Very hard to rate this book! After a promising start it goes downhill. The characters don't talk, they hold speeches. Everybody's good, there's no conflict. At halfway point a secret is revealed, and it has no repercussions. Only two thirds into the book things happen, characters are allowed to clash and there's even a dramatic emotional climax. Because it ends on a high and I might consider reading the sequel, I call this one a very flawed pick.