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elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’ll read anything F. T. Lukens writes, and this latest publication serves to emphasize the depths of their talent and imagination. Part young adult urban fantasy, part queer found family adventure, and part ode to coming-of-age and fighting for one’s own healing, Otherworldly continues Lukens’s legacy of beautiful, intensely readable fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content
lilly_reads98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
3.0
I enjoyed the quiet moments of this book, the dynamic between Knox & Ellery, and the unique world. I liked this book but didn’t love it, and the 3rd act conflict really dragged for a long time and then we got an extremely brief ending so that made me really frustrated. There were at least a handful of things that made me frustrated throughout the book but I was always interested in picking the book back up and didn’t really ever want to put it down. I think it would be a good book to read in one sitting because the author does a good job of making you feel like you’re in the same atmosphere as the characters. I flew through this in 2 day. It’s not amazing but it is interesting, I like the world. This book has nice found family, first love, and queer characters. I also love the cover. I just wish the ending after the conflict got resolved would have been longer, I would have rated it higher if we had been given that. I went from a 3.5 to a 3 because of that.
There were a couple of confusing things like Knox said he shouldn’t stay with them since the shades were after him, and the friend replied with okay you can at least stay at the diner until 4 though. And he says ok and then on the next page she’s like ok you can come home with us! And he’s like ok. Like what? He just said that wasn’t a good idea but then agreed as if he hadn’t said that. And then when he needs to make a deal with someone to tether them, he’s going to ask the nymph but then when they meet he doesn’t ask her. I like Ellery and Knox but I wish Ellery wouldnt he so rude to him. I liked how Ellery was able to get over their prejudice about anything supernatural, at first I was annoyed at them for being so mean to Knox just for saying he’s supernatural. Once Ellery realized he was right they were like oh, and they apologized. I feel like Zada and Charley aren’t fleshed out as much which is fine because I’d rather the main focus be on Knox & El but it makes me not really feel anything for them. I wish they were just included a little more in more in depth conversations, that would have probably helped. especially Zada felt very much like a background character. I love found family but they aren’t really fleshed out as much as Knox and Ellery so I don’t really feel attached to them or feel happy by the found family like I normally would.
I also enjoyed how Ellery was enjoying moments of seeing their friends having fun and how they felt content seeing them have fun. I was happy that because of Knox they were having those nicer experiences rather than spending all of their time working. It’s also a nice reminder that as humans we should take a day off sometimes if we’re not feeling well, enjoy a day of snacks and movies, and also remember to go out and have nice experiences with the people you care about.
I hate when authors write the characters licking their lips before speaking, it makes me so uncomfortable and I don’t think it’s realistic. When Knox and El are seeing the sights around town we only got to see them go to two places and then the chapter abruptly ends and the next chapter starts the next morning. I just feel like it’s jarring, I really like Knox and Ellery together, it’s cute how Knox finds Ellery adorable. I love the parts where they get to be alone together. It’s sweet how Knox feels so happy being around El and their friends. Charley began to annoy me more and more as the book went on, especially at the party and after that. Not every sentence has to have an exclamation point and most people don’t actually talk like that. I also don’t understand why just like the last book I read, after the couple gets together then their dynamic somehow seems more surface level? Like they only say really short clipped dialogue after that? I really don’t get why that would change to that. Knox and Ellery remained my favorite characters. I loved the part when Knox said he would love to spend the whole day alone at home with El, and that he wanted to do what El considers fun. But again I was disappointed by that chapter being so short, their whole day could have included so many cute scenes but it was just a short conversation and then it was over basically. I do like that this book had a lot of quiet moments, the characters at work and at home felt like nice quiet moments. I didn’t really like how chaotic the action scenes were though, like why did the characters have to get hurt so much. I loved when Charley said she was proud of El for putting themselves first and for not returning to a situation that hurt them. Spoilers ahead:
I loved how Zada helped convince the bird god to send the message to Knox. I was so happy that he sent the message and also told him that his human was in love with him, I’m so glad he told him.
