When it seems as though everyone in Val’s life has betrayed her, she simply walks away...to New York City, where she falls in with a gang of squatters who live in the subway system. But there’s something off about her new friends. And when she ends up breaking into the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they’re all involved, and owing him as a consequence, she finds her new-found affection for him will help her battle the true evil in town. I bought this series at a used bookstore, and it sat on my to-read shelf for god-only-knows how many years before I finally picked it up and read it. It was good, but YA; book 2 definitely took a weird spin into unrelated territory before turning back; story elements I expected never appeared. It was satisfying, but the books went back into the used bookstore bag without much regret.