightstick. 
 again - it's not terrible. there are some good action sequences, but the "romance" is pretty dopey and too angsty for me. it doesn't feel like a two-star to me, but it is a really low three....