“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories.”

After intending to pick up this book for over a year now, I finally read it and I'm... conflicted.

It was charming and cozy and all of the lovely things everyone said it was; but it was also jarringly dark at times, slightly disjointed in both tone and plot, and extremely ableist

(even if the ableism hadn't been a factor it still would have been the unrepentant and physical abuse of the changeling child, whom we establish ((multiple times)) that he has the mentality of a child that simply misses his home - sadistic fae or not)

I don't mind when books are dark, particularly when dealing with faeries. If anything, I appreciate that the faeries weren't sanitized for the sake of not touching on dark topics. It was simply the way they were handled that I wasn't fond of.

Again with the conflicted feelings, I loved the banter between Wendell and Emily - but I didn't care for the development of their romance(?). Some part of me wishes they could have just remained acerbic yet secretly caring friends. If they were meant to be romantic, we could have... built up to it differently than what actually happened.

If you're one of the few people left that hasn't read this yet, I would recommend it if you're a fan of A Natural History of Dragons and The Spiderwick Chronicles but not if you're easily bored by slow-paced, meandering plots. (Something I tend to love!)

Overall, I can completely see why this book is as beloved as it is; it truly is a delightful, almost cinematic read. Despite my criticisms, I also really enjoyed it and I'm hopeful that book 2 will be even better as well as improving upon the problematic aspects.