Super fun audiobook, the narrator is great!
I'd describe this book as like a more diverse YA Ready Player One set in Tokyo.

I was a bit weirded out by Emika and Hideo's relationship because I don't really remember them saying how old he was, but I feel like he must have been at least close to 30?? and she is 18.

Will be reading/listening to the sequel.

What a wild ride. I knew going into this book that it was going to be confusing based on other reviews I've read. I think that helps because going into it not knowing that it might be hard to get through. Unfortunately I was very distracted by personal life things going on, and because of that for the first half of this book I think I was extra confused. Then I read the second half basically in one day/sitting with a few breaks. It's definitely unlike anything I've ever read before, so that makes it rather hard to describe and review. It's either going to be your cup of tea or not. The second half is fantastic once you've gotten to the point where you know the characters

and some of them get killed off so there's less than you start with!

. There's a dry, tongue-in-cheek kind of humor that I loved. Gideon is very snarky and her pov is fun to read.

The character list in the front of this book is way necessary. The characters are often referred to by some combo of first name, last name, house position, some have nicknames and I constantly had to refer back to this character list to understand who was who.

I am excited to continue this series when I have a bit more time to focus on my reading because I do think I will enjoy these possibly even more!

I’m just not a big enough fan of Peter Pan for me to like this. I also found the narration/pov odd

Title of review: get the audiobook!

I listened to only the audiobook for the first ~25% and then finished the rest in one day by doing a combo of audiobook + reading a physical copy (the first time I've done that which I did enjoy). That first 25% was pretty slow going only on audiobook, and I definitely made use of the author/book's website to look up the map and the terminology/characters many many times as I was quite confused with what words meant (wish these were in the physical book for easy reference, idk how people get through without it).

The narrators (one for each MC POV) were fantastic - and I definitely think it added to the drama and action/pacing of the latter part of the book. I especially love how the narrator does Altair's voice, it's just perfect and def made him my fav character. The beginning is very slow and not even just because of world building, just like...nothing happens? for a while. Once the quest actually begins the story does pick up and then probably the final half of the book things really get more interesting with the introduction of additional characters, and their interplay/relationships/camaraderie building. By the end I didn't want to put it down, but the ending did feel a bit abrupt. And for that reason I feel like I have to continue reading the series because nothing is resolved at all.

Some romance: enemies to lovers, pretty slow burn (it's YA) 0-1/5 spice

only a kiss

. This is not the main focus of the plot.

I did find the history of the world (the 6 sisters, how magic works) a bit confusing, but I think it's intentionally done

since so much is revealed about who characters are and their relationships as the story progresses.

I likely wouldn't have rated it at 4 stars if I hadn't done the audiobook, but kudos to the publisher for getting great narrators! I'll definitely be doing book 2 on audio also.

Do not go into this book with realistic expectations. I really went into it with zero expectations and not knowing much about it, which is how I prefer to read. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I laughed and couldn't stop reading to see what happens next. Is it absurd and unrealistic? Absolutely!! Personally, I think this book is pure campy goodness. Enjoy it for the wild, hilarious ride it is and don't take it too seriously! A blast of a time, embrace the chaos!!

If you are a tea lover - you must be drinking tea while reading to provide the ultimate experience. I also a lot of the time listened to 'teashop sounds' to really round it out.

The tea magic system is by far the most interesting thing about this book. I have a friend who is a Chinese medicine practitioner and I want to give her this book to see what her thoughts are! I would have loved even more of the tea magic and possibly to read about the background of the magic, the history or principles more. The passages when the tea magic is happening are by far the best and most beautiful sequences to read.

I think it's a fairly fast paced book and action packed (there's not a ton of internal dialogue etc which makes it feel like the story is always moving along). The political dynamic is a big part of the book and adds an element of mystery/intrigue. You're not quite sure who the MC can trust at any point. However, I was a bit confused by all the players and felt that the history wasn't really explained well, so I kept getting characters confused. The author puts references in the back of the book, but the 'character' chart only explains name pronunciation and not who people are, which I felt would have helped a lot.

Despite the book being fairly well paced, I didn't really connect with the political storyline until the very end when things get a bit nuts. I will likely read the sequel because of how it ended and my brain can't handle not knowing.

