This was a serendipitous find in the New Books section at the library the other day, and I am SO GLAD that I picked it! I got to admit, I mostly fell in love with the cover, and I was sceptical when I started reading it yesterday. But it's now past 3am and I've just devoured it.
The plot was complex enough that I could guess some, but not all, of what was actually happening. The heroine is clever and sympathetic, and her past trauma and reactions were very believable, without me being ever mad at her for it. In YA I too often feel like the protagonist makes mistakes on purpose because the narrative demands it, or because they need to be flawed for it to work. But Maddie made mistakes that made sense in context, weren't down to her age or her trauma (mostly) but to the information she had at the moment. Besides, it was a real page turner and I wanted to keep learning about these worlds and the complex mystery that Maddie had to solve to stay in control of the situation.
The story itself was moving, and interesting throughout, with diverse and well-rounded characters. I liked that the staff was a real part of the story, and the elite was frowned upon by the narration when they looked down on people. I want to see more of these characters, especially Taya! And the novel neatly ties the loose ends while still making me very strongly that I have to have the next one NOW! I absolutely recommend it!