I did like Charley more by the end since she said she’d do anything to help make El happy, I didn’t really know she felt that way before. I love how El is so determined to go save Knox and wish it didn’t take so long. I wish it didn’t take so long to get Knox back, I really hate when it takes until literally the end of the book to solve a conflict and then we don’t get to see them being together after that for very long. It makes me so frustrated and tense and I hate feeling that way for most of an ending of a book. I want a long time of seeing what happens after the conflict gets resolved but we only got 7 pages. I truly wish authors would give us more than 7 pages of relief that everything is resolved and happy. If a reader gets through your entire book, we deserve seeing more of the aftermath!! I really hate having to suffer through like 50 pages of trying to resolve the conflict and then barely getting to enjoy the ending. I can’t believe all Ellery did when Knox came back was say “I’m glad you did. I missed you so much.” Like that’s all??? Then they hug and go home. And then the next chapter is 2 months later. We don’t get to see them kiss and having a big hug it’s just written like it’s so casual?? I just hate having to go through so many tense chapters and that’s all we get? My rating went down because of this. I don’t get why authors don’t give us more of an ending, and then Xada interrupts their extremely short scene of Knox coming back. And then even after that the last few pages we barely get to see Knox and Ellery together, yes we get to see them being happy and in love, but only for a couple of minutes. I wanted to see more of that. Most of it was spent wrapping up the endings for all of the characters, why would we not be given more time spent to showing us Knox and El’s reactions to them getting to be together again? It makes me so mad that we don’t get that. With any book, after going through the whole story I just can’t understand why we would be given an extremely short ending I don’t think that’s enough time to show the reactions of the characters getting to be together again after they had been separated for so long. We didn’t even get to see them go home that day and get to hear them say like I’m so happy you’re okay and I’m so happy to be back with you and like get to see that, we don’t get that. It literally could have been at least a page of that but all we got was a half page of them reuniting when he came back. I’m just so upset. As a reader I spend so much time getting invested in a story so it makes me so upset when the author doesn’t even give us a well rounded ending, the ending barely took up any time at all.
There were a couple of confusing things like Knox said he shouldn’t stay with them since the shades were after him, and the friend replied with okay you can at least stay at the diner until 4 though. And he says ok and then on the next page she’s like ok you can come home with us! And he’s like ok. Like what? He just said that wasn’t a good idea but then agreed as if he hadn’t said that. And then when he needs to make a deal with someone to tether them, he’s going to ask the nymph but then when they meet he doesn’t ask her. I like Ellery and Knox but I wish Ellery wouldnt he so rude to him. I liked how Ellery was able to get over their prejudice about anything supernatural, at first I was annoyed at them for being so mean to Knox just for saying he’s supernatural. Once Ellery realized he was right they were like oh, and they apologized. I feel like Zada and Charley aren’t fleshed out as much which is fine because I’d rather the main focus be on Knox & El but it makes me not really feel anything for them. I wish they were just included a little more in more in depth conversations, that would have probably helped. especially Zada felt very much like a background character. I love found family but they aren’t really fleshed out as much as Knox and Ellery so I don’t really feel attached to them or feel happy by the found family like I normally would.
I also enjoyed how Ellery was enjoying moments of seeing their friends having fun and how they felt content seeing them have fun. I was happy that because of Knox they were having those nicer experiences rather than spending all of their time working. It’s also a nice reminder that as humans we should take a day off sometimes if we’re not feeling well, enjoy a day of snacks and movies, and also remember to go out and have nice experiences with the people you care about.
I hate when authors write the characters licking their lips before speaking, it makes me so uncomfortable and I don’t think it’s realistic. When Knox and El are seeing the sights around town we only got to see them go to two places and then the chapter abruptly ends and the next chapter starts the next morning. I just feel like it’s jarring, I really like Knox and Ellery together, it’s cute how Knox finds Ellery adorable. I love the parts where they get to be alone together. It’s sweet how Knox feels so happy being around El and their friends. Charley began to annoy me more and more as the book went on, especially at the party and after that. Not every sentence has to have an exclamation point and most people don’t actually talk like that. I also don’t understand why just like the last book I read, after the couple gets together then their dynamic somehow seems more surface level? Like they only say really short clipped dialogue after that? I really don’t get why that would change to that. Knox and Ellery remained my favorite characters. I loved the part when Knox said he would love to spend the whole day alone at home with El, and that he wanted to do what El considers fun. But again I was disappointed by that chapter being so short, their whole day could have included so many cute scenes but it was just a short conversation and then it was over basically. I do like that this book had a lot of quiet moments, the characters at work and at home felt like nice quiet moments. I didn’t really like how chaotic the action scenes were though, like why did the characters have to get hurt so much. I loved when Charley said she was proud of El for putting themselves first and for not returning to a situation that hurt them. Spoilers ahead:
I loved how Zada helped convince the bird god to send the message to Knox. I was so happy that he sent the message and also told him that his human was in love with him, I’m so glad he told him.
