4.5 stars.

While this wasn't my favorite read in this series, it seems to open a lot of doors (pun intended) for future installments. The mysterious Whitethorn Institute is introduced, raising an awful lot of questions but not necessarily resolving them. That was a bit frustrating, but I have to trust that Seanan McGuire will be taking care of those issues down the line.

I know for a lot of readers, these "schoolbound" installments are not as intriguing and entertaining as the portal fantasy ones, but I felt like that wasn't really the problem here. Instead, the story just felt a little bit rushed and vague and I wanted to understand more. Regardless, the plot was still very intriguing and the characters were highly interesting. It always amazes me what she can come up with...it's never the same thing twice.

While this wasn't a 5-star, it was still an excellent and fast read for me and I truly enjoyed it. I can't wait to pick up the next in the series.