Definitely for fans of stuff like The Cruel Prince and ACOSF, and a solid little romantasy offering. I’d say this book is fine. The prose is decent, the experience of reading it isn’t unenjoyable, but it just sort of feels like a wash of ideas and tropes without a deep-seated soul or a why of their existence. It made me feel similarly to how I felt reading Fourth Wing. 

I love a fae book, I love stuff rooted in Irish lore, but just…nothing new was happening. If you want to read something that will make you feel just like x or y book, this is the one for you. 

Characters were fine, a little one-dimensional but definitely rooted in archetypes that are appealing to readers. You have your normal girl who hasn’t discovered her super special power yet, the dark and tortured prince who antagonizes the girl but bc he loooooves her and the greek chorus of barely fleshed out badass femmes that support our heroine.  

Meh. But it’ll sell. 

*e-arc provided by netgalley 

What a lovely fantasy romance this was! I’m so impressed and charmed with this debut effort from Maiga Doocy, and greatly anticipate the rest of the series! 

I think the balance of this was truly pitch perfect: foppish bard with secret pain and his nemesis golden boy from humble origins get locked together by a magical mistake. It’s funny, soulful, and warm, with two flawed characters that learn and grow from their proximity to one another. The worldbuilding wasn’t overwrought, but it still felt unique and compelling in a way that kept me asking questions and wanting to know more. The romance was pitch-perfect; a true slow burn that I know is going to pay off in the following instalments in a huge way. 


I…don’t think I have anything bad to say. Is it a book that is redefining literature? No, but it’s also not trying to be. Thoroughly successful in exactly what it wants to achieve, and perfect for fans of The Last Binding series by Freya Marske that grew up obsessed with Ella Enchanted. 

Thanks Netgally and SMP for the arc, but I’m dnf-ing at 35% 

This is…an upsetting book. I wanted to give it time to see if maybe the whole, you know, violent assault and blame-shifting from the FMC would be unpacked, if maybe an apology and having to get humble and reconcile with a person she harmed would happen but…nah. Nope. We’re meant to be on HER side. 

I can’t do it. Not to mention the paranormal aspect of this book is totally lacking. 

I feel like maybe this author has some animosity and feelings about other indigenous authors and her place in the world that need to be worked out off the published page. In any case, I won’t be recommending this book   

This one is hard for me to review! I had to think about it for a good while after finishing it to collect my thoughts! 

First off, Nghi Vo is a master of crafting emotionally devastating minutiae. There is no detail here that isn’t profoundly impactful, and I guess that’s the point. As a reader, I felt Vitrine’s rage and grief because of all the supremely human, supremely inconsequential details this ageless being held inside her. Every crumb of the lives moving around her felt vital to the story, vital to understanding the demon at the heart of the narrative. Excellently done. 

I also LOVED Vitrine and her angel. The sometimes deeply passionate and steady, sometimes mercurial and otherworldly demon immediately had my heart. Her angel, with his deep grief and rage was a compelling mirror, and I found myself holding my breath to see what would happen to the pair next as they coexisted in the city. 

Both pacing and plot were strong for 80% of the book, and I found it an easy, balanced read. Toward the end, however, I feel like something didn’t quite settle in to its niche. I feel like the climactic city conflict was one that was, more or less, presented as plainly as things we as readers were expected to take in stride over the course of the narrative, so I didn’t really feel the emotional impact and devastation that I was meant to, I think. I was frankly confused by the resolution to the conflict, or why all of a sudden this powerful, capable demon needed the particular resolution she got. I needed to understand more the why of it, and I was left a little unsure. 

In terms of the denouement, I…was disappointed, I think. Perhaps it was simply a matter of this being a different kind of story than I expected, but it felt hollow, somehow. As I ponder, perhaps the significance will come to me, but in the meantime I’m left feeling a little sad it ended how it did. 

Anyway, I still recommend it and will happily handsell it at work! 

FLOORED. SHOOK. I did not expect this book to go this hard but it DOES GO OH SO VERY HARD. why does this book not have any hype? 

I mean it’s not perfect but it’s super engaging to read, has a really lovely structure that reminds me of the like, old school historical fiction books that made you FEEL FEELINGS in middle school, but it’s YA??? And Sci-fi??? Truly astonishing. 

Recommend. 

I support women’s wrongs and horrible disgusting fairy tale retellings. Rock solid, even felt some feelings and shed some tears. Do recommend. 

I think the first half of this book is ROCK SOLID and deeply terrifying. It did lose me toward the end some as it shifted in tone from dread tension to action movie tension, but I still recommend it and look forward to reading Barnes’ other work!

One of the truly great original fantasy YAs I’ve read lately. I love this premise and think about it often. 

God I love this series. I can’t wait for the next one! 

This book is so lovely. Just, all around a very solid, enjoyable horror YA. Lutz clearly has a skill for building tension and knowing how to make her readers feel the dread and uncertainty her characters are feeling. The prose is pitch-perfect: evocative, lyrical, and descriptive without being overwrought. The language feels contemporary and accessible without being gimmicky, and the dialogue feels grounded in a vernacular that is recognizably Texan without being over the top about it. It feels like how my family talks, and that level of casual familiarity made the plot all the more terrifying. 

I was also really impressed with the chsracterizations in this book and the grace given for real-feeling, imperfect people doing their best in untenable circumstances. Everyone felt flawed, loveable, grounded, and complex. 

Plot-wise, a lot was very strong. The slow death of a town, the dusty, hopeless feeling of trying to fight for somewhere you love even though your ability to fight against systemic change is limited was such a true and realistic subplot to the cosmic horror plot that the pair did enhance each other really well. The eeriness of the Alvarado and the mines, the dreams, dread, and supernatural abilities all felt really creepy and cool. 

My criticisms of this one lie in the plot and its antagonist, however. I think this was a situation of getting a REALLY excellent front quarter, but once the cat was out of the proverbial bag, I think Lutz struggled to come up with ways to ratchet up tension that felt cohesive. I think there are a lot of noodles thrown at this wall, and some stick better than others. I think I needed fewer THINGS and more concrete, terrifying details of the things that already existed. I also felt the resolution wasn’t well conceived. I think the personal, character beats were flawless, but the actual solution felt more like a stopgap than a true fix. 

Overall, a really good read that left me feeling things and very much a satisfied reader, but it’s not perfect.