I was familiar with the author through his YouTube videos that cover the same kind of topics as he speaks on in this book. With that said, if you aren't sure about this book or want a preview into the writing style, just watch one of his videos. I heard his voice the entire way through. His little side notes, the way he easily swings from the lows of representation to the highs, even during the darker moments discussed in the book (not too much detail, but enough) he brings a level of lightness that doesn't detract from the seriousness. It's really well done, and definitely recommend!

Almost everyone kinda sucks but in the way that makes me love them. Also it made me a little sympathetic for a rich nepo baby which is very impressive.

Right off the bat, this book should have been written in first person. We basically live in Mikey's head throughout the book and every time I saw a "and Mikey did this" I had to remind myself that the book wasn't first person. This weirdness is actually the main reason my quality rating is so low. The writing itself is decent, but the 1st vs 3rd thing persists through the entire book, unfortunately.

Now for the fun stuff, characters! Our main character is Mikey. He's an insufferable nepo baby who takes all his trauma over losing his mom early in life and turns it into sarcasm and overspending on everything. However, that sarcasm is very funny sarcasm and he's got a few one liners that had me rolling. He also becomes more easy to like once he starts opening up more and actually addressing what losing his mom meant to him. I also really liked that he had a genuine interest in film. It's history, the techniques, the actual work behind it. Despite his fake laissez faire attitude toward his failed attempt post-grad, he can't hide that he has an actual passion for film. We also have his younger aunt, Annabelle, who's targeted for having a father who's about 60 years older than her mom (the only one in a school full of rich kids?? Not sure that tracks, but sure). The two of them are sent to the same summer camp (Mikey to "earn" his inheritance, Annabelle to hopefully make some friends) and they have to make the most of it. It's a really interesting dynamic, and I love that it takes basically nothing for Mikey to want to help her.

Again, it's a miracle, but the author managed to make me genuinely feel bad for the nepo baby. He's a surprisingly complex character for how he's introduced.

The plot is decent, and the mystery passable. The book's biggest flaw is that it sometimes can't decide if it wants to embrace the camp or be taken seriously as a novel. It can make some scenes read as a little cringey or unrealistic. But if you let yourself view it as campy then it's more enjoyable.

Enjoyment is probably the wrong word to describe this book, since the entire book made me so viscerally disgusted and furious that it stuck with me for a week. That said, a great book.

Our two main characters are really well developed, distinct, and flawed. They're also incredibly infuriating for large swaths of the book, but that's mostly because they're teenagers and as someone who's 28, it's a lot harder to understand when they make the worst decision possible. But Chiamaka is Regina George with a conscious. One she often ignores, but she acknowledges it's there. Rich, popular, and smart. She blazes through life with a plan she's intent on following. Then there's scholarship kid Devon. He's a little more street smart, a little more wary, and a lot more jaded. He's just hoping to get through high school and get into a decent college. The two of them barely acknowledge each other before a shared anonymous bully pushes them together to put an end to it.

What transpires in the book is wild and haunting, and I can't say too much about it without massive spoilers, but be prepared to feel your blood boil, and take the warnings at the beginning of the book seriously. They aren't being given lightly. I would recommend the book with caution. Fantastic read, but very heavy.

One of my favorite books of the year so far. As a chronic enjoyer of things I say that a lot, but I mean it every time. Especially this time. I've recommended it to so many people already, give me book 2 immediately.

Let's discuss my favorite thing: characters. Our two main characters are a lot of fun. Avery, a half fae, has been pulled from her 500 years of punishment 300 years early to solve a crime that no one in the underground world of the fae can quite solve. While she's got the ability to solve it, she does have quite the handicap of trying to figure out a London that's been moving forward for 200 years without her. When that inevitably causes some miscommunication due to changes in language (and Avery missing a social cue or two), she ends up recruiting the mortal Saga. Saga has no clue the world of fae exists and sort of thinks Avery is just a little weird. She's a practicing witch, so the idea isn't totally foreign to her, but her idea of magic is more about intentions and energy than actual magic. But the two of them share a connection, and despite the early bumps in the road, find that they make quite the team. I love them both dearly.

The mystery is also well crafted, with clues that feel like red herrings until more information is learned and clues that feel obvious until it's revealed they're red herrings. It's got a great conclusion, and I cannot wait to delve back into this world.

Have you ever wanted to read a book that feels just like "The Storm" from Avatar: The Last Airbender? This is it.

Taking place in two different times, this is a story within a story. We don't learn much about who our main character is. Not directly, anyway. We learn about them from their reactions to the story they're being told from someone who was there to experience it. I place a lot of importance on characters in novels, and while this was different than what I'm usually drawn to, this was such an interesting way to experience characters. While difficult to pull off, I think this book manages it.

My minor critique is that it takes a minute to situate yourself in the story, how it's going to be told and your role as a reader. Once that's done, though, the writing is really able to shine.

Definitely recommend, and the short length makes it a really quick read!

Overall a very okay book. Some moments were really great while others seemed unnecessary. I do think this book might have done more for me if I was religious or had struggled with religion in the past, but I think a lot of that went over my head.

I think my biggest issue is that outside of our main character, everyone else seems very surface level in terms of personalities and motivations. Some interesting things happened at the end of the book that was great for the characters but it was a bit "too little, too late". The ending was one of the strongest parts overall, though.

I think it's worth a read if you find the synopsis really interesting, or if you're going for a badge (Or if you just want the GORGEOUS cover in your library). But I don't think I'd casually recommend it to someone.