I'm kind of wavering on how many stars to give this one. I love Mead and I liked the idea behind the story line, but I just never really loved the characters. That is one thing that you can definitely give to the author, she is not afraid of changing things up. We did not get a strong hero and heroine in this series as compared to the characters in VA. I appreciate that aspect, especially considering that too many authors do a spin off and essentially give you the same characters, just with a different name. Anyhoo. My opinions of the book started to pick up toward the end, meaning that I didn't completely dislike Sydney and the ever-whining Adrian. It gives me hope..