Honestly, this is one of the best books I've read in the past year. You can tell the author is a poet - not because of flowery language, but because of the conciseness and depth of the prose. It's at once easy to understand and yet weighted in emotion and meaning. There's no wasted words in this book. It has almost a surreal quality to it when discussing Orkideh and her project. The twists and turns are so humanly convoluted, reflecting back our own stories and actions, painting them with a meaning. Not only that, but the way the queer relationships and sobriety are portrayed in this book is done incredibly well. It doesn't just pander and shove morality down your throat. It's realistic representation, showing the flaws and the imperfections in ways that are effective and move the plot along. I am the first to admit that I side-eye tf out of any book that's a NYT bestseller, but this is one that fully earned that title. I could not recommend this one enough.

This book gives a new meaning to gay panic. I enjoyed the dynamic duo, but for me the ending left a bit to be desired. It was nice to see David's character development, but I felt like more could have been done with his character as a whole. The ending part with his dad also felt a little out of the blue for me. Overall, I would recommend the book, however.

I loved the way everything came together in the end. Fèrmin is an icon. Daniel started out as a little twit but I really enjoyed his character arc. The pacing was perfect. Definitely would recommend and would reread!

I wanted to love this one more than I did. A lot of the horror elements just felt cheesy in unintentional ways. The pacing wasn't great, I felt like the book took too long to get into the actual witchcraft/horror elements for me personally. I enjoyed the characters, but they also felt a little one-note for most of the book. There weren't any huge transformations or arcs for the characters. It was enjoyable but not a book I think I would reread.

What I love about this author is how she handles sensitive topics. They're handled in ways that don't go into meladrama and they're realistic. The characters and their journeys are always a joy to read because everything is realistic and human. The prose is simplistic but effective. Did I sob at the end? Yes. Do I regret reading this? Absolutely not.

I really liked how the author potrayed Nic and her CF. When it was first introduced, Inwas worried about the representation. But imo, it was done well. It did feel a little bit of the classic haunting and possession trope, but it did add a little bit of spice with some of the twists which I appreciated. The characters were all enjoyable, the ending was a wild ride, and I would definitely recommend this book if you like horror.