I was genuinely surprised by this book. I think the title and cover threw me off. I think I was expecting something in the vein of Christopher Moore's work- something a bit campy, funny, not taking itself too seriously. 

Instead, we have a novel here that starts a series, shows queer characters as leads, slowly reveals its world, keeps its audience guessing, but also letting them enjoy the ride. I was really surprised at how well constructed this book was. I was thinking about halfway through that this is what I wanted from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. 

Slayton develops a world where magic exists alongside us and those who have the gifts either deny it or are considered the outliers in the community. We see a novel where the world building never overshadows the story. We get stories and B plots that aren't about magic, but are about family connection and sometimes the difficulty families have communicating. We get financial issues and running or hiding from a poor past. We also get a plot that doesn't stop. It keeps going and keeps the audience guessing and it's a fun time. It also helped that the book wasn't told in first person narrative. We get to see a bigger picture and we're not fully stuck in a character's head. 

I really enjoyed this book. I think there's a lot to dive in here and I look forward to reading the other volumes. I would recommend this for people who are wanting something in the vein of the Dresden Files, but with more queer development and a fun world to play in.