I saw this book all over book social media and wondered if it was good as everyone was saying. It seemed like a stereotypical contemporary young adult fantasy novel. I kind of did not want to read it and waste my time on something I had read before in the myriad of other novels that fall under the same genre.
Oh, I was very wrong. I fell in love with this book partially because it was like nothing that I had expected. It began slow and a bit sluggish at moments. There were facts and moments I didn't understand and it all seemed to be a bit surreal. I was uncomfortable with the erratic pacing of the book and wondered if I should just stop.
If you feel this way, I encourage you to do what I did and not stop.
IT is a lot less fantasy, and more character development and deep mental exploration. The magic naturally flows in and out of the world and every piece miraculously falls into place. The characters are real. They are gritty, they keep secrets from each other, and they all think they know what is best. There is no magic to the way that they "click" because their relationships are constantly being challenged.
I must clarify, the fact that they are imperfect is never the selling point for the characters. I am sick of what I refer to as "Madonna" moments. I will probably discuss it more in length in another post, but for now just understand it as a crass or shocking character or scene meant to titillate with no true purpose to the plot or character development. It is one of my biggest pet peeves in a novel.
This book is "Madonna" free book. On this alone I would say read it.
Each character is distinct, and at times exaggerated in personality. However, they are also constantly changing. They react to their surroundings and are molded by their experiences. There was a character I thought was annoying and I wanted him to die, but now I'm his biggest fan. There is another character who does the exact opposite. You grow closer to some characters, but then you slowly grow apart again.
It is just wonderful, full of ancient magic contrasting with a wonderfully modern setting. Please, give this book a chance. You won't regret it.
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