I absolutely adored this book, and it was made even better by reading it with a friend (love u Brenda <3)

This book sucked me in quickly based a lot on nostalgia, almost, as reading this reminded me of a lot of the texts I used to read in my travel writing class in uni, except with less shitty people involved (well... less shitty narrator at least). I was wholly immersed in the setting and scenery of the story so quickly, and could feel the bitter cold alongside our characters. The description was so well-written and gave me such a strong sense of place throughout this whole story, and I loved seeing how each new chapter would reveal more secrets of Bedlam and its hidden beauty.

I loved our main character, Merrick, but I loved Raphael even more, and it was a joy to see the two open up more and share bits and pieces about their histories. Merrick also seemed genuinely invested and interested in Bedlam beyond some monetary gain to be had from stealing some trees, and it made the reader that much more invested in Bedlam and it's people as well. It was fascinating to see Merrick unravel Bedlam, and Raphael, piece by piece, and I found myself excited about each new chapter. It was also an achingly beautiful story, and I loved how generations were wrapped up in this single, ongoing story that Merrick stumbled upon.

I adored this book, and I can't wait to see what the other books in this series are like, and if they can bring the same strong imagery and beautiful writing as this one.