Prized by Caragh O'Brien - Review

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This review is going to be kind of hard to write... not because I didn't like this book (that totally wasn't the case!) but because it's going to be super hard to write a review that isn't full of spoilers! This is a seriously interesting series, and I'm just bursting to talk about all of the secrets that were revealed towards the end of the novel! But I don't want to be a series-ruiner, so I'll try and keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.  There will be some spoilers for book one, so if you haven't read Birthmarked yet you should probably skip this review!

Caragh O'Brien's Prized is the second book in her popular Birthmarked series. I'd read the first novel Birthmarked a while back and quite liked it, but with my TBR pile insanely huge, I didn't get around to reading Prized until now. Though I had mixed feelings about Birthmarked, Prized was definitely a pleasant surprise for me. I really loved it!
Prized picks up a couple of weeks after the end of the first novel, and straight away we're pulled right into Gaia's messed up dystopian world. Lost and alone with her baby sister, Gaia is soon rescued by the surprisingly sexy Peter and brought to the previously unknown village of Sylum. Though at first it seems like she might have finally found herself in a safe haven, Gaia (and the reader) soon discover that Sylum is a society with some major secrets, and the intrigue begins...
Gosh, what I really loved about this book was the pacing! The reader is kept just as much in the dark as main character Gaia is, and we're drip-fed the secrets of Sylum as slowly as she is. Though this may frustrate some readers, for me it really added interest to the novel, as my mind was always working, trying to figure out exactly what was up with Sylum and it's weirdo leader, just as Gaia was. There was a distinct feeling of unease present throughout the entire book which kept me turning the pages, eager to see what would happen next. 
The big secret of Sylum itself (which I won't mention here) was actually one of the most unusual plots I've come across in YA books these days. Without saying too much, I was so glad that it wasn't another society of vampires or some other supernatural secret that Gaia uncovered. Seriously, I'm just so sick of paranormal creatures in YA lit at the moment! And did I mention the fact that Sylum is run by a pack of power-hungry bad bitches?! I do love a bit of misandry in my YA novels, muahaha.
I also really liked the introduction of not just a love triangle, but a love square. Damn Gaia, you go girl, attracting all the hotties in that weird backwards town! I am so Team Will, though I'm not sure if anyone else is with me on that! I was happy to see Leon in this book as well, though he's pretty much as big of a douchebag as he was for the majority of the first book, though he does have his moment (the firefly field, anyone?!). 
Overall, Prized is a big improvement on the first novel in the series, and it left off on such a hopeful, bittersweet note that I know I will be reading the third book in the series, Promised, a lot sooner than I did this one.