I claimed this book with my points and I must say it was worth every single one of them. I have to say, my knowledge of geography and world history is quite poor, something I am working to rectify, and this book certainly helped with that. I learnt about another culture and the history of another country, which is effectively the history of my country too. The way that the two stories, which I understand were originally conceived separately, were weaved together was absolutely flawless. I couldn't put the book down, and in the end I stayed up until I had finished reading it, because I had to know how it ended. The message of the novel is very powerful and the lessons it teaches are imperative. I felt the whole time I was reading that, although I know things like this have and still do happen, I need a book like this to remind me every day of the horrors and emotions that go with that fact. The writing style is extremely accessible and it's a book suitable not just for YA but for all ages of adults too. I will definately be lending it to my sister next. The author has exceeded herself since her first novel and so I really look forward to the next. Highly recommend.