Until the very ending of this book, I was planning to give it a full 4 stars, As Tilly's story was one that kept me reading, mainly through anger at what her stepfather had been up to. But I couldn't give slipped down a bit because at the end it revealed it was essentially a two parter, with the'sequel' being A Life Lost, which meant I had to go and buy that one, and though i read a lot of fantasy novels, and so used to sequels, I didn't like how this I've creeped up on me unaware. So sadly I had to mark it down. Saying that, I look forward to reading the end of Tilly's take, and intrigued how the new kid is going to fit in.