This book was a lush and gorgeous twist on a retelling with enough fresh elements that it didn’t feel like one. I went in blind and unaware of the loose retelling vibe, and I’m glad for it as I enjoyed the suspense.
I really enjoyed Swift’s take on the fae, realms, and hounds and hunters. I’m not well versed enough in fae lore and tropes to know if hounds and hunters are unique to this book or not, but either way I found them very well written and intriguing. Swift’s writing felt down to earth, the right amount of gritty in the actions scenes, and very human and relatable.

The overall theme is one that always gets me right in the feels - about letting people in, learning to trust and love again, and healing from past losses and etc. Accepting the messy parts of ourselves that will perhaps never be ‘acceptable’ or ‘good’ and loving ourselves and others anyways.
It was really beautifully articulated. 🥹✨💛

I enjoyed the gritty take on grief, and how revenge and rage can consume us and we let it because it’s easier to sit with than grief.
I loved Alderic, Nadia, Ragnhild, and dear, wonderful Brandy🤎 I want to go shopping with Alderic, just saying - he’s so damn cute with his 52 waistcoats in bright colors, I absolutely adore him😭
I appreciated that Swift’s writing balanced well between the character arcs and the plot movement, and that it felt very organic and hard to put down. I loved the flow of this book - could’ve read it in one sitting if life would’ve slowed down enough to let me;)
I shed a few tears reading this, and it had me absolutely SAT, especially in the latter half.

Absolutely loved this book and had a great time reading it! I’m not usually a big fan of fae based fantasies but I really loved this one! It’s like a darker and more morally grey Emily Wilde, dare I make a small comparison. Would recommend!🤗💛

WTF C.G. DREWS?!😩😭💔 I don’t have anything profound to say except that these boys broke my heart and I really have SO many questions about that ending😭😭

I’m not really sure how to review this book. It was simultaneously extremely thought-provoking, disturbing af, and a visceral essay on what makes us human. It definitely didn’t end the way I expected - I think this is a fantastic, super well written book. I’m not typically a big horror reader, so I attribute my 4 star overall rating to that, but this is truly an excellent book. Can I also just say I fucking loved Toni? And Mandy and Graham? David? Thalia? The character development was very good - we have a very unsettling sense of unreliable narration as the book draws into its final quarter and that made it very gritty and interesting to experience. The morally gray aspects are very thought-provoking, and I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.