This book was very unique, and definitely one not to miss. While it had its magical world that was at the heart of the story, it was more than just that. It was a story about friendship, first loves, family, the high school world, and so much more.

There were lessons in it that were sad but true. For example, parents knowing that they have to teach their young daughters to be aware of overly friend older males. It’s sad, but I can recognize it from things I wish I’d been warned about in my past, because as I look back now, I can see times when that is what I should have known. I remember feeling the creepiness of the situations, but not having been warned, and feeling that I needed to be nice, because as far as I knew, they were just being nice to me.

There’s many different examples of characters assuming how the another character was feeling or what they were going to do, and it being wrong. Something again that I know I assume, and probably I should not, because so often I’m wrong, or probably would find out I was wrong if I ever asked.

The group of girls who were friends were also all so different, yet each had their own personality and quirks that were what led them to be such a perfect combination of friends.

Now, I will warn you, the opening scene, the horrible thing that happens that keeps our characters on the edge and trying to figure things out throughout the book was pretty crazy, pretty wild, and out there. And while I’m sad that it only ended up getting resolved the way it did, because it was an innocent person really that didn’t deserve how it all went down, I get why it went that way. How unlike a Hollywood ending, this was real enough to make the characters have to live with something bad whether it was meant to happen or not.

A beautifully written story, with great characters and lots of unique and new ideas of a way to tell a story.

Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.