Adding this to the pile of Novellas I wish were full-length! But thank you Roth for writing a follow up! This is a great short urban Slavic folklore fantasy that keeps pace without feeling like a whirlwind.

I found the concepts introduced fascinating, the writing evocative yet straight forward, and the characters effectively established despite the lower word count allotted. It does require you to fill in some gaps regarding this network of creatures in Chicago, and also throws a few lines at you that if missed, would mean you could struggle to fill in the blanks - but I don't think that's necessarily a negative here. I also like how the romantic subplot was brought in without fuss, didn't take away from the main plot, but added some character intrigue which had me giggling.

Its quite a tantalising novella that leaves you wanting more.

They are so hot 🥵

Boring. Yawning. Sloppy. Lazy.

When I tell you I had so much fun being confused while reading this. It’s a book that really takes its time with letting you in on information about the characters and the meaning of what they say/do, but that just makes it that much more thrilling to read. You learn things when you’re supposed to know them, when it makes sense with the story and where the characters are in the present, and when the puzzle pieces start to fit in together? Oh yeah, that’s when you know it was all worth it.

It’s a story with a big focus on characters, and every single one is so layered and complex, with their own story that makes each of them stand out differently. I was invested in all of them, their relationships, their decisions and reasoning behind them, each character is so intriguing and plays a part in the game that brings it all together.

While it was my first OB book, I will be coming back for more.