by Sonja F Blanco

YA Fantasy, 2021 by Five & Three Press, 402 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

There are some repeated words or phrases that pop up in this one. It would be an easy fix. Most of the time your eyes will just gloss past them and ignore them, so it’s not a big issue.
Sara and Ian both lacked emotion. They both have lots of valid reasons to be ANGRY or UPSET at the world but I just didn’t feel that from either of them. I wanted more emotional depth from them, basically.
The romance felt a little rushed here. Not quite an instalove situation but edging close to that. Hopefully it will be played around with more in future books.

There’s a sort of dark and mysterious vibe here where you know you aren’t being told everything. That’s always sort of delicious when you’re being introduced to magic and magical woods.
The magic structure is well thought-out and interesting. I have a feeling you’ll be able to continue exploring it even more in the rest of the series, and I’m excited for that!
The complex cast adds to the magic of the story. This one has a LARGE cast with a lot of connections. I was afraid it would get overwhelming but, instead, the large cast all lends itself to the story. Most of them seem realistic and add something to the vibe.

Fans of dark themes, large casts, magic, and all things witchy will love this one.