This book was nothing that I expected and a thousand things that I loved. Categorizing it is hard, though. I often see it described as thriller and would note for hardcore thriller readers that it isn't paced like a thriller - I would describe it as general YA fiction with elements of suspense and mystery.

What I loved:
🔥 The imagery. Boulley balances the straightforward expository style of YA fiction with stunning natural imagery and deep emotional insight. As our main character, Daunis, considers her role as a confidential informant in a federal drug investigation, she reflects that "each lie is a fish, with a bigger fish swallowing the one preceding." When she debates how honest to be with her adoring, but anxious, mother, she describes her emotions like "pond ice during spring thaw." These moments bring so much depth to Daunis's character and the interwoven themes of grief and belonging throughout the narrative.
🔥 The focus on tradition and ceremony. The exploration of this particular tribe's traditions feels so organic within Daunis's story. In particular, I loved the depiction of the four-day passage of the soul after death and the sacramental witness to children adopted out of their tribe ("We don't forget our lost ones"). Boulley navigates layers of identity that are personal, tribal, familial, religious and communal, helping us to understand the complexity of identity for many Indigenous Americans.
🔥 The ending. I loved absolutely everything about how Boulley concludes our mystery. The intercession of the elders. The yellow pansy ceremony. Daunis's first dance at a powwow after her mourning period. Just perfect.
 

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for an e-ARC of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett! This is such an atmospheric read - you can feel yourself cozied up in Emily and Wendell's cabin, braving a Scandinavian winter while you untangle dark faerie magic that has ensnared the locals. Written entirely as diary entries (primarily from Emily's perspective, with a few entries from Wendell), the plot gradually darkens as we sense threats not only to the villagers but to our heroine, Emily, a frankly brilliant faerie scholar and scientist... and absolute dummy when she has to *express or interpret emotions of any kind*.

What I enjoyed:
✨ Wendell! He reminds me of Colin from A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare. A beautiful, witty rake absolutely head over heels for the uptight genius who pretends to hate him.
✨ The setting. This village comes to life through Emily and Wendell's entries, and it's such a unique setting for this story (and Wendell's constant underlying bitterness about the cold beauty is so well executed).

My only struggle in this was accepting the first-person diary entries as our construct. I was pulled out of the story too often as I wondered whether or not someone would ever actually know they had thought of something "distantly" in their own personal reflection, or if a scientist would describe the crunching of the snow as she sought out the common folk in the woods, or if anyone actually writes out extensive dialogue between themselves and others in their own journal? The format also limited the suspense when the plot darkened, and that felt like a missed opportunity. It was such a unique concept, it's just not one I loved personally.