3.5 stars

Saara El-Arifi has built an amazing world in this debut adult fantasy. Elves, fae, and drum magic set in an Afro/Arab-inspired queer-normative world--this sounded like the perfect book!

However, while the world-building was fantastic and I loved Rayan, Lettle and Pila, I found several of the storylines to be extremely predictable (like it was actually annoying watching the characters not put two and two together) and I didn't feel connected to the relationship between Yeeran and Furi at all.

Will I read the second book when it comes out? Hm...maybe, but probably not.