This book broke my heart and stitched it back together at the same time. The combination of a WWII setting and Japanese folklore was such a unique and captivating blend, and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it. The historical weight, mixed with myth and magic, creates this atmosphere that feels both grounded and otherworldly.

And the writing was so beautiful. Poetic. Lyrical. Almost dreamlike in the way it pulled me in. It genuinely felt like I wasn’t just reading, I was witnessing. Living alongside the characters in the internment camp. Feeling their fear, their grief, their loss.

And then the magical element comes in and elevates everything even further. The idea of a god trapped in a mortal body, longing for freedom, had me intrigued. There’s something so haunting about it, this sense of power forced to endure the cruelty of humanity. The injustice. The awful things people are capable of. And yet… it’s still hopeful. Because despite everything, this story still believes in goodness. In kindness. In people choosing to care for each other even when the world gives them every reason not to.

Violet and Ren. They complete each other. Their love is soft. Sincere. Steady in a world that keeps trying to break them. They’ve been through so much, and yet they don’t let the world turn them into something they’re not.

It was heartbreaking. Hopeful. Beautifully written. A story that hurts, but also heals.