Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*I received a free copy of this title in a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions given here are my own* I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it. I enjoyed that Kricket was a foster child from a harder place than many people ever experience, but I thought that could have translated better into who she was as a person. This could have developed into a very interesting and character driven coming of age story, but it just didn't quite manifest. Kricket's inner monologue indicated that she had hardened her heart, but she didn't seem all that hard-hearted to me, as she started to trust her captors far too easily. As a foster parent myself, perhaps I'm just more familiar with the trust issues these kids have and the attachment issues that follow, so it was very disconnected for me. Also, her naivete was unsettling. She would not have been that ignorant of how to play games she faced in her "home world." Foster children are survivors, and while she might have not known the details and specifics of the games being played, there is most often a well honed knowledge of how to play them. I did not like the male-domination that drove the majority of this book. While Kricket herself seemed to be a feminist, as the reader, I could never quite tell when her feminism would manifest and when she would play the victim in need of saving. Another aspect that I didn't quite understand was the complete fascination with her body. Kricket's body is lusted after constantly. And she is naked more than once in the presence of her love interest, but, perhaps because it is a YA novel and not an adult novel nothing happens. Most concerning for me (especially for an audience of young female readers) is that one of these times she actually falls asleep fully dressed in the arms of her love interest and awakens completely naked and lying next to him in bed. He is fully dressed, but explains that he cut her clothes off because it "...looked uncomfortable." This reeks of taking advantage of a sleeping woman and all my hackles rose, but Kricket is not appalled or offended or scared...Instead, "Was it hot?" I ask between kisses. "Cutting it off me?" Are you kidding me?!?! Was this supposed to develop sexual tension? Yuck...that whole scene. Yuck. Overall, I didn't hate the story. I might read more in the series, but I won't search it out. If I come down to needing something to read and there aren't any better options available in the library, I may pick up the second book...we'll just have to see. For conservative readers: See above...