I liked the idea of this book, but it just didn't pan out for me. Though it had good bones and included a lot of Filipino myth/fable that I didn't previously know, this story just felt a bit meh for me. I loved the pieces of fantastical elements, but I really wanted more world-building than I was given. I feel like this world de la Cruz created deserved much more exploration. For my tastes, the writing style didn't quite fit the YA read I was expecting, but instead came off a bit more middle grade. I read a lot of middle grade, so this would have been fine, but it didn't fit with the age of the MC or the way the tale was structured. It felt like the story was at odds with itself a lot of the time. There was a lot to explore and develop and it didn't feel like there was much in-depth digging. A bit mystery, a bit fantasy, and a bit romance, all three of the genres seemed to get the shaft in development. I don't say this a lot, but I really think this story needed to be a few hundred pages longer to give more nuance and development to the plot. The basis of the story was good and I liked the pieces of tension and relationship development I was given, but I was just left wanting. I haven't decided whether I want to continue the series or not.