⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5 rounded down to a 4 for Pagebound.

Let me preface this review and rating by saying I do not like romantasy, and reading this was a conscious effort to branch out with an author I have historically always given high ratings to. That hasn’t changed, and I think my rating is fair, but I would much rather the story of an enchanted sword be what it is; show me you can carry a fully fleshed out story without pushing romance into the equation. That wasn’t meant to be, so here we are. Had there been 0 romance, or if the romance hadn’t been so prevalent, I think this would have been a higher rating. I can tolerate romance when it’s mentioned sparingly, when the plot is allowed to happen without constant romantic interruptions, but the MMC was always thinking about sleeping with the FMC, and I was over it quickly.

The plot is pretty decent: Halla, a respectable widow, is essentially a prisoner in her own home, forced to marry a cousin with clammy hands after the death of her great-uncle (by marriage). The uncle has left all he has to Halla, which is immediately contested. The house is full of old artifacts, and in a moment of desperation, Halla unsheathes a sword only to watch a man appear as if from thin air. Sarkis is not a genie, not a djinn, just a normal human who is bound to this sword and sworn to protect whoever wields it.

The only real goal in the book is to get Halla out of her situation, and put her inheritance from a dead great-uncle in her hands. There are fantastic side characters on the way, especially from just after the mid-point of the story. I enjoyed the characters themselves, the plot was intriguing, and I’m pretty sure if I did like romantasy, I would’ve eaten this up. I wrote ‘LOL’ on so many pages, because genuinely the book made me laugh multiple times.

Outside of the romance, the pace really could have picked up; the first 100 or so pages felt like the same thing over and over. It also took me out of the story for some reason, every time we went to the character’s inner thoughts, which were italicized. I don’t know why it irritated me, but I think I wondered why Kingfisher didn’t just write in first person and have two very clear POVs? I didn’t enjoy that stylistic choice, but that is, again, a preference.

The amount of lusting was over the top, I get it, Halla is curvy and gorgeous and you wanna bang. NOTED, I don’t need a scene of Sarkis getting off alone. It felt so unnecessary; Sarkis and Halla have known each other for BARELY five weeks, and I’m supposed to believe in five weeks, they’ve gone from where we started to where we end? It’s that same Disney joke from 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑧𝑒𝑛: you’ve known this guy for how long and now you’re in love? I know it’s potentially been centuries since Sarkis has been with a woman, but come on.

I know this is my bias, which is why the book is still up in the 4 stars. I almost DNFed, and I did cancel my pre-order for the second book, but I did like the STORY part of the story, and I’m genuinely curious about the hows and whys. However, I’ve branched out enough, I don’t need more romantasy right now. I’ve realized if I do dive into romantasy, the more sapphic and the fewer men, the better. I’ll still auto-buy Kingfisher’s books that appeal to me, but this planned trilogy isn’t it, for me.

“'𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑒,' 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑦. '𝑁𝑜𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.'”

Hum is set in a world wrecked by climate change and capitalism, a place where greenery belongs only to the rich and advertisements hum at you from every direction. Children grow up with an AI attached to their bodies, and genuine emotional connection feels like something the world quietly misplaced along the way.

For most of the book, I found it absolutely phenomenal. It’s deeply thought‑provoking and nudges the reader into seeing the world from a new angle. The way Phillips takes current research - the links between excessive screen time, constant task‑switching, and the erosion of working memory and attention - and turns it up to its highest possible setting is remarkable. It creates an atmosphere that’s eerie in the most unsettling way, because the future she depicts doesn’t feel distant or fantastical. It feels like a shadow cast by the direction we’re already moving. The story also lingers on what happens when systems punish people for doing what they must to survive, even though those same systems created the conditions that force their choices.

The ending is meant to be ambiguous, but it didn’t land that way for me, and it’s what ultimately took my rating from 5 down to 4.5 The message behind the book is powerful, yet the ending felt like it stepped away from that power at the last moment.

All this said, please go read the book. You won’t be the same when you’re done.

How does it feel, Harrow, to take on an ambitious thematic scope and ABSOLUTELY KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK? To create an odious, weak protagonist and show your readers how worthy he is of love? To shower readers with optimism, demonstrating that given another chance, we can always do better?!

In just over 300 pages, this novel somehow convincingly and satisfyingly addresses: -history/historiography -the nature of writing (and rewriting) -propaganda, patriotism, nationalism and colonialism -war and trauma -romance (❤️) and Romance (literary form) -myths, legends, oral traditions, and retellings -badass horses -breaking intergenerational cycles -more i can’t remember but oh my god isn’t that enough?!?!

Meticulous craft meets incredible storytelling - the hype is deserved!