File under: gorgeous cover, great premise, and a book I really wanted to like.

It was objectively fine, but with nothing really standing out for me. There wasn't enough character development or atmosphere for this to be a satisfying "nothing happens" book, so I hoped the plot would pick up... But something about it fell flat. The pacing felt all wrong, there was no sense of urgency, and I just never felt invested in what would happen next. After finishing the book, I found myself wondering what the point of the plot was - were we striving for a "coming to terms with oneself" metaphor that didn't quite pan out? I'm honestly not sure.

It's sitting at a 2.5 stars for me and I'm rounding it down to 2: it wasn't for me but I think other people may enjoy it. If the premise of a Malaysian American lesbian navigating the land of spirits and gods as well familial pressured, an LDR, and deciding what to do with her life, sounds appealing to you... Well, this is probably the only book like that that currently exists. So even though it didn't quite meet my expectations (my description makes it sound so much richer than I felt that it was), it may meet yours.