Spot on calling this good for Scott Westerfeld or Neal Shusterman.

For me, the story wasn't as satisfying as the art -- and the palate of pink and black is awesome -- and perhaps because it felt like there were too many fight scenes and not enough emotionally-hefty scenes. WHY is Ginny so invested in finding her mother? Why does her father ultimately let her go? What compels her to bring the younger brothers? I felt like those got a bit overshadowed by the warring factions in the post-apocalyptic world.

Not having noticed this was the first in a series, I found the ending disappointing. I think there were places it could have been cut and the continuation carried through in one volume.

I do love a disaster read, and this one follows eight years after "the big one" earthquake destroys San Francisco. But, again, I wanted more of that emotional arc and less of the who-fights-who that emerged. Readers who like more action will be drawn in, as will readers eager to see a story with a Vietnamese American lead by a Vietnamese American creator.