This was... Not great. In large part my feelings can be summed up by the fact that I typically get so attached to characters and story lines that I am itching for a whole series, but I have absolutely no inclination to reach for the sequel to this book. Everything was just kind of mediocre. The protagonist Sal is genderfluid, which is cool and a first time read for me, but that was never really addressed outside of explaining their pronouns and occasional clothing choices, which I think is a missed opportunity to connect more with them. The other characters I can't say anything about (aside from maybe Maud and Elise) because a main cornerstone of the book was that they were all assassins and as such did everything possible to shield their identities. At one point I considered grabbing a piece of paper and trying to note any defining characteristics for any of the numbered contestants or members of the Left Hand just so I could keep track, but decided I didn't actually care enough because they just didn't seem all that important anyway. And the plot was like The Hunger Games in that you knew somehow Sal was going to have to come out on top, but unlike The Hunger Games the dystopian society wasn't really all that developed outside Sal's personal vendetta, and the contest to become Opal wasn't really all that interesting either to want to know how Sal was going to manage it. I also don't think they developed as a character at all? I really wish I could say more good things too, and maybe if I was more interested in the action elements I could better speak to whether the fights and assassination scenes made it worth reading to someone very interested in that aspect of the book, but for anyone like me whose interests are much more centered on character development, this just isn't one I'd recommend.