I...wanted to like this. I really did. Especially as a trans guy. And it's not a bad book! I actually think it's a fantastic read for teens, especially ones struggling through similar things. The concept is really cool and inventive, I love the world building of the brujx. The writing is solid. Now I'll talk about what irked me.

Since I'm also trans myself, I can be a bit picky about certain tropes I see emerging when writing these characters, even from other trans writers. This book is in no way the worst offender of this, but I do find it sometimes uses the character(s) as a talking piece for these issues rather than just *showing* you that they're going through these issues. I hate feeling like I'm being talked down to. I'm giving it a bit of a pass since it is written for a younger audience than myself, but I also have faith in the teens to get the point without it being spelled out for them. 

That is overall the main issue I think I had is the writing feels very young in general. A lot of telling or leading me toward how to feel rather than letting me decide for myself. It's a very formulaic story, which I don't always hate, but I think combined with everything above left me uninvested.

TLDR: This book just wasn't for me, but it's in no way bad. Maybe YA isn't for me anymore? Or maybe I just want trans characters whose identity isn't used as the focal moral lesson for others. I just want a guy running around doing magic and character developing and all that and just is also trans. You feel me? no? No worries bestie I'm glad you enjoyed it's a cute book at the end of the day alright ttyl besties <3