As one might guess from the title and summary, this book is unflinching in its take-no-excuses approach. Unapologetic and irreverent and downright funny, it's not just an enjoyable read but an inspiring (though that doesn't seem to be quite the right word, too evocative of awe and wonder and gentle encouragement, whereas this book is none of those things) one.

This book made me laugh a lot and almost-cry a lot and think a lot. The description fits perfectly, and the message sometimes gets a little garbled when passing through the filter of the author's thought processes, but who among us has never had that happen to them? It's wonderfully flawed and definitely makes the reader feel that they are in good company.

"Twisted" is right, and it's incredible that the narrative never loses sight of how messed up the whole situation is while managing to keep the reader's sympathy and attention. I think this story stays on the right side of (not) romanticizing psychological issues, with a strong and relatable protagonista and a sociopath you can't help but be charmed by even though you know perfectly well you shouldn't.

The romantic plot wasn't groundbreaking or anything, but it was so well written that it still felt interesting. The time skips were timed perfectly, and I really loved the interpersonal relationships between these vivid characters; a comfortable, feel-good kind of read.

This was such a sweet, riveting read! The dual perspective and parallelism are well utilized; I'm really into geography and postcards as motifs, and I just really liked the feeling of this book.

Wasn't completely sure it was fictitious - it was that good. Like, wow. Really intense, driven, nothing-is-as-it-seems lot. My only complaint was the ending; I feel like in this case a more ambiguous closing scene might have been more effective.

I'm already dying, waiting for the next book to come out. It incorporates some of my favorite tropes - alternate universes, magic, evil twins - and creates something entirely new.

Wow. I just had my heart ripped out and put back together, and I’m thanking this book for doing it.

Redemption, remorse, rediscovery of ancient secrets — multiple timelines and subplots; mixed mythologies; each character with their own motives and journey — there’s so much going on in here, yet it all fits together perfectly. I wouldn’t say it’s a satisfying read, because there were so many moments when I just wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall and/or scream at the characters to get their heads out of their asses, but “enjoy” is too bland a word for how I felt about this book.

Honestly, I couldn’t even say what I loved best. Maybe it was the complex antagonists/antiheroes

Spoiler

Minya and Nova

(it doesn’t seem right to call them villains), or the soft moments between Sarai and Lazlo, Kora and Nova before their world fell apart, or the group scenes of an ever-expanding found family. Let’s just say all of it was the best part.