🎧 Audiobook

A meditative, free thinking love letter to nature and our place in it. I really resonated with so much of Patricia’s perspectives and sentiments. This was such an enjoyable, at times emotional read, I’ll be mulling on this for a while I think.

So, I… think I enjoyed this? I’m not sure what was going on half the time, but it was an interesting ride.

I felt a bit like a befuddled observer at the back raising their hand to ask a question, but everyone’s already rushed out of the room to follow the plot in excitement. So I, at least intrigued, sometimes excited, rush to stay part of the group. Because at every turn it felt like something momentous was happening - and nobody else was confused - so what the hell, let’s go! And just when I thought I’d caught on to things, I’d be tripped up with some new befuddling paragraph of entertaining word mash.

I haven’t felt so torn over a book for a long time.

I did enjoy many aspects of this. The magic system is unique and the character relationships had depth. I did become fond of Gideon and Harrow despite their faults. I was particularly intrigued by the political aspect and universe workings, though we only get a glimpse of this in this first book.

But Muir’s choppy, discordant use of language, multitude of character names and nicknames without reinforcing their place in the story, and far flung story threads can be alienating to the reader. The constant snark did occasionally get on my nerves too. I had to relax my need to understand who exactly everyone was and where they fit to make it through.

But juxtaposing this is that the writing is in fact sharp, the characters have wit and intelligence, the pacing is fast and tense for such a long book, and the world and its magic are unlike anything I’ve encountered before (though I don’t usually have much interest in the undead/death mythology storylines). All things that I appreciated.

Have I just gaslit myself into liking this book? Did the book just gaslight me into thinking I liked it? 🫠

Overall, I understand why this is well loved, and I’m going to give the second book a go. I’m hoping there’ll be more on the political intrigue side of things. And hopefully I’ll be a little less lost.