I wanted to like this more than I did. The beginning of the book was so promising to me. Something about the organized bureaucratic setup and political alliances of people going to the fae world, and the need for changelings' extensive re-entry education seemed so intriguing and fresh to me.

Alas, what follows is a story that is oddly dull? The pacing of the book is off, with the exposition being the right amount, the middle dragging, and the ending rushed. I like the way in which Poppy has to use her knowledge and skills in the Otherworld, as well as the fact that she realizes that neither the Otherworld, or her supposed friends during her time there, is as rose-colored as she remembered while longing to return there from the human world. However, the emotional impact was blunted by the fact that there isn't deep character or relationship development. I don't even like love triangles, but I wanted more of one, rather than some depictions of possible attraction and jealousy, or to have had there not been allusion to a love triangle at all. It would've been more interesting if the focus of the "love triangle" was the way in which Poppy feels pulled between Otherworld and the human world, and like she fits in neither.

The way in which the Otherworld is dependent on humans for not only labor, but creativity and problem-solving generates interesting world-building, but we only get to hear briefly about the Otherworld nations and politics. This might have been intentional by the author, because, although she (the author) knows the details of this complex world, Poppy does not, and realizes she doesn't when she is once again thrown into Otherworld, except this time as a major chess piece rather than as a cook and friend to nobility. More details may also have not been provided because this book is marketed as cozy fantasy. I think that the book may have come off better as a "regular" fantasy, due to it's complex political world-building and darker themes.

This was a sweet and satisfying depiction of an autistic high school girl who gives herself permission to be herself, and opens herself up to make genuine friendships, while at summer camp. For Ellie, it ends up being well worth it for the relationships she makes, the self-confidence that she builds, and the discoveries that she makes about herself.

The book succeeds at capturing those feelings of camp, or some other high school excursion during which magic occurs. Somehow people feel like they can be more...of themselves, often bolder, and often more vulnerable, away from the constraints of high school hierarchies and previously-constructed personas. Though the camp friend group feels a little bit like an inclusive bingo, I'm glad for the diverse representation in the book.

While things are tied up very nicely, I didn't mind, especially because this is a YA romance, and I expect a HEA.

I really enjoyed this one, and the supernatural Breakfast Club Scooby squad. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed urban fantasy CW shows for their action, teenage angst, and a touch of awkward soapiness. I think that the book really captures the various competing pressures that high schoolers experience: school, friends, the Future, romantic relationships, and identity, as well as the urgency and intensity teenagers feel.

The audiobook is narrated by Kevin R. Free, who does a great job with the self-conscious and often sarcastic main character. It threw me for a loop at first, though, because I associate Free's voice so strongly with Murderbot.

In a post-Harry Potter and Percy Jackson/Rick Riordan Presents literary landscape, some of the setup and plot points of this book will be extremely familiar (boarding school; kids from different houses thrown together and getting into trouble during detention; chosen one and her two besties on a journey to meet the gods and set the world right). The story is not earth shattering, though I grew to like the trio of kids and the different home lives they were struggling with as the story went on. I also enjoyed seeing the gods and locations the kids uncover over the course of the book. While I was underwhelmed at the plot, I think that the target age group would enjoy it a lot, not likely having dozens of other stories to compare it with. While Mika's obviously unrealistic (to the reader) desire to bring her grandmother to life drags on a bit, I think that every kid who has had a special relationship with their grandmother, especially one who passed down old stories and language, will be able to relate to Mika's grief and confusion.

What sets this book apart is the loving and thoughtful ways in which so much Filipino culture is incorporated. On one hand, I love the fact that the creator doesn't feel the need to explain and define everything for the audience. On the other hand, I fear that many of these details will be missed by readers not familiar with Filipino culture, which would, in my opinion, significantly flatten the reading experience. Then again, not everything has to be for everyone, and sometimes a book is just going to hit differently when it is representative of a reader's experience and heritage, especially when the influence of Filipinos has long been underadvertised, or even invisibilized, in many sectors, including comics and animation (because of complex sociopolitical and economic reasons) until recently, when Filipinos appear to finally be "trending" in the mainstream.

Some beautiful cultural details to keep an eye out for are the names of the houses in the book, which the author does make a note are pseudonyms used by Philippine national heroes, and the patterns on clothing that were inspired by traditional Filipino weaving patterns. The author incorporates the usage of honorifics in the text but does not feel it necessary to explain what they are, trusting that her audience will know what they are, figure it out from context, or look it up. The language of magic is baybayin, which makes so much sense culturally, but also because it is beautiful and calligraphic on the page. It was refreshing to see precolonial Filipino gods portrayed that aren't monsters (seen in popular fantasy/horror like the TV show Grimm, among others, and the Netflix adaptation of the comic Trese).

Overall, this is a fun juvenile fiction/middle grade comic book. The art is brightly-colored with a lot of movement, and the artist excels with using characters' body language and facial expressions, even alien Lunar, to communicate what the characters are feeling.

Though the messaging is positive, it is a bit simplistic for my taste, in addition to the fact that this book, like many children's books, seems to exist to teach certain lessons, at the expense of the story. I'm glad that the story reminds the reader that loving and caring for your family is important, but centering the story around this seems to miss the opportunity to tell other cool, creative stories with these characters in this setting. I think that kids might (unfortunately) find it relatable that Phoebe and Lunar have to take care of themselves because their mom is preoccupied with financial hardships. As an actual adult reading this, it was hard for me to not be angry at Cerena, and hesitant to forgive her at the end of the story, for her seven years of neglect, including having her daughter perform for large crowds despite not wanting to. Cerena is supposed to be a foil for the Evil Overlord Starcorps dad, as an example of what redemption would look like for a parent. However, in addition to not terrible at her core, Cerena mostly looked incompetent. Starcorps guy is supposed to epitomize the evils of capitalism, but Cerena's dream is a money-making lunar resort that may or may not profit from the performances of her children, so...yeah, I'm not sold.

It looks as though this is going to be the first book in a series, especially if it does well, so hopefully we will see the lunar family grow in meaningful closeness. I hope the next volume also includes Nova, and that Nova can meaningfully become friends/chosen sisters with Phoebe and Luna.

Another collection of cute, small town witch slice-of-life stories that cheered me up