The fact that this book had big Hades and Persephone/Eros and Psyche/East of the Sun, West of the Moon vibes was a big draw for me. Maya was incredibly likable and I loved that Amar was so respectful and loving towards her. Does this book creep dangerously towards instalove? Well yeah, but it's a fairy tale kind of story so I'm willing to let it slide.

 I think the world could have been built a little better, maybe show more of the Otherworld or its residents and how it typically operates. The magic-using aspect just appears out of nowhere and it would have been nice to have a better description of how those powers came to Maya. Also did anyone else feel like this world was sparsely populated? The world felt so empty as well, and some of the characters that we do focus on aren't even fleshed out, like Nritti and even Amar to a degree. I think this problem is solved in her later book, Gilded Wolves, which has a great ensemble cast and worldbuilding, so at least she's grown as a writer.

Flesh-eating sarcastic horse was a favorite, not even going to beat around the bush there.