I did like Charley more by the end since she said she’d do anything to help make El happy, I didn’t really know she felt that way before. I love how El is so determined to go save Knox and wish it didn’t take so long. I wish it didn’t take so long to get Knox back, I really hate when it takes until literally the end of the book to solve a conflict and then we don’t get to see them being together after that for very long. It makes me so frustrated and tense and I hate feeling that way for most of an ending of a book. I want a long time of seeing what happens after the conflict gets resolved but we only got 7 pages. I truly wish authors would give us more than 7 pages of relief that everything is resolved and happy. If a reader gets through your entire book, we deserve seeing more of the aftermath!! I really hate having to suffer through like 50 pages of trying to resolve the conflict and then barely getting to enjoy the ending. I can’t believe all Ellery did when Knox came back was say “I’m glad you did. I missed you so much.” Like that’s all??? Then they hug and go home. And then the next chapter is 2 months later. We don’t get to see them kiss and having a big hug it’s just written like it’s so casual?? I just hate having to go through so many tense chapters and that’s all we get? My rating went down because of this. I don’t get why authors don’t give us more of an ending, and then Xada interrupts their extremely short scene of Knox coming back. And then even after that the last few pages we barely get to see Knox and Ellery together, yes we get to see them being happy and in love, but only for a couple of minutes. I wanted to see more of that. Most of it was spent wrapping up the endings for all of the characters, why would we not be given more time spent to showing us Knox and El’s reactions to them getting to be together again? It makes me so mad that we don’t get that. With any book, after going through the whole story I just can’t understand why we would be given an extremely short ending I don’t think that’s enough time to show the reactions of the characters getting to be together again after they had been separated for so long. We didn’t even get to see them go home that day and get to hear them say like I’m so happy you’re okay and I’m so happy to be back with you and like get to see that, we don’t get that. It literally could have been at least a page of that but all we got was a half page of them reuniting when he came back. I’m just so upset. As a reader I spend so much time getting invested in a story so it makes me so upset when the author doesn’t even give us a well rounded ending, the ending barely took up any time at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
As always, F. T. Lukens writes the most delightful, adorable, sweet LGBTQIA+ YA books. This story feels unique from their other novels, while still holding to the attributes I love most in their work.
I think that the romance wasn't particularly strong in this book and wouldn't particularly recommend it if your primary goal is a romance. But if you are instead looking for cute queernorm relationship dynamics, found family of all sorts and a really fun world build, this is the book for you.
I think that the romance wasn't particularly strong in this book and wouldn't particularly recommend it if your primary goal is a romance. But if you are instead looking for cute queernorm relationship dynamics, found family of all sorts and a really fun world build, this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
missindyrose's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Death
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to Netgalley & Libro FM for the ALC!
The audiobook narrators were fantastic: Em Grosland, Kevin R. Free & Natalie Naudus.
Gosh, this was so delightful and absolutely adorable. Each book from FT Lukens just gets better and better! I thought Spell Bound was my favorite, but this has surpassed it 😍
This is a cozy urban fantasy about Ellery (I may be spelling this wrong because I read the audiobook, so I’ll double check after I write this review hehe), who lives with their cousin Charlie & her girlfriend Zada, in the city. Ellery & Charlie swoon over the “hot weird guy” that comes into their café, but Ellery comes to “hot weird guy”’s rescue one day when he is attacked by ethereal creatures nearby. Hot weird guy is actually Knox, who was once a sort-of supernatural being, Arabelle’s “familiar.” Ellery is actually from a more rural area, where their parents still live and are struggling on their farm since they are in a prolonged winter (going on *years*!!!!). Knox and Ellery team up to end the winter, and with their close proximity on this adventure, they begin to stir up feelings towards each other.
