Because of the overall structure (in both characterization and plot—it’s mostly simple) this definitely works best when viewed through the lens of a fable, and in that angle, it works! It’s short and sweet with descriptive, almost whimsical writing. Otherwise, I think people are going to be turned-off by the writing style, and not like it as much(if at all) lol.

Color me biased because I totally latched onto The Wicked Bargain the year that it released(I got hyperfixated on it), and Dami was my favorite(though that’s not an unpopular opinion within the readerbase). But this was a solid continuation of Dami as a character and with their themes that were sort of revealed in TWB! Although, ultimately, it’s more plot-focused and doesn’t (entirely) function as a character study. I get that the trope of “snarky, slightly egotistical fan favorite character has been partially using that as a front for deeper issues” is prevalent especially in the age of Tumblr(where, arguably, this duology-ish should have been famous), but I liked Dami’s characterization within that. I thought them and their past were deconstructed well enough. (And besides, it’s not 100% a front. The little shit.)

Whatever, I’ll stop trying to find some thoughtful excuse. I loved this book, and I am thinking about it months later, and I am not embarrassed. Mostly.

I have sort of mixed feelings on nonbinary rep in recent media, even though it’s been better in books. Although we’re becoming more visible, and finally getting some badass, fleshed-out characters, I can’t deny it fits into some archetypes. Such as the shapeshifter archetype. Dami, however, doesn’t let their shifting become a gimmick: it’s intrinsically tied into their gender identity, something that takes on a bit of nuance once they realize they have to choose between living without dysphoria or being a human. Shifting isn’t some kind of performance, but a reflection of themselves. I hadn’t fully thought about that until recently, and I’m not sure if sort of subverting that trope was something done intentionally, but that was so lovely to see. (wait did the nimona movie do that too)

(And sort of on that topic…were there a couple moments where Dami’s own thoughts sort of read as an allegorical trans thing??? I don’t know. TDC is already a super trans book and doesn’t require any additional subtext, it was just me reading too much into their own anguish on not being seen outside of being a demonio, especially by Silas. The “Do you see me yet?” line fucked me up for 2 hours I won’t lie😭)

Besides Dami though, the two other main characters/POVs were memorable in their own right! But I especially loved Marisol and Dami’s friendship, they were so sweet. They just connected to each other so deeply and not just because of their shared identities, and that provided some reprieve in the parts of the novel where Silas was being a bit too shitty for me to hope to root for anything to happen in the romance. (There’s a plot reason for it though, don’t worry. Otherwise I would not have rated it so high.) Honestly Marisol was my favorite of the new characters, for the previous reason and her resourcefulness. 

Like it’s predecessor, TDC has an intimidating villain to sew in all kinds of ominous magic throughout. While Eve is literally introduced as an antagonist, there were still a couple of twists kept with her origins that I liked.

But oh god, the last thing I expected from this book was for it to make me cry…the underlying theme of what it means to live and be a person really got to me okay…

WHAT THEF UCK IS A DAYWALKER’S LIFESPAN? AT WHAT POINT DO THEY STOP AGING BC I KNOW THEY GREW UP AS A DEMON SO IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO GO FROM A KID TO TEENAGER, DO THEY JUST…STOP PHYSICALLY AGING AT THIRTY OR SOMETHING? IS DAMI JUSF SUPPOSED TO OUTLIVE ALL THEIR HUMAN FRIENDS??!! WHAT GOOD IS THAT EVEN IF THEY GET TO HAVE SOME OF THE PERKS OF BEING HUMANLIKE SUCH AS HAVING THEIR 5 SENSES??? Juno’s one conversation with Dami confused and pissed me off when I first read it, probably because I was also going through a rollercoaster of emotions with all the effort they were going through to stay human and they still failed.

I’m saying this book “brings me comfort” in the same way Arcane does: ffucking god I got emotionally punched in the gut but hey look! Queer people! Cool magic stuff!

Might give this 3.5 stars? I liked the moments of body horror and what they represented in Zharie’s grief. (A bulk of the latter half was the more interesting part of the book imo when it focused on that, and Bo was temporarily out of the picture.) I felt like the further into the book I got, the more the main characters started to make sense and I could believe their different dynamics. But the “horror” was a lot different than I expected it to be…it was more creepy magical realism-adjacent than anything, and while I get the purpose of Zharie’s arc and showing her opening up to other kinds of connections, I didn’t like her love interest, Bo, lol. The John Green inspiration shined through most in his dialogue. 

