At last, I'm finally conquering my own mess of a brain and reviewing this book. Sorry it took so long, Runa! Very rarely does a non-horror story make me genuinely so TERRIFIED over what may happen to the protagonists. That's what Runa does so extremely, nerve-wrackingly well. While there are some elements that seem rushed, for lack of a better way of putting it, I wasn't bothered by that, because as soon as the main event of the first chapter happened, I knew I was in for a ride. That's not to say it doesn't have anything else. There are also slow moments that convey Slate's struggles and Starshade's mess of a brain (which made me love her more) expertly. She also, in very few, well-chosen words, gets across the emotional states of the characters, and even with little info revealed, we know so much about what has led to a certain moment. ESPECIALLY if you also have family who are... disapproving. If I had any criticisms, it would be that I do wish a bit more had been established about Starshade early on. But given what she loses, especially when it's addressed later on, the jarring effect of getting straight into the hair-raising action actually feels very effective. I also felt like Celia's role could've used at least one more scene than she has, but as to what that would be, I have no idea. I am, after all, just starting off as a writer myself and have MUCH to learn from my inspirations. And Runa is certainly one of them now. Overall, I'm so glad I overcame my hesitance to read it, and am now pointing to this book as an example of how to write action effectively! Thank you for your beautiful characters, and for being another inspiration for my own eventual writing, Runa.