topcho

I had pretty much no idea what to expect when I chose the book - actually this was my first dystopia themed read as far as I remember. So what made me do this rather unusal pick? First of all the cover - it was love from first sight. Seeing it exactly when I was getting tired of covers with photoshopped images, and the catch phrase "Ïn space, love has boundaries" made me fall from the book even before reading it.
And I'm happy to say, that after reading it, I loved it even more. Zachary found a special place in my fangirl list. He is exactly the type of main character I love reading. The reluctant hero, the one who doesn't want to get into adventures or dangers in any kind, who just wants to set his own world straight. This young scavanger doesn't want to get involved into anything, but he doesn't back up when he's forced into it. He was weak sometimes, strong when he had to, and even adorable and cute sometimes, and I loved reading about him.
Rosa, on the other hand, didn't evoke such warm feelings from the very first pages. At the beginning, she was very much like a spoiled brat, who, I got the feeling, looked at Zachary with pity, like some exotic pet. But even this felt rather normal, given who she was, her parents and her surrounding, it made her real, and with time, as she grew closer to Zach, I, too, started to like her more. There were some really cute romantic moments, that made me go awwww and do a little fangirl dance.
I liked reading about Zachary's father. He was... good. Good parent, who tried his best to look after his son, he was rought at times, but so kind at the same time. He, and Patch, they felt so much like family, and I loved them, and when, after the attack, Zack lost first Patch, then his father, it really broke my heart. But you can imagine my joy, when Patch showed up again!
There were other interesting characters, and they all helped up with the story. The androids were awesome, and the whole Souls program - it made me go OMG.
The world where the novel was set was quite cool, tho I did get confused sometimes. I wish there was more insight on how and when it was built and how Gallilei and the reat of the world functioned, but I guess I have to wait for the next books.
The story was really dinamic. It took me some time to get used to the pace, but I really enjoyed it. There's been some time since I read a novel with so many turns and twists, I never knew where the plot was headed. It was actually a cool feeling, because not at one point did it fail my expectations. The story gave me many surprises, and they were all good.
And the ending... oh dear, I didn't expect that! The revelation of what Rosa was, actually shocked me less than the fact that they cut out Gallilei just like this. Really a great ending. The last chapers gave the novel some finished look, and in the same time prepared the reader for the next part and left him craving for more.
Few quotes when straight to my favourites:
“Is this where droids go after service?” (Patch)
~~
“Commands indicate thirty-six minutes remaining before the Right Order Movement
proceed to battle. Now would be the ideal time to release your pain.”
~~
“Are you ready?”
“How do I know if I am?”
“You’d have turned back if you weren’t,”
~~
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh, and crym and tremble in anticipation, and waiting for more