On paper it’s got what I like. Magic, murder mystery, sad back story. I enjoyed it and it kept me coming back but I feel like maybe it fell a little flat for me because of the arrangement. Early on it shifts from present day to the past, to the recent past; sometimes between characters. It sets up a whole lot of stuff and attempts to spool out the answers in a way that builds anticipation.

Only problem is it breaks the format of jumping back to reveal things around halfway and eventually that broke the anticipation for me. Ends up giving you more than anticipated but it still somehow felt less satisfying.

I liked the prose and the characters for the most part, though. It was certainly darker than I expected it to be for some reason.

Some CWs to keep in mind: fairly graphic sexual assault, mind control, child abuse.