I read this on the recommendation of Teacher Jo, whose pupils have studied it. It has a lot in common with the Hunger Games: it’s set in an alternative world to teach the reader something about their own world, it’s a thrilling page-turner and the style is very obviously aimed at teenagers.

I enjoyed the book very much but it’s not without its shortcomings; I could see some plot developments coming a mile off (and I usually can’t predict anything in stories) however I didn’t predict the end, even though I really should have. I do prefer a more sophisticated writing style but, having said that, it was nice to be albe to whizz through a book without tripping up on long words. I absolutely loved the love story part of it; that was wonderful stuff, very real. I would definitely recommend this book and I’m excited about reading the rest of the trilogy.