Thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books for an advanced copy of Otherworldly by FT Lukens to review! Lukens has quickly made themselves a staple in YA cozy fantasy, and this book might be the coziest of them all. I loved the little found family that was at the core of this story, and Knox's goal to just have fun? It made for such a lovely, engaging story.

This book is told in a dual perspective between Knox and Ellery, and I thought they both had unique enough voices that it didn't get confusing. It allowed their voices to shine through, adding to the emotional side of the story. It helped build the core romance between them, and also helped with the world building at times. Plus, there is lots of great casual queer rep, which we always love to see in fantasy stories.

By the end, I also appreciated that there's just as much importance placed on the friendships as there is on the romance. There's no one version of love, and seeing that in a romance focused story is always excellent.

Though there's a bit of action and the stakes are high at points, for the most part, the story is more focused on the quiet, emotional moments. The friendships. The relationships. The emotional growth. You'll get drawn in with the characters, and you won't want to leave them by the end.

All in all, if you love cozy, queer YA fantasy, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in April!