Oh to go take off on an adventure with the god of death and fall in love and want to bury myself in the ground alone with my pain.

— overall: 3.75 —
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless stated otherwise*

After reading Mexican Gothic I knew that I wanted to see what Silvia Moreno Garcia’s writing would look like in a fantasy setting. I don’t know if this is a legitimate category but I would label it as dreamy but sensical. My favorite kind.



It's not too heavy while still delivering the emotional gut punches. But there were just certain things that were not clicking for me.

“Is that why you stare at the stars? Are you searching for beauty or dreaming with your eyes open?”

Anytime a book is about gods or just great all powerful beings that mix with mortals and they set off on an adventure together,, *heart eyes*

The conflict felt very high stakes which just added to the already angsty relationship that was going on.

I’ve only just read the first chapter of The Poppy War so I might be wrong with this comparison but our main characters in both of these books kind of begin in the same position. They are both this poorly treated child in these households that seem to not want them that much. And how that affected her relationship with her cousin was I think a greatly explored concept that we don’t see quite often as a main focus.

There are complex characters placed in complex situations that was all kinds of funny and angsty.

The way that Mr. god’s agelessness (I listened to the audiobook and for the life of me cannot figure out how to spell his name I'm sorry) was portrayed was so well written. I never thought it could be written the way it was and it fit the theme of the book so well. Plot arc really goes full circle but I have to admit that I liked the plot a lot more when it was just the two of them traversing and fulfilling this journey.

“Dreams are for mortals."
"Why?"
"Because they must die.”

It’s easy to get through and SMG writes it the way it is and doesn’t bother with somersaults just to get to the point which was nice. It’s also exactly like Mr. god’s personality so it fit quite well. Being someone who has 0 knowledge on Mexican folklore, iit was a grand time reading the whole book.

I enjoyed Casiopea and Mr. god’s individual characters a lot more than their dynamic… why is weird because the idea of it really makes my heart clench. In theory, I would have fallen head over heels for the forbidden love dynamic but there were just something keeping me from doing so. I still having heart pains from that ending though.

As much as I was invested in what was going to be the outcome, it was mostly just that, the outcome. I didn’t feel like I was pulled into the story, immersed and drowned in the writing. The ending and the beginning were the most engaging for me. There were lines that felt over the top and it just made me roll my eyes a bit.

This is bit more technical but each chapter felt like it kept ending so abruptly and at just weird times. I don’t know.

I’m happy this isn’t a series because i feel like it would be really dragged on.

“Gods may not fight with swords but they are just as petty as men.”

If you like Cassandra Clare books, I think you’re gonna enjoy this one. If you don’t like CC’s writing style don’t worry, Silvia Moreno Garcia’s writing style is almost entirely different, the only reason I compare them is because of the character arcs and the flow of the plot with these eternal beings. Probably some Rick Riordan in there too.

And plus: you don’t need to read 12 books, just this amazing one <3

I'm tempted to reread a physical copy of this.