The fact that this book had big Hades and Persephone/Eros and Psyche/East of the Sun, West of the Moon vibes was a big draw for me. Maya was incredibly likable and I loved that Amar was so respectful and loving towards her. Does this book creep dangerously towards instalove? Well yeah, but it's a fairy tale kind of story so I'm willing to let it slide.

 I think the world could have been built a little better, maybe show more of the Otherworld or its residents and how it typically operates. The magic-using aspect just appears out of nowhere and it would have been nice to have a better description of how those powers came to Maya. Also did anyone else feel like this world was sparsely populated? The world felt so empty as well, and some of the characters that we do focus on aren't even fleshed out, like Nritti and even Amar to a degree. I think this problem is solved in her later book, Gilded Wolves, which has a great ensemble cast and worldbuilding, so at least she's grown as a writer.

Flesh-eating sarcastic horse was a favorite, not even going to beat around the bush there.

This is the third series I've read of Jones, as I've read the first installments in the Howl and Crestomanci series, and I think my enjoyment of it falls somewhere between the middle of those two. Nothing will really top Howl, and the setup of this story was a bit more interesting than the first Crestomanci books. The implications of a mogul from our world taking an entire fantasy world hostage each year just to make big money off tourism is somewhat dark when you think about it, though Jones puts a lighter spin on it, and comes off as a fantasy Jurassic Park only with sentient people and beings. I think I would have liked a deeper story on the ethics of that plot point, but the story itself is fine for what it is. 

I have to say, Derk was probably my favorite character in the story. Here's a man who isn't a shining example of a wizard who would much rather spend his days with his family and animal creations, some of which he treats like his own children, and he gets picked to be the big bad of the tour for that year.  Probably in the top ten of great fantasy dads. It was neat to see all the buildup to the actual tours and all that goes into them, but it takes up a significant part of the story, more than half of it. It all culminates in a rushed third act where so much happens in the last couple of chapters you feel a bit of whiplash. But I won't fault the book too much for that, as it does have a satisfying ending which lends itself naturally to a sequel that I definitely will be checking out.

This book has the most ominous, disturbing ending to a junior nonfiction book I've ever read and I'm not sure if I like that or I'm just unnerved. Well, as the book says, whether you like it or not, it's the world we live in.

Wonderful use of multimedia in this book. It reads like a professionally published zine and I really like the feel of it. The poetry and art is stunning.

I so wished I had read this book before watching the film years ago. The film did a great job of setting up this beautiful, emotional story, but to have experienced these words and characters in this book first probably would have made it hit a little harder. Grief and loss are such powerful emotions, especially when accompanied by such a tragedy and Sebold illustrated the experience in a very close-to-home way without it coming off as exploitative. The book doesn't rely solely on sadness and gloom and depression, though those are all very natural things to feel after loss. The book doesn't constantly go out of its way to portray Susie as this great innocence lost and the symbology behind that; it focuses on the people who get left behind and have to pick up the pieces. It's a piece on life as well as death. I like that some things were left unresolved. Yes Susie's family will never get closure and see Mr. Harvey behind bars, but such a thing was never important to their survival as a family. It was all about  how they communicated their grief with each other and what they each took away from this experience. 

However, 1 star deducted for weird ghost sex at the end. That sure was...something.

While science fiction isn't my go to genre, this was an absolute delight to read. I think I was more in love with the illustrations than the story, how space always seemed to be so grand and large in a way that was both intimidating yet entrancing. The queerness of this book is also a big plus, as the majority of the main cast is definitely not straight and the relationships between these characters are so strong and loving. Ell is also a nonbinary icon for looking straight up adorable throughout most of the book, but quickly turning into a badass for the latter portion. We love to see it.

I don't know what it is about Malinda Lo's writing style, but it just isn't for me. It's very slow paced and somewhat bland, making it very hard for me to get invested in the story. I didn't really feel any connection to Jess or Angie or any other characters as they all seemed too shallow or obsessive. It very much felt like a "teen girls are all mean to each other" high school drama with a body count and that kind of story doesn't really thrill me.

I very much appreciate Lo's lesbian rep, which feels like a natural part of the story, I just wish the characters were little more interesting or developed. This whole story is full of plot threads that either go nowhere or unresolved, making the whole book very unsatisfying. And that epilogue plot twist was too little too late. 

Since I thought her other book, Ash, was a little better, I want to give the author a final shot at wowing me so hopefully I can find something of her's I can gel with.