The Continent, for me, was one of those YA books that you don't know what to expect from it. I started reading it not really knowing what I was going to encounter, but I ended up loving it.

And what's The Continent? Because that's what all this book is about. Vaela has lived all her life in the Spire, a pacific and what you could call an utopian place where there's peace, no hunger and everyone works in order to provide something to the society. But all that changes when Vaela's parents gift her a trip to see The Continent, a dangerous place where two nations are constantly in war.

What I liked about this book is the not knowing what direction was going to take. I didn't know what was going to happen or what to expect from the story. Some other books, by reading the synopsis, you have a clear idea what's going to happen throughout the story, but I could have never imagined all the things I read in Keira Drake's book. 

About the main characters, Vaela and Noro, I liked that they were strong and powerful characters in their own individual selves. Vaela, for instance, came from a wealthy family, she has had everything since she was born, but when tragedy strikes and she finds herself in The Continent, alone, without food, friends or help you see how resilient she is. Which was a surprise, since I was hoping to find the typical "damsel in distress". She was approachable and felt real all at the same time because she made mistakes and had to learn how to keep going from the moment she set foot in The Continent. Plus, her grief was also very real and you could see how it was not dismissed by the author at any moment. 

On the other hand, Noro was the complete opposite. He knows grief and what it means to lose the people you love on a regular basis. He is a survivor as well as kind and gentle. I liked that he didn't "help" Vaela all the time, but wanted to help her learn and see that she could also do it. But it was also super cute to see how deep down, no matter how hard he tried or how much he taught her, he couldn't resist being preoccupied over her.

Their relationship was not an insta-love one, which put that extra likeness to the story. Noro did not made a move on Vaela until she had come to terms with her grief and with who she was now at The Continent. So you can say that it was a progressive one and their moments together are beautiful but yet brief for those of us who love the couple so much.

The story was a raw one. The main character, Vaela, was a wealthy, carefree cartographer at the Spire who heard about all the stories and battles going on at The Continent, who thought it was sad that it happened and had a lot of progressive thoughts that could lead to a solution. But at the same time was curious to see in first hand what was going on. Until she sees for herself that all those stories are awfully real and happening, that it was brutal and that death was everywhere for no reason at all and they, The Spire, were doing nothing to prevent it. Sound familiar, guys? 

Why I am not giving the 5 stars to this book? Simply because I truly started loving it when Vaela was with the Aven'ei, when she made friends and started being the Vaela she truly was. That's when the story really starts to escalate and go super fast from a reader's point of view. Because you just want to know what is going to happen and who's going to remain at the end of the story. And that's how I know the second book is going to be a powerful one, too. I am just dying to start reading it and, of course, to see the cover for this title.

Full of friendship, love, war, grief, adventure, tragedy and deception, The Continent is one of those stories that will blow your mind and that you will need more of it when you are done.

Listen to my book playlist for The Continent