moj8668's reviews
842 reviews

          I was not prepared for this book.  Laure has spent 12 years striving to earn a spot in the ballet company.  She's one of the best dancers - if not THE best dancer - in her class. But physically she doesn't fit the "standard" look of a ballerina.  Specifically, her skin color isn't what most people expect when their stereotype-prone brains think "ballerina."  She constantly feels like she's on the outside looking in and no matter how good she is, how hard she works, how much pain her body is in from the constant rehearsing, she will never be fully accepted.  So when another dancer introduces her to the possibility of getting some supernatural help to force others to notice her she thinks it's the answer to all of her struggles.  But this power comes with an unexpected darkness that Laure isn't sure she can control.

This book slowly but surely blurs the line between good and evil and does so with such polish and care that I finished the book not sure which character I should have been rooting for.   With vivid descriptions of the setting, the characters, and the conflicts that exist the author kept my attention riveted from beginning to end. 
        

          Where do I even begin?!  The characters are compelling, the world-building is intriguing - mixing fairytale type characters and prophecies with modern medicine and technology - and the mysteries abound!

We know there is a hero.  And a maiden.  But who exactly in our story is supposed to fill those roles?  Is it really best if magic returns in abundance?  Or would it better for everyone if it was allowed to simply fade away?

Is Astrid doing what's best for the world?  Or are her motives selfish and self-serving?

One of the things I most enjoyed about the story is that none of the characters are entirely good or entirely evil.  They are complex and nuanced and it makes them all much more relatable even when I don't like what they are doing.  For some of them, there were moments of growth in the story that made me alter my original opinion of them.  I cannot wait to see what happens next!
        

          This story owns my heart.  Jadon is the second born child of a royal family and he's visiting the states when a couple of strangers record and post a video of him saying angry things against his country's prime minister.  It isn't the first time he's been in a bit of trouble for behavior that was deemed "not prince-like".  With a father who was born to be king of a small, insular island kingdom and a mother who was born and raised in America, Jadon has struggled to feel like he fit in with the citizens of the kingdom her represents.  Thankfully it's his older sister that will one day wear the crown - Reverie's first ever female heir to the throne - but his rant about a political leader is still an issue that must be addressed.  

Jadon's parents decide to leave him in the states for an undetermined length of time with the hope that he will learn how to be the prince his people deserve.  He attends a private school where he meets and falls for Reiss, a pink-haired young man whose family owns a coffee shop and who hopes to be a filmmaker someday.  The story that ensues is one of growth; of learning to love yourself; of finding the balance between who you are and the responsibilities that are before you.  

I fell in love with the characters.  Their interactions with one another were so relatable and heartfelt.  This is the first book I've read by this author and it will not be the last. 
        

          I was not ready for this book!  The characters and their interactions with one another are so complex and intriguing.  The author's description of the setting is incredibly vivid and adds to the overall emotional impact of the story.  

I was not expecting the growth from the main female character.  I wasn't expecting the villainous turn for a certain character.  The interactions between the MMC and FMC were unexpected - I've read plenty of "arranged marriage" stories and am used to those relationships being very stilted and uncomfortable on the page.  This author changed things up significantly by having a very invested MMC who is eager to build a relationship with his wife.  Unfortunately, he was still heavily influenced by the idea that men are superior so many of his efforts went astray.  

Above all, the ending.  I was absolutely not at all prepared for the last few pages of this story.  Once I got over the initial surprise, I realized that it was the only ending that made any sense.  This author has a new fan.