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2.5/5

Generic storytelling, and a beyond predictable sequence of events, led me to give this book a below average rating. It saddens me, because Ms. Schwab is generally a fantastic author; anything she writes is pure gold. Here, however, was a major stumble in her oeuvre.

I am disappointed.

August and Kate's arcs were so cliché, it hurt. The only nuance was the introduction of a new kind of "monster," but it all fell by the wayside with the lackluster world building. To hit upon that: there wasn't much. The pace of the story felt off, and actually kind of boring. There were minor characters introduced halfway through at the high school, but there was no mention of them after certain events transpired. They were brought into the picture, made little to no impression, and were left behind to focus on what turned out to be a relatively boring story about two boring characters.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I correctly predicted each and every character action, and accurately called every little "twist" not 20 pages into the story. I hate being right. I like to be surprised, and I just wasn't here.