I absolutely adored this story, and I would watch a Friends-style urban fantasy sitcom about this found family! Their banter was delightful, and I really felt like Charlie and Ellery were close cousins, with Charlie acting as a bit of an older sister to Ellery. Charlie and Zada’s relationship was almost too sweet, but I was just happy to see sapphics thriving and hopelessly in love.
Most of the book was focused on relationships rather than plot, which is fine! I felt like the plot lines of ending winter and saving Knox from his fate in the titular “other world” still simmered below all of the character development, and you knew it was the driver for many of the characters’ decisions. Overall, I was captivated as I listened to the audiobook from start to finish, and I am manifesting a tv or movie adaptation please!
Thank you to Netgalley & Libro FM for the ALC!
The audiobook narrators were fantastic: Em Grosland, Kevin R. Free & Natalie Naudus.
Gosh, this was so delightful and absolutely adorable. Each book from FT Lukens just gets better and better! I thought Spell Bound was my favorite, but this has surpassed it 😍
This is a cozy urban fantasy about Ellery (I may be spelling this wrong because I read the audiobook, so I’ll double check after I write this review hehe), who lives with their cousin Charlie & her girlfriend Zada, in the city. Ellery & Charlie swoon over the “hot weird guy” that comes into their café, but Ellery comes to “hot weird guy”’s rescue one day when he is attacked by ethereal creatures nearby. Hot weird guy is actually Knox, who was once a sort-of supernatural being, Arabelle’s “familiar.” Ellery is actually from a more rural area, where their parents still live and are struggling on their farm since they are in a prolonged winter (going on *years*!!!!). Knox and Ellery team up to end the winter, and with their close proximity on this adventure, they begin to stir up feelings towards each other.
I absolutely adored this story, and I would watch a Friends-style urban fantasy sitcom about this found family! Their banter was delightful, and I really felt like Charlie and Ellery were close cousins, with Charlie acting as a bit of an older sister to Ellery. Charlie and Zada’s relationship was almost too sweet, but I was just happy to see sapphics thriving and hopelessly in love.
Most of the book was focused on relationships rather than plot, which is fine! I felt like the plot lines of ending winter and saving Knox from his fate in the titular “other world” still simmered below all of the character development, and you knew it was the driver for many of the characters’ decisions. Overall, I was captivated as I listened to the audiobook from start to finish, and I am manifesting a tv or movie adaptation please!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief
micaelacccc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
dearhaleynicole's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First – A huge thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!
Full discretion: F.T. Lukens is one of my favorite authors on this planet (definitely an auto-buy author for me iykyk), but I have to say despite my already absolute adoration for their work... I really, truly LOVED this book so much! Such a cozy, endearing YA fantasy read for me. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year (obviously) and I am so honored to have been able to read it a little early but also get to gush about what spoke to me most about it.
Ellery is a skeptic in every way, shape and form. They've so far made it through a "winter-pocalypse" of sorts that has plagued their small town for five whole years. A primarily farming community that believes in and prays to a goddess who many believe to bring a bountiful harvest to their lands each year. Except Ellery (quite logically) struggles to believe in said goddess who – if she does even exist – has forsaken them & their family's farm for half a decade. For this reason, Ellery lives with their cousin and their cousin's partner in the city to work and send money home to their family to get by. There, at the diner they work, they meet a very unexpected handsome stranger named Knox, who is not entirely as human as he might seem. One thing leads to another and these two make a magical deal to help end this never-ending winter and maybe find something magical between them along the way...
When I say I am obsessed with how sweet this little supernatural found family is, there are truly NO WORDS. The tender goodness I love from F.T.'s other works shown through so brightly in this book and I was not prepared for how attached I would get to these characters 😭 (but I do this every time) The little glimpses at Charley & Zada's relationship were so sweet my teeth were achingggggg. And the way Ellery & Knox's relationship bloomed was just so perfect for them 🥹 If you're a fan of cozy queer books, this one is for you! There is definitely still lots of action and adventure, but overall just felt really comforting to read.
