overall - 5 stars: this was a really good book. well written, i stayed engaged throughout the whole story, i was deeply invested in the characters and their choices.

enjoyment - 5 stars: i had to use my bookmark to keep my eyes from greedily skimming ahead on the page before my brain finished processing what i was actively reading. i felt a range of emotions, a lot of them emulating feelings i have when reviewing the present world. i allowed myself to be fully absorbed into the story, watching the story unfold around me. i was very invested.

quality - 5 stars: the writing is deeply descriptive in an immersive way that made me feel present in the story. without excessive trauma p*rn or dry dialogue the story tugged at my heartstrings. it was raw, reflective of so much of the world. it was written in a way that allows readers to understand the horrors and pain happening, mirrored after so much real hurt.

characters - 5 stars: our main character is not the typical hero. her faults are present and obvious to the reader (at least i would hope, or the reader is definitely not the target audience). her growth and character development is demonstrated realistically. its not linear, its not a complete 180°. the effects of growth and change are visceral and we witness the authenticity of it as we watch the character and how she interacts with the world and people in it.

plot - 5 stars: watching the story unravel was genuinely riveting. had so much fun reading, the story urging me along in a way i havent felt in awhile. felt like a kid again, the youthful joy of reading with disregard of responsibility and time. i went into this expecting a perspective of academia that was unbearable and mythical. instead, i read a story of humans and monsters and the fight it can be to tell the difference. reading can be an act of escapism but sometimes in the thrill of make believe we fall back, hard, into reality. that happened on each page. and i feel that could happen for any reader, anywhere in the world.