A brilliant, riveting novel that explores issues of individuality, identity, and humanity. The novel contains two separate but closely related stories, "Lyra" and "Gemma". Turn the book one way and read one story. Turn it over and flip it and read the other story. Or read alternating chapters in each story to make a complete novel. A tour de force that could only have been accomplished by the one and only Lauren Oliver! Two girls, two stories, one epic novel.