I am thrilled out of my socks by this review from book review site Pedacinho Literário in Portugal.

I really liked Morton’s writing. It is not only quite different from what I’ve come across so far, as it also shows that everything she puts on paper turns out to be important somehow. I also very much enjoyed the true balance between dialogue and narrative, especially because, as a reader, I felt all the good, the bad and the utterly scary thins going on on Karen’s life and, to me, that’s one of the most imperative components in a book. Plus, every single character I found it to be extremely well built and solid. It never mattered how significant their part was in the story, it never mattered how big or small their “physical” presence throughout the book was, all the background, all the crucial information about what motivated them, what made them want to act, want to love, want to protect, is there. This allows the reader to somehow connect with the central people in the story, and to allow himself a chance at being part of the adventure instead of only watching, reading about it.

I particularly liked Karen. She’s an enormously curious and active figure, with a strong personality and a huge amount of bad luck, especially in the first half of the book. Since everything happens to her all the time, the way she responds to problems and to all the new stuff occurring in her life ends up being one of the most interesting aspects of this book. She’s that edgy, exceptional kind of character that in a crazy way captivates the readers attention and even when the book is over, when there’s no more pages left, she’s still pretty much in readers’ thoughts. Renschman was a huge contributor to that unique alliance between reader and heroine. He’s such a damaged man, who helplessly watches everything getting out of his control, that becoming the “evil” character, the villain, was precisely what we could do best. And what a scary guy he turned out to be! It gave me the creeps more than once.

Another element that completely caught me by surprise was the alternate reality—I was aware of this when I first started the book but I could have never imagined how plausible and appealing Roma Nova would turn out to be in the end. I’m a woman so… this would definitely be the most amazing and exciting place for me to live in; but that aside, this is a country that speaks for itself and that’s unbelievably beautiful for the way it keeps its inheritance alive. I couldn’t help myself to fall deeply in love with it—and not because Nonna and Conrad are locals!

Intriguing, imaginative and with a sturdy political side to it—that completely fascinated me—this is the perfect book to anyone who is looking for something different and unusual. I can’t wait for the sequel!