ŷ������

This was a charming, cottagecore version of Howl's Moving Castle.🍄 Packed full with demons, magical misfits, sentient manors, a menacing forest, magic aplenty, and a slow-burn romance. (It's YA, with absolutely no spice. So if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.)

The main characters each had heartbreakingly sad backstories of their own that show their complexities and emotional depth. Then you see them grow together in their small moments of tenderness for each other and in their banter with one another. The romance was just done well,🤌🏼 although it was definitely a subplot.

💫“You are not a monster, Liska Radost. You are sunlight, and you breathe life into everything you touch.��

I was definitely caught off guard by the ending. I mean, props to A.B. Poranek for not doing what every other author does and being predictable... But what the actual fuck? She is bold as hell. I sat with emotional damage after finishing this for way longer than I care to admit.

Overall, this book was totally worth it imo. It was a quick and easy read. I thought the plot was great with strong characters. It simultaneously kept my attention and cracked my cold, dead heart.

💫"In nature, everything balances itself. There can be no winter without summer, no shadow without the sun. You are my soul. I lived seven hundred years to find you.��

Update (5/5/24)- I keep coming back to this book and have decided it deserves 5 stars. I loved it way too much.
⭐⭐⭐⭐��/5