The imagery of this book, contained in vivid metaphors placed throughout different charged moments, was nice to read but I have mixed thoughts on. Sometimes, it felt appropriately symbolic, but at other points, it felt a little scattered. I can’t help but wonder if this would feel better in a visual format where the artistic choices can be *shown*, like a graphic novel or an animation.

I’d say that overall, I liked Zharie’s story for showing a realistic grieving household and how she dealt with that as a teen. Her growth was admirable. But it wasn’t the kind of story I was expecting based off of the description, lol. I’m disappointed that the almost mysterious, definitely creepier elements I saw on the author’s Instagram weren’t really present. (I was expecting them to pop up more in the dance school part of the story, especially.)

This was so much fun to read!! Being able to read a story within a magic world that isn’t bigoted is always a plus, lol. Some of the twists and plot elements were predictable, and I’m sure even the younger readers could pick up on them ahead of time, but this still worked as a fantasy adventure. I’d like to see how the different parts of the magical world are expanded upon as the series progresses, even though we already got some worldbuilding in this one! 

And besides the plot being engaging, a lot of where this story shines is the main trio’s friendship! While initially they only agreed to try to become friends out of circumstance, their bond was endearing and I liked the “breaks” in the story where they could put aside their high-stakes mission to have some time to be kids. Plus, Seven’s friendship with Thorn and Valley gives her a way to move on from her previous relationships and grow as a person, something that I’d like to see more in middle grade!

Another thing I liked was how the adults were also an important part of the story. Seven sometimes has to ask for help from her parents or the town’s leaders, and I appreciate how that was encouraged! Kids shouldn’t be expected to solve or deal with everything on their own. (There was also a respectful scene where Seven got help for her friend that was being abused at home, and I think more kids should learn not just how to look for signs but how to step in and tell a trusted adult.)

Although, I thought the ending was a bit too happy, after everything. I’m not expecting tragedy in the slightest, but it felt like almost every problem was abruptly solved. But I also understand keeping the tone and story optimistic for the target demographic.

I thought this was just okay, unfortunately. Like other reviews have said, I liked the first half better, with what Tobia had to say on the acceptable “trans narrative”, the pain of being a transgender kid growing up in gradually suffocating gender roles, and how the church helped and hindered their expression. The latter half didn’t feel as strong narratively, often getting repetitive with its glitter-covered metaphors, an inflated ego embedded in several recounted stories, and the occasional talk show reference that did not age well. (Also, points docked for Harry Potter references. Only one of those I understood including, just because that was part of Duke’s environment and I’m pretty sure it still is?) And there’s also the strange way political correctness is added in the form of comments throughout, which while it *technically* didn’t have anything worded wrong and checked off all the “intersectionality boxes”…it felt contrived.

I’m kind of bummed I didn’t like this as much as I’d wanted to, because I was curious to see what Jacob Tobia’s narrative voice would be like, not just the voice acting I’d gotten kind of familiar with because I’d seen them as Double Trouble in the She-Ra 2018 reboot. (Who still remains one of my favorite characters, by the way! Wish I could still say I still like that show, but I have beef with how the writers handled Catradora. That’s not relevant lmao)

Can’t say I’d recommend this one, which makes it the first time I’d said that in a review for a memoir :/

if i give this a 4.5 later that’s on me but fuck it I’m giving it 5 stars. The whole cast was just casually indigiqueer (WITH TWO CHARACTERS USING NEOPRONOUNS. ONE OF WHICH IS A POV!! HI RIORDAN!!), with the roles and significance of non-binary genders and Two Spirit identities even part of the worldbuilding?!? Admittedly the first fourth or so was confusing with all the different POVs, but as more detail on the post-apocalyptic environment was given (and I read parts of Anishinaabeg culture sprinkled in throughout, so I could get some context on *that* front), and the storylines started to merge together, I was super invested in how it’d unfold!! There’s such a strong emphasis on family and I loved how each character’s culture was important, from their bonds to even some of the plot elements (prayers and offerings to ancestors are *crucial* at different points in the story. It can sometimes be involved in ensuring the well-being of another character).

Also, surprise polyamory with three of the characters??Go figure.

Goodness I also loved the world itself!! There was enough depth to the post-apocalyptic dystopia(?) that it felt plausible. I also enjoyed seeing the different tight-knit Indigenous communities! None of them were thrown in for diversity’s sake, there was importance and care written into each one.

And there was so much heart in the overall story too…unfortunately my QLL loan was due the day I’m writing this review(and one person had it on hold. I’m re-borrowing this the second they’re done), so I can’t go and look at all of my quotes I had highlighted but there were some beautiful lines about hope, non-blood familial bonds(oh god and the pain of losing those people!! A lot of violence in this book), and love. If I have the room I’ll talk about it more in a Bookstagram caption but for now I will not go on, lest I become unintelligible.

