Six teenagers wake up in an unfamiliar world full of semi-human environments. Each of them remember exactly what they were doing the moment before, but their memories don’t match up with the present. They’re dressed in different clothes, and nothing in this place makes sense. It doesn’t take them long to figure out that they’re on display. A zoo, of sorts, or a research lab – they aren’t sure. When they’re given the three rules they must follow, each react in entirely different ways.

I don’t want to say more than that and give spoilers away. This was a fascinating book. I can’t remember what brought it to my attention – a fellow blogger or the Wowbrary feed from my library – but either way, I’m really glad I checked it out. It was a creepy psychological mind-bend, and every time I started thinking I knew what was going on, everything would change. It was awesome.

The book isn’t perfect. I had a hard time with some of the romantic attachments. They felt deeper than the characters had really had time to develop. The other relationships – both positive and negative – were amazing, though, and I loved the way the psychological tricks were implemented over time. It was also a fascinating look at the idea of captivity. Zoos vs research labs vs pet stores vs humane societies. That sort of thing. Even by the end of the book, it’s hard to tell who behind the scenes of this world is actually trying to help the humans, if anyone. This book, the first of a trilogy (I think), barely scratches the surface of this ecosystem, and I’m really looking forward to learning more in future volumes.