Never ever ever have I given such a violent book, such a sad book, 5 stars before, at best it would have received two stars and a haughty look from me before I tore it up as Rat cage litter and satisfyingly forget its existence. This book has rape, it has violence, it has despair...

Spoiler

And gosh dang it if people would just stop peeing on everything and each other, even in kindness!! (It makes sense in context but really...!)

But oh, none of this is ever used gratuitously or graphically! Nothing is written that makes you wrinkle your delicate little nose in distaste, because everything is how it should be to create such a glory of a story!

The whole book has heart (hart?), the tale is phenomenal, the characters, oh you ache with them, you rejoice with them, you never know whom you'll like and whom you don't, for it changes direction like a leaf in the breeze, and the whole thing has such an air of magic you're pretty much powerless to stop reading it till the very very last word, on the very very last page.

Spoiler

I utterly ache that we don't find out how Orem's story ends! The poor guy has been through so much, to lose all you love like that... in my version of the story all works out well and everyone reunites and things are explained and love conquers all, and since that is the only version I have, make it so!

I'm so glad I read this book, I really hope you do as well!