The first half of this one was harsh, brutal, and nauseating. You end up wanting the tribe to be killed off, having no mercy for them. The exception of course is the hero of the story, who is genuinely awesome. Rachael is a wonderful heroine, strong willed and feisty, sweet and intelligent, driven and motivated. Thankfully the two are able to move on and away from the corruption and yickiness. Their relationship turned out genuinely incredible.

The book is helped in that there are multiple layers besides the relationship - different shifts of relationships, different meetings of people, journeys and struggles. This is the second one in a row I read where a child didn't seem like it would be born. I won't spoil if it finally happens here or not. The added betrayal of her travel companion and how that ends up was an added dimension.

This one works so well because of the depths - very layered, realistic enough (as well as it could be anyway), characters that are supposed to be likeable truly are, their is fun humor, seriousness that is genuinely heart-breaking, different people popping up to create havok, enemies from multiple directions, personal journeys and spiritual growths. Highly recommended for fans of this genre. ( )