I went into this book blind, only knowing the main character was a trans boy. I really enjoyed this book. My one negative was the pacing. I tend to like a really snappy, faced paced book, but this book seemed to kind of float. I felt it moved slowly for how high the stakes were and the fact that the whole story happens over like 3 days.

The characters in this book were all amazing. Even the ones that made me mad, were written beautifully. Our main character Yadriel, is a trans boy, whose family loves him, but does not know how to integrate him into their very traditional culture. Julian was so fun and a great opposite to Yadriel. I don't think it is specifically said, but he is a textbook example of ADHD, and adds an extra level of chaos to the story.

The friendships in the story really shine. Yadriel & Maritza, as well as Julien & his group of friends are great examples of friendship & found family. These kids are incredibly loyal and supportive of each other.

This book had a great balance of mystery, action, fantasy, friendship, family, and culture.