*Originally reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank*

*pats herself on the head* What a great idea it was to ask this book for my birthday (and thanks mom for giving it ^^)! As soon as I started reading I was enraptured. It’s a well thought out story, where everything clicks and tension and ignorance prevail. I had so many questions that could not be answered. Cause what was going on with those boys? What kind of experiments are they doing? Who can they trust? What is their past? Where did they come from? I can go on and on like this. And there was nothing that quenched my curiosity. Frustrating, but in a very good way. It kept me reading and made me like the book more and more.

Anna, though, was the biggest and most intriguing piece of the puzzle. There’s obviously something going on with her and the boys. But what? Oh I loved that expedition ^^ It felt a bit like an Indiana Jones movie with lots of wrong tracks, unexpected surprises and a sizzling showdown. Sometime I was too shocked for words with the unexpected twists. The totally eye-opening turns and what not. It was great fun to read this book.

I have to confess that I was a bit annoyed with Anna at the beginning. She has four boys locked up in her basement and she doesn’t even think of helping them escape? I mean who wants to spent the rest of his life captured? Isn’t there some way to tell the authorities? Slowly I comprehended why she couldn’t do a thing: “The Branch” sounds like something related to the government and who else could she go to for help? There’s also her father, the only family she has left. She can’t betray him! I finally understood why she and the four boys made the best of it. They are unable to do anything else…

In retrospect, though, Anna didn’t leave a deep impression on me. Now, when I’m musing and pondering about what to put in this review I can’t recall her that well. I can remember all the shocking events (and Nick, sucker for bad boys  ), but not much about Anna. She was too overwhelmed by all the events to actively participate in anything. Such a shame I didn’t get to know the real her. The romance, too, felt a bit dull. But what can you do when you find yourself in life threatening situations and are very busy with saving your lives? So I could understand that romance was not a top priority in this story, but I hope there can be some smex time in the next!

Conclusion

4 HEARTS. A thrilling story with lots of action and a puzzle that needs to be solved. Full of unexpected twists, dead ends and wrong trails. Anna, our heroine, felt a bit lifeless and acted like a wallflower. She was too overwhelmed and out of her league to shine in this book. I also hoped there would be a bit more romance in this book, but everyone was too busy with saving their lives. I still loved reading this story and can recommend it to everyone who likes to read about hot guys and likes action ^^