This was such a well-written thriller with some of the loveliest (or should I say, grotesque) metaphors and similes I've come to read in quite some time, my favorite comparing a flight of stairs to the inside of a sick person's throat. The grammar was also impeccable--I don't think I found one mistake! The vocabulary was stunning, and when interwoven with Old English and mythology, you feel like you are sitting in the classroom of one of the main characters, Clara. Speaking of characters, I was amazed at the characters in this novel, especially Clara and Grizz, although I had a fondness towards Lee, which I assume we are supposed to take on. Clara's voyage to find her mother's story while trying to figure out the story behind Seth, while trying to keep her life together pulled me in so much that I truly felt like just giving Clara a huge hug. That's when you know the author has created a great character. The last thing I want to say about this book is the only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of the ending. I actually wanted a little bit of a twist, and perhaps other readers didn't expect this to happen, but after about a couple chapters in, I had it all figured out, but was hoping it wouldn't end that way. To my disappointment, it did.