Birthmarked

I surprisingly enjoyed this book quite a lot! It wasn't the best dystopian I've read but it was still quite good. I really enjoyed the world and the characters were decent. However, I found there was a few slower portions in this book which made me want to either put down the book or just skip through until the faster parts :) but other than that there wasn't much I didn't like!

I decided to buy this book after having read a couple of reviews on Goodreads. My expectations were quite high, and the book did not disappoint! While reading, I felt like the whole world – the Enclave, Wharfton, the Tvaltar – was really well described and I could easily picture it in my mind. The book is dystopian, and set some 300-400 years in the future. The climate has changed and it's incredibly hot, lakes have dried out and it almost never rains. It all seemed very realistic with all the global warming stuff that goes on today.

I liked Gaia as a main character; she's brave, intelligent and kind. She's not had the best childhood in the world, but she's always had her parents to lean on. But suddenly that changes, too. And that's where the book starts off!

The code thing was brilliant! I love when books have these little riddles and symbols that the author invites you to solve with the main character as the story progresses. I have to admit that I did not figure it out by myself!

I didn't quite feel the romance in the book, but I feel like the action and all the things happening were more important anyway, so it didn't matter much. The end was pretty heartbreaking, though. And everything with Maya – awww! Yes, I did get a little teary-eyed at times. But I won't spoil you – read the book! It's good, I promise.