Good story. Solid characters
924529
I love romantic reunions and murder mysteries, so this was perfect. Great character development. I could really feel the difference in the characters thru their dialogue and description- even those that only had a page or two. Interesting twist at the end.
3143111
Good storyline . Great character interaction. Worth reading .
3315823
A good, solid, young-adult, dystopian story that does a good job not only with building and populating the story world, but in raising plenty (and answering some - it's Book One) of questions and mysteries that the characters have to figure out, with the requisite twists and turns along the way.

The protagonist, a young heroine just beginning to take on her adult role within her highly structured yet isolated society, is a 'rebel' - an individualist - in a culture that values conformity and submission.

Why is she different?  Why is the society setup the way it is? How will her peers interact with someone like her?  How about her superiors?  Family?  All of these questions are well raised and well answered.

There are a few niggling problems - the occasion their/they're type of swapping - that occasionally (very occasionally) served to pull me out of the moment, but the writing is tight and the story develops quickly so I was usually pulled right back into the world.  The only real criticism I had is that, right up through the end of the book, I never had a good mental picture of what the antagonist species actually looked like.  There were hints that they were humanoid, but other passages left me with the impression that they weren't, at all.  Maybe I missed something, maybe not.  In either case, I developed my own picture; which may have been the author's intent.

I liked it, and will pick up subsequent releases.  If, on reading Book 2, I find that Book 1 has stayed sufficiently in my memory - has made a strong enough impression - that I don't feel the need to re-read Book 1 before diving into Book 2, I may even give this promising new author that fifth star.
3828581
Good story, great characters, some surprises in this novel.
4723454
Good story, with nice characterizations. Would definitely read more by this author.
2062666
I've spent the last few books I've read looking for a story that wasn't sappy or so silly I couldn't willingly suspended my disbelief. I just wanted likeable characters with a little depth. This delivers. The characters are well written and the storyline is solid. My only critiques would be that the story ending was a little fast considering the earlier pace of the story and could have been a little more detailed, and some of the characters were a little bit stereotypical. Overall, though, it was very satisfying. It worked. This is worth the read.
2872267
Good story line. Keeps moving. Characters are realistic.
3552998
Really enjoyed this story. Some great characters and a fresh look at the genre. While it was not perfect it was a lot better than several I've read in a long time. Very solid book and I look forward to a sequel.
4216924
The story bounces back from book 4. Solid characters and reasonable story development. Hopefully the series continues down this path.
2700187
Well written, good story. A little slow at the start, but got better.
139409
Good action and solid story.  Writing style can be awkward at times, but strong story line makes up for the occasional awkwardness.
1580513
Pretty solid story and an excellent take on alternate history (or is it?).  Loved the premise and the military action was done very well.  If I have any complaints, they are minor.  The beginning part of the book jumps around a lot in history and it's a little hard to follow.  The second act, though, is solid straight through.  Could have done with a little more development of the protagonist characters.  I liked them; I just wanted to love them.  Parker is very good, though, at getting you to hate the antagonists. All in all, solid read and I very much enjoyed it.  I will definitely be following the series.
897212
Well written;  Compelling story.  Interesting characters
3798168
Good story line,but Rhys was a little too girlish in his thoughts. Clearly a female writer. Still, a solid story and very developed characters.
246607
Good story, charactors you care about.  Good read
3960207
Considering that the main character has no name, I was very attached to her story.  With the distant narrative, more telling than showing, and clean storyline - the story fits well in the MG age range.  I feel that the author could of extended the story easily by another 50 pages by adding more descriptions and more character development.  However, it is a very solid story.  By 80% through the book, I was worried that the book would end in a cliffhanger because there was so much more left to be resolved.  There is some closure, but the ending feels anti-climatic and ambiguous.  Overall, a quick story worth reading.
3188218
Good story with good characters.  Kept my attention all the way through.