I was hoping we'd get more fantasy considering the main character is "death's daughter", an assassin that only kills people who have the literal mark of death. But this book definitely had more of a historical setting. I found the pacing to be a little slow for my taste, but there's definitely some action that breaks it up a little. The most disappointing thing for me was that the part of the synopsis I was most excited for doesn't become relevant until 80% in. I wish we got that part sooner, it would have increased my interest for sure. The romance was also very cute and fun to read.

This book is inspired by Finnish folklore and mythology, which I thought was very original. We follow 2 POVs, Aina who is kidnapped by a death goddess and brought to the underworld, and Siiri who ventures north to save her friend. I'm not a huge fan of survival/travel in books, so having the 2nd perspective be in a fixed location really helped.

My favorite parts were definitely in the underworld, I thought it was very eerie and exciting. I even liked a few of the characters we met there. This is truly a beautiful and whimsical story about friendship, love, religion, and bravery. I was a little surprised by how the book ended and I'm looking forward to when the next book is released.

Who knew you could learn so much about humanity through a sci-fi book about different species traveling space together. This book is very character driven, and at first I was a little overwhelmed by the number of characters we follow. But by the end I loved them all. The challenges that the characters face make them grow and change for the better. This book is like a warm hug.