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votesforwomen's review
4.0
ARGH THIS WAS JUST...QUALITY LITERATURE.
Yep, I said literature. This was something special. A high fantasy unlike many I've ever read. It was beautiful, the descriptions transcendent, the story itself gorgeous. I fell in love with this story.
The characters in particular helped make this novel beautiful. I initially thought this would be more like HSJ Williams' debut novella, Fairest Son, but NOT AT ALL, MY DUDES. That novella was excellent and powerful, but this one just...excelled it on so many levels.
-Our young heroine, Tellie, is just a pure little cinnamon roll of precious faith and courage. I loved her arc, her realization that even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
-Kelm had the smallest role, imo, but I love him too. So cute, so smol.
-Tryss's arc was also inspiring, although I feel like it has a ton of room to develop in the sequels. She was beautiful and her courage was so admirable. I loved her shapeshifting abilities and I would love to see moooooore of them!!!
-Errance. Oh my goodness, where even to start? He broke my heart, but then it got put back together by the end, and just...argh. The anger, the defiance, the strength...but then his brokenness, and his trauma, and it all just hURT ME SO MUCH. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
-Coren and Zizain! I ADORED THEM!
-The minor characters toooooo I just love them allllllllll
This book was just...beautiful and I loved it so much *sobs*
Yep, I said literature. This was something special. A high fantasy unlike many I've ever read. It was beautiful, the descriptions transcendent, the story itself gorgeous. I fell in love with this story.
The characters in particular helped make this novel beautiful. I initially thought this would be more like HSJ Williams' debut novella, Fairest Son, but NOT AT ALL, MY DUDES. That novella was excellent and powerful, but this one just...excelled it on so many levels.
-Our young heroine, Tellie, is just a pure little cinnamon roll of precious faith and courage. I loved her arc, her realization that even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
-Kelm had the smallest role, imo, but I love him too. So cute, so smol.
-Tryss's arc was also inspiring, although I feel like it has a ton of room to develop in the sequels. She was beautiful and her courage was so admirable. I loved her shapeshifting abilities and I would love to see moooooore of them!!!
-Errance. Oh my goodness, where even to start? He broke my heart, but then it got put back together by the end, and just...argh. The anger, the defiance, the strength...but then his brokenness, and his trauma, and it all just hURT ME SO MUCH. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
-Coren and Zizain! I ADORED THEM!
-The minor characters toooooo I just love them allllllllll
This book was just...beautiful and I loved it so much *sobs*
chaosandbooks's review
4.0
Moonscript is sort of if someone took the characters from Lord of the Rings and placed them in the mind of C.S. Lewis. I didn't expect the allegory from the blurb, but I do enjoy it when it is handled well. It is here.
Williams crafts a strong narrative with some of the best internal conflict I have seen in fantasy in recent times. There's a lot of little details that I loved in the writing that really made it shine, although I will say some of the verbiage was repetitive at times.
Also, I have to note the strong introduction. Often, they're unnecessary and serve little to the overall since few words of substance are used. Moonscript has an excellent use of an introductory flashback that left me excited for the rest of the novel.
One criticism that I have is that the secondary characters could have been better fleshed out. Since this is the start of a series, I'm assuming that Williams left that for the future books though. For what is there though, the cast of characters is well-rounded and compliment one another well.
The romantic plotlines in the book were so-so for me. I enjoyed them, but I also feel like there were areas that could be improved.
What really left such a strong impression on me in this book was how well the author incorporated religion in fantasy, something that is both rare and difficult to handle. So kudos to the author and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Williams crafts a strong narrative with some of the best internal conflict I have seen in fantasy in recent times. There's a lot of little details that I loved in the writing that really made it shine, although I will say some of the verbiage was repetitive at times.
Also, I have to note the strong introduction. Often, they're unnecessary and serve little to the overall since few words of substance are used. Moonscript has an excellent use of an introductory flashback that left me excited for the rest of the novel.
One criticism that I have is that the secondary characters could have been better fleshed out. Since this is the start of a series, I'm assuming that Williams left that for the future books though. For what is there though, the cast of characters is well-rounded and compliment one another well.
The romantic plotlines in the book were so-so for me. I enjoyed them, but I also feel like there were areas that could be improved.
