“Dying's a boring side effect.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars

Favorite Character: You literally cannot make me choose

Spoiler Free: Someone go back to the girl in 2017 and punch her for putting this down, please? She was an idiot.

That girl could’ve given you quite a few reasons for putting down this book. The frustrating romance, the semi-confusing plot, the beautiful writing style that made the entire story takes twice as long.

The me that read this book now would count those reasons among why I loved this book as much as I did. I think somewhere between then and now something clicked within me, something that made me appreciate Maggie’s writing much more. Maybe it was my reading of All The Crooked Saints, a book so heartbreakingly beautiful that I cried even in the happy moments. Maybe it’s my growing appreciation for those stories that take time to read, thanks to books like Strange The Dreamer and Nevernight. Maybe it’s something else. But I love this book now.

I’ve already mentioned the writing style, and I think this is where Maggie truly shines. She has such a wonderful way of controlling language, and the simplest of lines can seize your heart. She embeds humor wonderfully within the story as well, in a way that feels natural and sudden. She has a way of making you smile at how ridiculous her characters are in some moments, and how amazing they are in others. If I had a list of authors who I’d read purely for the way they craft stories, Maggie would be on it.

In addition, the characters are also fantastic. They all feel extremely unique, even when being written from a third POV. Additionally, she gives you reasons to love and understand each one, to root for them in their highs and cry for them in their lows. Her creation of this friendship that exists between the main cast is also amazing, and I love how deep and unrivaled it feels, how full of love. I’d read a story of them doing absolutely nothing and still love it.

Additionally, we have the romance and the plot. It almost seems that these take a back seat to the characters and writing at points, but it doesn’t feel wrong. The book, even in the lulls, still always feels like it’s going somewhere, that each line is woven through with clues and secrets. Additionally, while the romance is fair from the main focus, it still adds another layer to this already full story, and I loved it, and am really really curious to see how this continues sooner.

I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to read Blue Lily, Lily Blue (lots of ARCs and little time), but I certainly will read it as soon as my schedule allows, as I am completely ensnared in one of Maggie’s worlds once again.