wow isn't it so awesome to read something so charming and well-written that has things like "interesting characters" and "character-driven writing" and "strong narrator voice" (although this is likely very divisive). i liked the year-based structure, and i enjoyed how the author balanced the more normal aspects of teenagehood like crushes and school plays and the more serious aspects of life like parental neglect and war. the romance lines are also all well done and fun to watch unravel, especially since you can pick up right away even if elliot is very silly and bad at understanding his own or others' feelings. the narration also helps with what aspects elliot notices and which are almost on the periphery, whether with his peers or his parents, very strong characterization. there are a few things i did not enjoy like the elven society stuff that felt too heavy-handed (and lowkey terfy with the golden stuff reading as a man-in-a-dress joke which left a bad taste in my mouth) and serene feels like a stepping stone to the main relationship line which i also was not a fan of, but overall it's a lovely and funny book and i would have liked to have read it when i was elliot's age

my school / university literary programs were almost completely deplete of western classics so this is my first step into the world and i really loved it. i am glad the version i read had footnotes to help me understand references / descriptions of london better. my favorite classic is crime and punishment, and i feel like thematically this hit some similar themes / characterization (i.e herbert - razumikhin, biddy - sonya etc) which was also fun to observe. the prose and the style of narration is so dense but enjoyable, and it's so damn funny at times, and heartfelt when it has to be. genuinely one of the funniest books i've read. and i found every character memorable and engaging, from mr wopsle to The Aged Parent. maybe i'll pick up tale of two cities next...