What really left such a strong impression on me in this book was how well the author incorporated religion in fantasy, something that is both rare and difficult to handle. So kudos to the author and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
sparksofember's review
3.0
This was better than I expected and not as dark, considering the plot. Very poetically written. Heavy on the allegory/symbolism but some of it was very powerful. I thought it was too long/slow - I had a hard time reading the "spirit-walking/shadow-walking/I-don't-remember-what-it-was-called" scenes because most of them didn't seem very relevant to the story. And the ending seemed to go on too long. But I really enjoyed all of the characters, especially Coren and Zizain.
rachelnjacob's review
5.0
Wow oh wow! Moonscript by H. S. J. Williams was a captivating, thrilling, and rollercoaster-ride sort of book that kept me reading late in the night because I couldn’t stop myself! The characters developments and changes are heartwarming and the twists keep your eyes glued to the pages! My favourite dynamic was between Errance and Tellie, because through their relationship, you can see his “light” and humanity! I also loved the way God was represented through Ayeshune, and the interactions Tellie and Errance had with Him that symbolically translates into our own lives! Overall, an amazing read that I enjoyed immensely! I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy!!!
rgyger's review
4.0
Moonscript delivers a wide cast of varied personalities and mythical beings, in a story reminiscent of old classics. The story is told mainly through the eyes of Tellie, offering a light-hearted and innocent perspective on her surroundings. But each character delivers their own outlook and Williams makes sure that each one feels like their own person, with their own inner motivations and heartaches.
The villains, especially the "main bad", reminded me a lot of watching Lord of the Rings as a kid. There is the Darkness and the Voice, the dark mountain and the wardens who have become so warped on the inside that they might as well be hideous on the outside. Some of these villains have scenes in their perspectives, and while I do think that I would have found them more terrifying had their motivations been left a mystery, they did serve to remind the reader of the darkness that was ever looming.
Overall, I thought this was good story. I loved the interactions between the two children and the personalities of a few of the side characters. I adored Kelm in that he acted just like a boy his age would and wasn't sorry for it. I would recommend this for readers who like battles between good and evil, battles in which the lines between are never blurred.
I have provided an honest review after receiving an ecopy of the book from the author.
The villains, especially the "main bad", reminded me a lot of watching Lord of the Rings as a kid. There is the Darkness and the Voice, the dark mountain and the wardens who have become so warped on the inside that they might as well be hideous on the outside. Some of these villains have scenes in their perspectives, and while I do think that I would have found them more terrifying had their motivations been left a mystery, they did serve to remind the reader of the darkness that was ever looming.
Overall, I thought this was good story. I loved the interactions between the two children and the personalities of a few of the side characters. I adored Kelm in that he acted just like a boy his age would and wasn't sorry for it. I would recommend this for readers who like battles between good and evil, battles in which the lines between are never blurred.
I have provided an honest review after receiving an ecopy of the book from the author.
what_ella_reads's review
4.0
This book is receiving a lot of hype in the Christian book community and I'm glad to say that it lives up to the hype (imo).
I have mostly positive things to say about it, so I want to start with the negatives and then finish the review with all of the positives.
The main negative of this book is that it is not always polished. There are some typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing. While this does take a bit away from the quality of the writing, it's not deal breaker for me because 1. This book is an indie book 2. This is the author's first full length novel. I did find those the mistakes to be a bit distracting, it didn't stop the story from being overall enjoyable.
The only other thing I didn't like about this book was that the dialogue could be repetitive, especially Tellie's dialogue. Tellie, the main character, screamed a lot and kept repeating herself to Errance. For that reason, Tellie did get on my nerves at certain points in the book. I do, however, think that the way Tellie expresses herself is reflective of a young teen. I hope as Tellie matures that she will grow out some of her more immature habits.
Now onto the things I loved. The first thing I loved was the world building. I think the author did establishing all the elements of the world that this book is set in. Readers are introduced several countries and people groups, but it didn't feel overwhelming.
I also like the magic system. I found the chemas and their abilities to be especially fascinating. I'm excited to learn more about the magic systems in the next book!
The next thing I enjoyed were the characters. Each character's personality brings something special to the story. My favorite characters are Tryss and Coren, though I do like the other characters as well!
I'm glad I decided to give this new release a chance! I am eager to read the next book, which the author currently writing. I hope it will come out within the next year or two!!!
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
I have mostly positive things to say about it, so I want to start with the negatives and then finish the review with all of the positives.
The main negative of this book is that it is not always polished. There are some typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing. While this does take a bit away from the quality of the writing, it's not deal breaker for me because 1. This book is an indie book 2. This is the author's first full length novel. I did find those the mistakes to be a bit distracting, it didn't stop the story from being overall enjoyable.
The only other thing I didn't like about this book was that the dialogue could be repetitive, especially Tellie's dialogue. Tellie, the main character, screamed a lot and kept repeating herself to Errance. For that reason, Tellie did get on my nerves at certain points in the book. I do, however, think that the way Tellie expresses herself is reflective of a young teen. I hope as Tellie matures that she will grow out some of her more immature habits.
