A fantastic story of dualities/multiplicities of self which defy labels or convention, blending the themes of having multicultural heritage and a transgender/gender fluid identity. This book was heartbreaking in addressing its themes, especially the complicated longing for belonging which may fly in the face of family tradition/sacrifice. And in addressing the constant dread immigrants feel, that their home can be violated and destroyed by forces outside their control. The criticism of ICE policies to break up families got me right in the heart :'(. As well as the scrutiny of erasure, be it cultural appropriation, or assigning temperament and skills to gender.

I did have a few nitpicky issues with the book. The constant references to Harry Potter got to me, same way they did in V.E. Schwab's City of Ghosts. The original content in this book is phenomenal - the tree of life which connects all the families to their common ancestor's country no matter where they immigrate to; the library which expands and summons up relevant texts as needed; the lunar dimension which is a focal point of magical energy... All fantastic, and the constant references to /another book/ make it seem like the author is using Harry Potter as a crutch. You don't have to compare, or use plot beats from another book to explain your book. Trust that your book can stand on its own merits. And no matter how much you love fantasy books, don't make shoutouts to how your book is following in the footsteps of its predecessors, it reads like fanfiction.

Other bit of nitpicking: There is a little too much convenience. Insta-friends, insta-love, a magic vision pool that has all the answers, lots of confessions back to back... There was a lot of tension built up around politics and suspicious peers and hunters and police, nowhere is safe... Only for Manu's found family to forgive her constant lies, team up, and easily escape danger with a simple decoy and magical teleportation. I hope the sequel has a little more finesse and proper conflict.

All in all, I am so proud of this book for bringing loving, thoughtful, respectful attention to two groups in desperate need of a voice and allies. I see you, I hear you. I love this book's representation, I am all here for it!