I'm struggling with the rating so let's go with a 3.5 (PS WHY DON'T YOU LET US GIVE HALF STAR RATINGS GOODREADS?!)

Honestly, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting (which is fine) but I can't help but to compare it to The Girl From Everywhere which was just better in my opinion. Being totally upfront: I detested the main female character. She's literally every characteristic I hate in females in YA. I actually messaged a friend within the first 50 pages and asked if she got any better (which...meh, not really) but it became bearable as more of the cast were introduced. I really liked the concept and the world (thought I do need this world to keep being fleshed out). My favourite part was definitely the lineage mysteries surrounding the MC's brother and her own parentage but unfortunately this really didn't play a role until the last...third? of the book. I also found the magic to be super underdeveloped--which can sometimes be a strength of a book--but it just made me feel a little lost in this book. The existing magic and supernatural stuff almost felt out of place?

It was a rough start but it got better as the book progressed. I definitely want to know where the plot goes for certain characters and hope that books 2 and 3 will develop the world, magic and lineage...maybe even make me like the MC?