Please do yourself a favor and add this one to your up next reads. And be grateful for the warmer days ahead because the next season could never come if a goddess feels so inclined...
Side note: The cover artist for "Otherwordly," Sam Schechter, is SO talented! I just started following their work on Instagram (@sam.spectre) and am blown away. This cover is stunning and I couldn't help constantly turning to look back at the cover as I read because it's so stunning. They've worked on some of F.T.'s other covers and I just had to shout their work out!
Full discretion: F.T. Lukens is one of my favorite authors on this planet (definitely an auto-buy author for me iykyk), but I have to say despite my already absolute adoration for their work... I really, truly LOVED this book so much! Such a cozy, endearing YA fantasy read for me. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year (obviously) and I am so honored to have been able to read it a little early but also get to gush about what spoke to me most about it.
Ellery is a skeptic in every way, shape and form. They've so far made it through a "winter-pocalypse" of sorts that has plagued their small town for five whole years. A primarily farming community that believes in and prays to a goddess who many believe to bring a bountiful harvest to their lands each year. Except Ellery (quite logically) struggles to believe in said goddess who – if she does even exist – has forsaken them & their family's farm for half a decade. For this reason, Ellery lives with their cousin and their cousin's partner in the city to work and send money home to their family to get by. There, at the diner they work, they meet a very unexpected handsome stranger named Knox, who is not entirely as human as he might seem. One thing leads to another and these two make a magical deal to help end this never-ending winter and maybe find something magical between them along the way...
When I say I am obsessed with how sweet this little supernatural found family is, there are truly NO WORDS. The tender goodness I love from F.T.'s other works shown through so brightly in this book and I was not prepared for how attached I would get to these characters 😭 (but I do this every time) The little glimpses at Charley & Zada's relationship were so sweet my teeth were achingggggg. And the way Ellery & Knox's relationship bloomed was just so perfect for them 🥹 If you're a fan of cozy queer books, this one is for you! There is definitely still lots of action and adventure, but overall just felt really comforting to read.
Please do yourself a favor and add this one to your up next reads. And be grateful for the warmer days ahead because the next season could never come if a goddess feels so inclined...
Side note: The cover artist for "Otherwordly," Sam Schechter, is SO talented! I just started following their work on Instagram (@sam.spectre) and am blown away. This cover is stunning and I couldn't help constantly turning to look back at the cover as I read because it's so stunning. They've worked on some of F.T.'s other covers and I just had to shout their work out!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood
marmaladereads's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This fantasy novel has some strong American Gods vibes and follows a supernatural being, Knox, and his human friends and love interest, Ellery (who is NB) as they try to find out why their town is stuck in 5 years of a continuous winter. In the process they meet all kinds of minor gods and beings who have made their life among humans.
I really enjoyed the friendships and found family vibes of this book, but I didn't really connect with the characters, who seemed rather one dimension. Since Knox has no memories, we know very little about him other than he is handsome (which is mentioned about 1402301 times) and likes movies, he's a bit of a loveable puppy. Ellery, the human Knox imprints on, we also learn very little about. They're "a skeptic" and "have a difficult relationship with their family" but we see very little of either of these or why they came to be and there is very little exploration of Ellery's character - who they are, what they like, their past, their future, or really anything about them other than the fact that they're a bit of a downer and they work a lot. I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Knox and Ellery as a couple. I think a platonic friendship story among the four (including Charley and her girlfriend) would have worked a bit better here.
While most of the book was slow paced and a little boring, the last 25% really picked up the pace and was quite interesting with a lot of Greek mythology influence and the ending did pack quite a lot into it.
I really enjoyed the friendships and found family vibes of this book, but I didn't really connect with the characters, who seemed rather one dimension. Since Knox has no memories, we know very little about him other than he is handsome (which is mentioned about 1402301 times) and likes movies, he's a bit of a loveable puppy. Ellery, the human Knox imprints on, we also learn very little about. They're "a skeptic" and "have a difficult relationship with their family" but we see very little of either of these or why they came to be and there is very little exploration of Ellery's character - who they are, what they like, their past, their future, or really anything about them other than the fact that they're a bit of a downer and they work a lot. I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Knox and Ellery as a couple. I think a platonic friendship story among the four (including Charley and her girlfriend) would have worked a bit better here.