Also, personally I felt the romance to be a bit insta-lovey, but perhaps that is on purpose given how things play out...?

I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley/publisher.

I haven't read many M/M romances, but this will likely be one that's hard to beat!

This is a SLOW BURN romance. I've heard it described as enemies to lovers, but in my opinion it's not that. Evermer is assigned as the personal guard to Kadou the shy prince whom has just found himself amidst a bit of scandal. Because of this scandal, and rumors he's heard of the prince, Evermer has pre-formed opinions and does not like the prince. Thus has very little care for Kadou beyond duty (and he takes his duties seriously). This book is the story of how their relationship changes and grows by them getting to know each other, and dealing with Kadou's severe anxiety. This is first and foremost a romance - while it is set in another 'fantasy' world, and I loved that world, the main focus is really on the romance. The fantasy elements are relatively minimal. There is some political intrigue with a bit of mystery and action, but this is definitely a secondary plotline and honestly used more to move forward the romance plot.

Cons: the beginning of the book is a bit slow to get into (but once it picks up you don't want to stop reading!), long chapters (there are 16 total in 480 pages) although I found since the dual POV switches often within a chapter there are some places to naturally pause within a chapter which I did, low fantasy (really borders on no fantasy at all, to me it's more of a historical reimagining), the political plotline is interesting and then kind of gets resolved way too easily?, the ending feels a bit rushed and left a bit open (but if there is a sequel coming, I'm here for it!)

A few things I loved about this world: A woman/sultan in charge! The bodily autonomy women have over choosing whom the father of their children is and that not inherently giving the father any power *chefs kiss*. Queer relationships are fully accepted, they are completely normal. Nonbinary characters also readily a part of this world, it took me a while to understand but the author has developed specific alternative pronouns (besides he/him, she/her) for anyone who identifies otherwise. There is also a smidge of asexual rep in a secondary character.

Wonderful world building, character development, mental health representation, and the romance is beautiful.

Marriage of convenience made me squeal out loud!

3/5 🌶️ 

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I think I missed out a bit on some of the points listening to the audiobook. There are parts where the author talks a lot about visual art and I assume in the physical book there are depictions to go along with it? Without those visual aids some of those things go by the wayside.

If you are a birdwatcher or anyone connected to the art world then you will likely get a bit more out of the perspective of the author.

There were little bits here and there I enjoyed, sort of moments of beautiful writing and ideas coming together. Overall it is more of a starting off point for these concepts rather than a lot of direct action plan.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. Especially after going to an author event/discussion about the book, I was really excited to read it. 

I did like the magic system which explains that magic is everywhere and witches can pull from nature and our world around us to use magic. While there are moments of beautiful writing within the book, especially describing magic, nature and animals.

Beyond using magic to stay connected to the owl, there isn't a whole lot of "magic" in the book (because Iris 'has to' hide her magic I guess). I wasn't really vibing with the MC (Iris) and since this is a single POV that made reading this a bit of a struggle. I understand Iris has past trauma and is working through that, but it is constantly repeated throughout the book. With all the time describing over and over again her trauma, I would have rather spent it reading a more developed romance between Iris and Pike. The enemies to lovers trope isn't fully fleshed out imo, and therefore feels a bit strained without much chemistry. The romance plot is a bit formulaic.

Ultimately I also am not really into the whole concept/implication that this endangered owl seemingly decides that Iris and Pike need to get along/fall in love, and is orchestrating this whole adventure for them to become closer. And then at the end kind of sacrificing itself for the sake of their love? 

I typically go into books knowing little about them. In this case I was expecting a fantasy (albeit with darker elements) and did not know it was a fantasy/horror. As someone who is not much into horror as a genre that part was a surprise to me, however that is 100% on me.

If you are someone who enjoys fantasy horror I think you will love this book. It's not my cup of tea, but despite all that I did like this book for what it is. I am not familiar with the source of "the Juniper Tree" fairytale, but I don't think it's necessary to be.

The writing is atmospheric and certainly unique.

I did kind of figure out the "twist" at the end, but that was still ok. It's a happy ending which I appreciated after it being so dark (wasn't sure until the end of the book that it would be).