This review is a part of the TBR & Beyond Book Tour where I did receive an ARC

I am actually incredibly pleasantly surprised by this book!

I really enjoyed the world. Books set in our world but with magic can be hit or miss for me. This really worked! While it is in our world, there's so much of the magic that I really forgot it was our world. It was made into the world CM McGuire needed for this story! It was clearly our world but the author added so much with the magical creatures, family backstory, and the fae court that it felt "wrong" when I thought of it as our world.

The characters were enjoyable. I've grown up in a not "ideal" family household and struggled with anxiety and depression for like 10+ years now so it was really nice to have a Bryn tackling those things and be the hero. I really felt the struggle within Bryn's family and friends. From her younger twin brothers to her father's illness to her mother being gone to the role of Gwen, Dom, and Jasinka and the priest trying to help her take on the Court Fae. Of the entire cast, Bryn and Dom were my favourite which was awesome because they got a lot of screentime.

It was also honestly just refreshing to read a book with fae in it where they aren't the main POV and are honestly just not the best of people/creatures. Maybe that will evolve and we will get more of their perspective on why they do what they do.

Now one thing that did surprise me was the ending which is VERY left open for a sequel so I really hope there is a follow-up. It's currently not labeled as such on GoodReads so I hope it's not a stand-alone with an incredibly open ending!

Rep: f/f romance, asexual male, anxiety