Immediately, the writing got my attention. It flowed so easily and had me flying through the first third of the book. The short chapters, the world-building, and the character development told through flashbacks, it was all so easy to digest and imagine.

However, the middle got bogged down by certain choices and an instalove romance that felt like it was forced into the story. There are reveals that make those two elements so much more interesting later on, but the logic didn't feel right as I was living it and it affected my interest in the story greatly.

That being said, the twists were insane and I loved how everything came together and fell apart in the end. It surprised me and really redeemed the story for me.

The fantasy elements of the story were very Ghibli-esque and I loved the little magics of Hana's world. As we get to see more and more of it, the ways of travel, the elements of magic, all feel so beautiful and fantastical. I think this would make for a cool animated film and I think the audiobook will add so much atmosphere and cool vibes to this story.

All in all, a solid fantasy, but the romance really pulled me out and I wish some other choices were made (despite the outcomes and twists).

TW: child death, murder, injury detail, blood, gore, violence, death; mentions pregnancy, abortion

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5

ACR gifted by Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.