My feelings on this book are so incredibly mixed! On one hand, I adore the idea of it: a lifetimes-spanning love story (definitely not a genre romance though) with the narrative going back and forth between historical periods. On the other hand, I kind of disliked the execution, and in many ways I’m still struggling to put a finger on the specific flaws that hindered my enjoyment. I think they exist somewhere on the intersection of structure and characterization. The way the timelines intersected within the larger narrative was often confusing and I failed to grasp the logic between the switches from one to another. The characters didn’t really feel like versions or reflections of the same souls through the ages, more like completely separate people. All the storylines felt like they lacked space—maybe each of them would’ve done better as a whole separate book. 

At the same time, there were definitely a lot of moments that really stuck with me, especially in the historical storylines (the modern one, truth be told, I could practically do without). I liked the folklore-inspired bits and all the reminiscences about fate and power. But it was also a constant back-and-forth between the pages that kept me engrossed and the ones that were tedious to get through. Such a weird effect. It’s like I’ve read two or three books awkwardly smashed together. Even the prose wasn’t consistent: it flowed so well in some parts, then turned incredibly clunky for a while. Perhaps this just wasn’t a book for me, even though it sounded like it should be from the blurb!