this is the first book i’ve finished in 2021, but i predict it will be on my favourites-of-the-year list.

some books have plot twists that leave you dumbfounded, jaw on the floor, thinking “how did i not see this coming?”.

and some books have plot twists—terrible plot twists—that you see coming, and it’s even worse, because you keep turning the pages hoping against hope you were wrong.

“the binding” evoked a raw, intense dread in me in the first pages, when i predicted the twist. the more i read, the more certain i was that i was right, and the more i hated it.

it happened, and i hated it even more.

because it broke my heart.

this book isn’t perfect. i wish the ending was longer. i wish the worldbuilding was more detailed. i wish the magic system was better developed.

but this book is about longing, and wanting, and wishing. it’s about the power of books, and the power of memories. so i guess it’s fitting it's left me feeling like something is missing from my chest. 

tw: homophobia, sexual abuse,

outing

.