AJW has been on my list to read basically since I heard of him. Which was awhile ago. I have a tendency to build up authors in my head that I believe I'll live, to the point where I get scared I'll be disappointed and put off reading them. Unfortunately, this led me to never reading AJW until now, but I'm so glad I finally have!

AJW lived up to and exceeded the hype I built for him. As a queer enby, AuDHD person, Silas was so relatable in a way I never knew I needed. Like... I know representation is so important and needed, but to have that representation so consistently shown and focused on is a while other thing. It was validating, liberating, and made my heart ache that I never had that before.

The world was incredibly done, so much so that I found myself aching for more lore and world-building bits, but I came to realize that wasn't the point of the book so much (but if there's another, plssss for us fantasy folks lol). The characters and their relationships were just 🤌. So much complexity and nuance.

I'm so thankful this book exists. I can't wait to read more by AJW. 😭💞