While most of the book was slow paced and a little boring, the last 25% really picked up the pace and was quite interesting with a lot of Greek mythology influence and the ending did pack quite a lot into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Minor: Death
midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It’s inspired by the story of Eurydice and Orpheus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, and Violence
justinekorson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
I've only read one book by F.T Lukens "Spell Bound" and absolutely loved it. when I heard of this story I was really excited too. The idea of a paranormal boyfriend sounded like fun, as well as the endless winter. But while I did enjoy watching Ellery and Knox fall in love, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I'd hoped. I think I expected Knox and Ellery to be together for the entire story, fighting the shades and trying to find a way to stop the long winter. I also expected the goddess of death to be a little bit nicer ?? I guess. Not sure why because any god/goddess of death is never happy when people thwart death. I also really enjoyed Charley and Zada, they were fun characters.
The joy and fun I had while reading "Spell Bound" though didn't come to me in the same way with this story. I think it might be partly because Ellery was a very grumpy person. (Sun, from "Spell Bound", was grumpy too but they were also really funny). Which isn't to say that Ellery wasn't funny because they could be at times! I think that I just really loved Sun and Rook together. The situations they would get into was hilarious. This story was a bit more serious since Ellery and Knox were constantly being attacked or accosted by creatures/gods/goddesses from the Other World. Which was a really cool part, seeing all the kinds of beings they interacted with that were part of the Other World.
I think some of the best parts though was when Ellery was traveling through the Other World trying to reach Knox and the palace. I knew as soon as they made the decision to go to the Other World that there would be a Orpheus and Eurydice "Don't look back" plot happening. And I was right! Honestly, I could not be Ellery. I would have turned around because I would have been so scared lol. Anyways, I know this is probably an old draft of the book as I think the actual length of the book is a lot longer. Knox, at the end, talks about stopping somewhere first to talk to someone about wanting to return to the human realm and... he never said who he talked too. I'm assuming it was Arabelle? But I can't be sure. Maybe in the finished version of the story it's talked about more.
I'm probably still going to buy a physical copy of this story so I can find out.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
I've only read one book by F.T Lukens "Spell Bound" and absolutely loved it. when I heard of this story I was really excited too. The idea of a paranormal boyfriend sounded like fun, as well as the endless winter. But while I did enjoy watching Ellery and Knox fall in love, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I'd hoped. I think I expected Knox and Ellery to be together for the entire story, fighting the shades and trying to find a way to stop the long winter. I also expected the goddess of death to be a little bit nicer ?? I guess. Not sure why because any god/goddess of death is never happy when people thwart death. I also really enjoyed Charley and Zada, they were fun characters.
The joy and fun I had while reading "Spell Bound" though didn't come to me in the same way with this story. I think it might be partly because Ellery was a very grumpy person. (Sun, from "Spell Bound", was grumpy too but they were also really funny). Which isn't to say that Ellery wasn't funny because they could be at times! I think that I just really loved Sun and Rook together. The situations they would get into was hilarious. This story was a bit more serious since Ellery and Knox were constantly being attacked or accosted by creatures/gods/goddesses from the Other World. Which was a really cool part, seeing all the kinds of beings they interacted with that were part of the Other World.
I think some of the best parts though was when Ellery was traveling through the Other World trying to reach Knox and the palace. I knew as soon as they made the decision to go to the Other World that there would be a Orpheus and Eurydice "Don't look back" plot happening. And I was right! Honestly, I could not be Ellery. I would have turned around because I would have been so scared lol. Anyways, I know this is probably an old draft of the book as I think the actual length of the book is a lot longer. Knox, at the end, talks about stopping somewhere first to talk to someone about wanting to return to the human realm and... he never said who he talked too. I'm assuming it was Arabelle? But I can't be sure. Maybe in the finished version of the story it's talked about more.
I'm probably still going to buy a physical copy of this story so I can find out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Blood