I ended up loving this (was swept up by the world building but skeptical about the pacing at first) The world gave me Howls Moving Castle and Spirited Away vibes— not only due to the floating city and Ophelia having to act as a valet— but also because the slow revealed details, the characters that were partially despicable and partially lovable the more that was revealed…

Of course I couldn’t resist the tiny morsels of slow burn romance (talk about slow burn…Thorne abandons her at his aunts house so early on, and we see him only a few more pages for the rest of the book). I want so much from them…and can sense that future books (i hope) they protect each other and make each other feel safe and seen. NOT YET THO lolol. she still thinks he’s a tightly wound skeletal looking man hahahaha.

I think I loved this because of the frustration, sadness, and eventual character growth we experience through Ophelia. Ophelia is quiet. She gets even quieter once she’s forced to act as a mute valet for weeks upon weeks (also LOL the imagery of Thorne falling in love with Mime made me chuckle often). The stakes of the plot force her to choose who to be- quiet and stepped on (like…Mime?) or vocal, honest, and brave. When she finally chooses, I felt immense satisfaction/ding ding ding / pleasantly itched. That’s the payoff you get when you have a character that frustrates you at first ;)

My one concern is…how the hell is Ophelia supposed to be happy in this society she’s been forcibly moved to? Because…the people suck. Everything is a mirage, “varnish on spoiled things”, the nature non existent, and everyone is trying to sabotage everyone all the time.

Off to the sequel!v