So, I have thoughts about this book... obviously but in all reality it was OK. It was a pretty good read, I even had an emotional response in several different places. Mostly though, what the author did really well was ignored in favor of plot and ended up completely frustrating the readers and stifling the narrative. Let's get into the good things first...
The MC is a ridiculously beautiful 17 year old girl with a tiny scar on her cheek that is meant to show how she is 'broken' and 'flawed' which is unbelievable at best, but, for the sake of the narrative I overlooked that considering the incredible vanity of the society she'd created among the MC's village people. She is independent, a free thinker, and is allowed to take risks since she's already seen as 'damaged goods' which allows her enough freedom to become brave in a place where being beautiful and docile is more important to your survival as a woman, generally speaking. I like MC's with moxie but near the end of the book this seemed to be edging into Mary Sue town and I wasn't really a fan of this.
What the author ended up doing is developing relationships that were complex and subtle, the kind that I couldn't help but get emotional about. Specifically the relationship the MC has with her mother who is the vainest and most critical of all the villagers and sees her as a huge disappointment and wasted opportunity. I don't know of any teenage girl who hasn't had these similar growing pains with their own mothers and its so often left out of YA fiction because it's hard to portray right. This was a breath of fresh air to see and I balled my eyes out when her mother didn't even show up to see her off when she was leaving for good. Broke my heart. Also, the relationship she has with her twin sister during the first half of the book is so genuine and sweet, it reminded me so much of Holly Black's The Folk of the Air series and the complex relationship those twin sisters had, while still feeling unique and fresh. It wasn't until later that it began to be heavy handed.
The romantic lead is hot and the tension written between the two characters was evocative while still not giving everything away. It wasn't a slow burn since the characters seemed to sizzle every time they were together but the author seemed to recognize this and limit their contact throughout the book so that you were waiting to see what would happen when they were together again.
However....
This book leaned more towards purple prose too often and was so heavy handed on the thinly veiled metaphors and symbolism that it was almost insulting to readers. Also, the beginning dragged on for too long. It was clear that the MC was going to go to the mainland and at a certain point it felt gratuitous that the author was stalling that plot point. By the end of the book I felt there wasn't enough resolution and also a lot of the plot devices used to resolve issues in the book were things you as the reader wouldn't be able to figure out easily on your own. So, it was an unsatisfying end and there was too much description and purple prose throughout. Also, the relationship the MC has with her twin seemed to randomly pop up to give emotional payoff in the last half of the book with no forethought or purpose.
So all in all, it was an OK read. I would recommend it if your looking for something light and paint-by-numbers