Anyhow I’m still on my “In The Watchful City” agenda(..kind of. My book hyperfixations give conflicting info haha) so I’ll say that if you liked the emphasis on storytelling(slightly different context there, though), culturally diverse characters and queer cast of that one(+ the neopronoun rep!!), and bittersweet ending, you’d like this one too. Or, y’know, if you read “Màgòdiz” and want more recs, switch around the order of those titles lol. 

I am totally reading more books by Gabe Calderón. This was awesome.

I found out about this from seeing a couple of reading lists circulating during Trans Rights Readathon, and I’m glad I did!! Heartbreaking, but not gratuitous in its violence—it provided a much-needed humanization of trans sex workers. Some parts were so poignant that I wished I’d known enough Spanish to read them in its original text. I thought the magical realism elements mostly worked, in the context of the trans main characters (travestis) it kind of tied into the way they were seen.

I also loved the sisterhood central to this story! There are moments where the travestis chat like friends, or offer support when one of the girls can’t receive it anywhere else. It’s an unconventional kind of family, especially as the different members join and leave throughout. But still, in a story with so much transphobia and danger, for the characters to have this kind of community was absolutely vital. I thought it was interesting seeing how much it shaped the main character, because of how young she is(on the far younger end of adulthood).

I had to deduct a star from my rating because the timeline of the frequent vignettes was sometimes confusing, and although I overall liked this book, appreciating something you’re actively figuring out the narrative structure/timeline of is easier said than done lol. Maybe the translation has to do with it(at least partially)? 

I don’t think this will be for everyone, because of both the subject matter and some of the plot elements (the magical realism is a hit or miss for readers), but I’d personally recommend it. 

3.5 stars, in the same way “Stars In Your Eyes” was for me(but rounded down this time). I’ve seen a lot of divisive reviews on this one, as to whether you will or *won’t* enjoy this one entirely depends on your preferences as a reader (which can be argued with anything, but I think especially “Icarus”. More on that later).

I’ll start with what I liked! There was a found family aspect with Icarus’s friend group throughout the course of the novel, and I thought that was super cute. They loved each other in the way that only teenagers attentive to each other’s struggles really could, the overall highschool environment was one of my personal highlights. A bulk of “Icarus” is character-focused, which made the parts focused on Icarus’s life outside of thievery vital.

I also liked the complexity in Icarus’s relationship with his dad. He begrudgingly loves him (as he’s his son, y’know), and it’s clear that his father cares for him in *some* way even if he’s not very good at showing it, but Icarus also has some valid anger and resentment for him. His thoughts on his loneliness and the revenge he’d been forced to be part of seemed appropriate for the kind of stress (and internal conflict) a teenager would’ve experienced. Of all the parent-child (or familial) relationships in the narrative, that one had the most dimension to it. 

But I have some mixed feelings on the writing itself. There’s these short chapters that are only a couple pages long at most, which when combined with the pretty writing style, make it feel like a novel-in-verse when it’s not one. I found it disjointing at first. And secondly, the story is sometimes poetic to a fault. There were certain sentences or descriptors that left me confused. (Like when Helios and Icarus are in the pantry, tf does “twisted like girls” mean, male scissoring??😭ALSO THE “and wondered—violently—“ MADE ME LOL) Things like “confessed sweetly” being used made me remember some of the pining fics I’d read on Ao3 when staying up late on a school night. 

And other fanfic-reminiscent things, there was the way that Icarus’s touch sensitivity was written… I was under the impression that it was going to be shown to be a) a method of showing how alien physical affection is for Icarus, b) included to add romantic/sexual tension to his relationship with Helios, c) maybe revealed to have some kind of fantastical explanation? (but also I had some batshit predictions) And then it was revealed to be part of the EDS rep, a symptom for it is skin sensitivity. It was a little much, for that being the reason. To be clear, I knew that there would be disability rep based on Booksta posts, I just thought the physical sensitivity was executed strangely(like a wonky choice for the rep). 

My feelings on the romance are also mixed? There wasn’t as much development for the romance with Helios as there was for Icarus’s friendships, but I did like their parallels, and I thought overall their relationship was sweet. Although, because of the emotional and plot significance of Helios, much of the more poetic parts were for/with him(which I’ve already mentioned that I had my share of gripes with).

I don’t hate this book, though. I just have criticisms. My preferences don’t really fit the style of this book and that’s okay lol. (Maybe I’ll still check out the rest of K. Ancrum’s stuff? A couple people who disliked this one were fans of her other work.)