3.5 stars

Conceptually fascinating with vivid worldbuilding, but the prose and pacing tripped me up several times throughout. Each section feels like a disparate story, built on a different fairy-tale trope; I found this more jarring than engaging, though it did add layers of intrigue to the plot. A lot of the "twists" are pretty tropey in addition to being all but broadcast before the reveal, so by the time Elisabeth figures it out I'm honestly kind of over it already.

But the portrayal of faith/religion interfaces with magic and myth, in an interesting way; it's not something I've seen very much (Ronan Lynch is the only other example that comes to mind) and I think there's room to expand on this in the sequel. I'm also intrigued by the way music is added to the mix, though I do find it a bit cliched to equate it with

Spoiler

her soul, especially as it's serving a dual role as her legacy and her tie to the world above

.

I wasn't totally convinced of Elisabeth's supposedly death-defying love for her sister, especially considering she spends the opening chapters talking about how much she adores their brother while resenting Käthe for being pretty and flirtatious. This detracted from character depth for sure, because I didn't feel like Elisabeth had so much a personality as a set of beliefs/values: music, the Goblin King, her siblings, her conviction that she's not beautiful.

More disappointingly, I just didn't really feel the bond between Elisabeth and the Goblin King. Considering the plot pretty much revolves around it, it felt more obligatory than natural even though it contains some of my favorite tropes: childhood acquaintances reunited, Hades & Persephone (though this admittedly has inherent consent issues), games with high stakes.

All that said, readers who like Fae-type stories may enjoy this one — all the above gripes notwithstanding, I did.

content warnings:

Spoiler

alcoholic parent, persistent slut-shaming, racism (challenged), blood, minor gore, mind manipulation, ambiguous consent, non-graphic sexual content

rep:

Spoiler

gay secondary character (brother), MLM Black minor character, minor M/M relationship

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CONVERSION: 10.2 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5