This was on my 24 of 2026 Reading challenge (my yearly TBR if you will) and I'm glad I finally got to it as I feel like when it came out in 2022 it blew up in popularity, which made me not want to touch it. Then again when the adaptation came out. So I was finally feeling some fomo when I was making my list for this year and decided it's time I read it.

I loved the characters in this book. I felt like they all had their complexities, quirks and we actually got to know them. There were some really fun elements that the author took to name a few that really stuck with me, and the story line felt unique and interesting, the twists were sad and heartwarming, and I love when I can't predict them and they take me by surprise in the best way.

I will say though that it took me a bit to listen to this book. As it is set in the 1950's and the author was really good at pissing me off with the culture of gender roles of the time and the misogynistic men. Though I really appreciated some of the messaging the main character was really trying to push.

A very quirky and memorable book

I wasn't too into it the first half of the book. I didn't mind it, but wasn't eager to get back into reading it. Always felt like I was on the verge of DNF-ing. I was more interested in the love interest's story, Gideon, than I was with our main character, Rune. By the time they were doing their cat and mouse game I was enjoying it, the romance and the tension of getting caught. But about 2 hours away from the ending felt like it got mellodramatic.

The friendships could have been stronger, there were plot points that hinged on those friendships and I just didn't care or didn't feel the emotion I think the author was trying to invoke because little to no showing us how close these friends supposedly were.

Was also a bit predictable. But the magic system was fun.

3 stars. Curious about the sequel so might read at a later date.

Funnily enough, despite knowing it was popular, I bought it because I thought Hank Green wrote it. I have been watching a lot of his Youtube videos of "Ask Hank Anything." JOHN GREEN is Hank's brother, and also wrote several popular novels including: The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. None of which I've read...yet?

I'm typically avoidant of anything to do with bacteria. It's something I can't see, nor can I control and therefore tends to scare the crap out of me. Several reasons why I have been avoiding making a sourdough starter.

But I'm glad I got into this one. I swear I paused the audiobook every other chapter to turn to my husband and go "Did you know that..." There was so much in this book I just didn't know! I love when a book can blow my mind!

I really appreciated John Green's care with this, of understanding and exposing the "western world's" continued bias, racist, and capitalistic view on healthcare, who has access, who can afford it, and what the "profit" benefits are (Looking at you Johnson and Johnson!) As well as getting patient accounts from various people through out the world.

It is a book with heavier topics (it's a book on our deadliest infection...), as some patient accounts don't end in survival, and even those who do still go through tremendous hardship, but it's worth the read in my opinion.

5 out of 5 stars

This reminded me of a variety of animes: Spirited Away & My Neighbor Totoro particularly, meets Dr. Seuss (mainly due to the creatures in the Rainfall Market...though when looking it up I still don't understand what they're supposed to be). It was a fun fantasy with a size changing gluttonous cat and a variety of characters Serin helps as she tries to figure out what would make her life "better."

It's marketed as a Cozy Fantasy, but there were some darker-ish subplot to the story.

It was a cute palette cleanser of a book. Issha was my favorite character due to feeling like he was the only one we got to know and had some depth. Everyone else felt a bit flat and forgettable.

3.5 out of 5 stars