I thought this was a beautiful portrayal of an urban fantasy, as in black and the city. It progressed quickly, was entertaining, funny, gritty, and shocking with some twists. It made me angry at times too (black person here). The plot is an eye opener and once you get to the spoilers, you see it is relevant today. The heroine is tough and smart, street and otherwise. Her language and thought process matches the environment she grew up in so you feel that "hood" about her. No pretentiousness about it. Yet it is tame enough for YA. And that goes for all the other characters. Very real vibes. I want Ms. Leola to come cook for me and I want a ride or die friend. There was just so much I could relate to in this book. Some of it felt like home, especially the boudin and kool cups. Yum. The racism, overt and covert, are expressed realistically IMO. I relate to almost every aspect expressed. So sad. I love the themes of family and home loyalty. I think both the home neighborhood and Ghizon are described thoroughly enough that I can envision both. Some parts I felt were ridiculous, and didn't make sense. I felt the heroine was too cocky at times w/o any definitiveness to back it up. Luckily those things worked out for her. Overall, a great book. Glad I read it. Looking forward to more black fantasy. Finally, a different perspective, and I am here for it.