The imagery in this book is absolutely gorgeous. I found myself wishing it were fully illustrated just so I could see how beautiful everything was with my eyes. 

Tui and Kae, twins, get pulled into a vortex which drops them into Rarohenga, the Māori Underworld, and set out to find their Mum who has been kidnapped by their narcissistic , abusive Dad. 

This book tackles really tough themes around abuse and the struggle of loving someone with all your heart, while also grappling with the fact that that person does not have your best interests at heart. The fact that person is hurting you. 

This book is sad but it’s also so funny and deeply interesting. I struggled to put it down and I adored the references to Māori Mythology and spirituality. The kids face off with Gods and monsters alike in their fight to rescue their mum and the character growth and world building was so well done. 

I also loved the focus on accepting people and other beings flaws and all and recognising the inherent good that exists along side the darkness of humans (and Taniwha). None of the characters were all good or all bad. They were complex and had depth and flaws and I just really loved it.