At first, I struggled with the writing style. It felt a bit too choppy and sometimes jarring. There were moments where I felt very immersed, followed by others where I was couldn't tell what was happening. As if the narrative moved on too quickly from an idea or scene before I could fully settle into it.

What kept me going though was the spirit realm and the many characters we meet there. The world-building is easily one of my favorite parts. The author does a wonderful job crafting a setting that feels truly magical and constantly pulled me in. I wanted to know more about the world and how it worked at every turn.

I do feel the characters could have used more time to develop. I wish there were an extra 100 pages in the middle to give the relationships and friendships more time to breathe. More time for the characters to grow closer and fully earn the emotional moments. I also wanted to dive deeper into the different houses and the various gods. I think I would've liked a few more "side quests" before going back to the main objective too. And yet, with all that said, the final quarter truly surprised me. I didn’t expect to become as emotional as I did but the last stretch was genuinely moving and I was satisfied by the end.

The romance, in particular, felt a bit rushed and occasionally too surface-level for me. There were moments where the dialogue gave me what I was hoping for but felt premature as though the story hadn’t quite earned those beats yet. I think the book’s shorter length didn’t allow for the slow burn that may have made the romance feel deeper and more natural.

I can confidently say I enjoyed this book though. In fact, I read the final 40% almost in one sitting because I genuinely wanted to know what would happen next. There are many suspenseful moments, heartwarming moments and beautiful themes woven throughout but I wish some had been explored more deeply. Overall, I’m very glad I read it and am even more interested in picking up other books like it!