I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An own voices magical surrealism story set in post–Civil War Philadelphia really appealed to me. Unfortunately it was mostly all very one note, the interlude chapters that were dotted throughout were actually more the pace that I had expected from the entire story. They held the most interest and had the sense of urgency and magic that I had wanted going into this story and had expected from a magical murder mystery.

Debut's are hard, and I see so much potential in this book, but there was so much more that I wanted from the main characters, and I really wish that the intensity, magic and dedication in the interlude chapters had been carried through to the main story. I often found myself putting the book down, losing interest and becoming distracted.

I found the constellation based magic such an intriguing concept, and I wish there had been more history behind it to really ground the reader into the world.

Overall those who enjoy a lot more of fictional history and a lot less magic, might enjoy this book.