It could be so much better but having undergone national service, and having read 1984 and animal farm and several other dystopian YA novels, one gets jaded very fast. Over 300 pages were about the protagonist's initation. It was weird enough that she changed her name less than a few chapters into the book but the back story of how she became the way she was is never clearly explained and almost elaborated as an afterthought.
I understand the need for violence in any novel but seriously, there was just a lot of WWE action going on in this. I didn't like that at all. I am not flinching but it does nothing to advance the plot at all. It seems to be written to sensationalise, nothing more. The violence is not selective and clunky as set pieces.
All in all, I wish someone would take out 100 pages and sit down with the author and clarify her motivation/plotline for a stronger debut.