This one is a struggle to parse for me. On the one hand, it’s an ambitious swirl of folklore, urban fantasy, mystery, and romance. On the other, it’s a disjointed and often difficult to navigate fever dream. I love a non-linear, complex tale, but something in the actual crafting of this one is lacking. Often it felt like the book itself was standing between me and knowing what happens in a way that wasn’t super productive. I felt like finishing was an obstacle to overcome, not a discovery to make. 

Some of this I think is down to pacing and editing. I don’t mind a slow book, but the A plot meandered without direction so much that the interjected stories didn’t stand out in the way I think they hoped to. If it was TENSION QUESTIONS PUSH then a window to folklore, different times, context,  this would have absolutely sung. 

I can’t speak on representation here, but I think a First Nations perspective on this book would be helpful for me to hear. The plot is attempting to grapple with appropriation and destruction of First Nations culture and spirituality, but it doesn’t fully resolve that thread. 

The secondary characters are interesting and have the building blocks of complexity, but don’t quite fully break out of being one-dimensional supports for the protagonist. Jack is maybe the MOST compelling of them, and I wish he’d had more time and development. 

The audiobook is, for no fault of the narrator’s, tough to follow. The jumps in and out of the primary narrative are hard to differentiate, but that’s just the writing. I thought Jen Zhao’s narration was strong and nuanced despite this. I love the way Janet’s voice is performed.