The first installment in what promises to be a witty, fun new detective series. Ernest uses his skill at teaching others how to write mystery novels to help him solve a series of suspicious deaths at his family reunion. The other thing that helps his detective skills is his familiarity with death because, as he plainly states, everyone in his family has killed someone.

Written in a first person narrative, we dive into a book where the author/narrator has no problem breaching the proverbial 4th wall and letting us know he’s fully aware we’re reading his story. The book is divided into parts by family member, which helps that narrator stay focused on the problem at hand. For me, this made the narrative easy to follow and it didn’t have to do any flipping back to remind myself of various details like I sometimes do when reading a detective novel.

A little predictable for someone who loves to read this type of book but that did not make it any less enjoyable.

Is it possible to get the warm fuzzies within the first few pages of a book? Yes. Yes it is

I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me a few chapters to find the fantasy aspects of the book which was ok. But then I felt things were being hurried along. And the ending left me wanting a little more.

I thought the overall concept was unique. I got some Beauty and the Beast vibes, some Hades/Persephone mythology vibes, and even some dark Pan’s Labyrinth vibes. I was all for that. I also like the battle of two non corporal concepts being represented in an art form like dance. Sleep and Death vying for the heart of a mortal. And prima ballerina Grace being drawn in.

I definitely felt loose ends in this book. References are made to things not being over but it’s only hints and vague statements. If this is the beginning of a new series then that changes my opinion. If this is a standalone book, then I still feel more disappointed than I thought I would.

The book feels young adult fantasy or new adult fantasy rather than a truly fantasy novel. I could also see this as a mythical retelling of a legend about death. I think the glimmers of similarities between this and other stories might be what left me feeling like something was missing.