Willy Wonka for grownups, complete with crazy games made up by the mad old benefactor to the poor but innocent child. I loved every page of this book, and couldn’t put it down. Heartwarming and funny. 

Lillian Boxfish is so charming.  The book is slow throughout and because of that a little hard to get into. But just like the strangers that Lillian turns into friends throughout her walk and her memories, she becomes a friend. I was sad to say goodbye to her at the end of her walk. I enjoyed this so much. 

I wanted to love this book so badly, but I just slogged through the first 200 pages. If you love the shades of magic series it’s worth it to power through, but this book could have been written in 400 pages instead of 650 and would’ve been so much better. 

This novel spent a lot of time telling back story that isn’t necessary. Or maybe it’s supposed to be setting up the next book, but there’s not enough tension for it here and should have been left to later. Unfortunately it was also confusing to me because the previous books were written several years ago, so I spent a lot of time feeling like I was missing what was being hinted at. 

That said, I love the continuation of kel and Lila’s story. Rhy felt pretty one dimensional but I think we’re getting a little more of alucard. The white London story was a distraction and made the rest of the story confusing. I kept waiting for something to come together, and I’m sure it’s in the next book, but I wish less time was spent there instead of unnecessary set up for later. 

Listened to this book on a car trip with my little kids and teenage son. We all enjoyed it tremendously. Written for adults as much as kids, but my 10/12 yo girls went on and on for days. Surprising self-discovery at its best.