This was the book I was lucky enough to receive from Melissa for the Blogger Book Swap.  I completely trusted Melissa's judgement and wasn't much surprised when she chose a dystopian YA novel for me since it's a genre we share a special affinity for.

This book was no exception.  The story is about 16 year old Rhine who lives in a future world where girls only live to be 20 and are often abducted and sold into marriage, or worse.

What a page-turner!  I loved that there are so many levels to this dystopia.  Not only is there the whole young fatality rate, but then DeStefano adds in the plight of girls being abducted.  There are so many different relationships going on, and I like that the blossoming romance is overshadowed by the more important aspects of the story.  It is a smart and brave novel.  It is the right amount of dark and morbid for a YA novel.  If I could sum it up in one phrase it would be "The Handmaid's Tale for teens". And I mean that in a good way.

My only annoyance was that so many of my questions went unanswered.

I'm entirely uncertain as to what direction the story is going, and I cannot wait to read on in this trilogy.

Find it here:
Goodreads // Amazon // B&N

The playlist...
I especially loved this story's creepy elegance.  There was so much femininity and melancholy.  I couldn't help but imagine the perfect playlist while reading.  These artists immediately came to mind...

Pretty Bird - Jenny Lewis
Keep Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
The Suburbs - Mr. Little Jeans
All Your Gold - Bat for Lashes
Hanging High - Lykke Li
Born to Die - Lana Del Rey

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