Now onto the things I loved. The first thing I loved was the world building. I think the author did establishing all the elements of the world that this book is set in. Readers are introduced several countries and people groups, but it didn't feel overwhelming.
I also like the magic system. I found the chemas and their abilities to be especially fascinating. I'm excited to learn more about the magic systems in the next book!
The next thing I enjoyed were the characters. Each character's personality brings something special to the story. My favorite characters are Tryss and Coren, though I do like the other characters as well!
I'm glad I decided to give this new release a chance! I am eager to read the next book, which the author currently writing. I hope it will come out within the next year or two!!!
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
curls's review
4.0
Tellie is an ordinary human orphan living with an abuse aunt and uncle, when her life drastically changes. She overhears a plot to lure the king of the elves by showing him the heirloom necklace of the king’s only son Errance, who died seventy years ago.
Tellie finds the necklace and takes it to the king herself. The king reveals to her that Errance is not dead - he was taken and tortured by the enemy of the elves, the Darkness. But since the necklace revealed itself to Tellie, she has to find him and bring him home.
“What else did my father say?” he whispered.
She searched desperately for something comforting, something kind. “He said…he said darkness could not last forever.”
Religion is a major part of this book. The elves and humans share the same belief in their god Ayeshune. This is a thinly veiled story of the prodigal son - which would have worked better if Errance hadn’t been so innocent when he was taken. It wasn’t a willing descent into darkness, he was forcibly taken there and tormented. Bless him, he needs a hug.
It was nice to see a religion portrayed in fantasy that wasn’t completely corrupt. I felt like it was very respectful of people who have faith.
“What do you think about God?”
The boy coughed. “Pardon?”
“I mean, I’ve sort of believed in him. I was always taught to pray to him. But the elves actually seemed to believe in his existence as a guiding force in the world. And they have a name for him and everything. I mean, I’ve heard that name, but they use it so personally.”
The story is told in third person, which I liked. But sometimes it was tough to tell whose perspective I was reading from. It might jump from different people with no indication of whose POV I was reading from and I’d have to go back and check. A small problem that was a little distracting. I hope further books are more clear on whose POV is featured.
I really liked the illustrations and was surprised to see that the author did her own. It was really neat.
All in all, I enjoyed this fantasy. It’s about family and the ties that bind us. If you’re looking for a fantasy with religious overtones and no romance, you might want to check this one out. Free on kindle unlimited.
Tellie finds the necklace and takes it to the king herself. The king reveals to her that Errance is not dead - he was taken and tortured by the enemy of the elves, the Darkness. But since the necklace revealed itself to Tellie, she has to find him and bring him home.
“What else did my father say?” he whispered.
She searched desperately for something comforting, something kind. “He said…he said darkness could not last forever.”
Religion is a major part of this book. The elves and humans share the same belief in their god Ayeshune. This is a thinly veiled story of the prodigal son - which would have worked better if Errance hadn’t been so innocent when he was taken. It wasn’t a willing descent into darkness, he was forcibly taken there and tormented. Bless him, he needs a hug.
It was nice to see a religion portrayed in fantasy that wasn’t completely corrupt. I felt like it was very respectful of people who have faith.
“What do you think about God?”
The boy coughed. “Pardon?”
“I mean, I’ve sort of believed in him. I was always taught to pray to him. But the elves actually seemed to believe in his existence as a guiding force in the world. And they have a name for him and everything. I mean, I’ve heard that name, but they use it so personally.”
The story is told in third person, which I liked. But sometimes it was tough to tell whose perspective I was reading from. It might jump from different people with no indication of whose POV I was reading from and I’d have to go back and check. A small problem that was a little distracting. I hope further books are more clear on whose POV is featured.
I really liked the illustrations and was surprised to see that the author did her own. It was really neat.
All in all, I enjoyed this fantasy. It’s about family and the ties that bind us. If you’re looking for a fantasy with religious overtones and no romance, you might want to check this one out. Free on kindle unlimited.
hdcamp's review
5.0
Did this make me cry? I mean, yeah. I'm going to buy this one too. Sue me.
For one thing, the prose of this book was immaculate. Sometimes it feels like this style of writing is just the author trying to unsuccessfully copy someone else they've read but that wasn't at all what was happening here. Not once did it drop the ball, or forget where or who or what it was. Sometimes it seemed vaguely overwrought, but never enough to make me wish the author hadn't tried going for it. It was beautiful and consistent.
I read a lot of the reviews talking about the characters and how hekkin wonderful they were. I wasn't immediately convinced of this, but at some point (halfway through? I'm not aware when it happened or what changed) I realized that they were hekkin wonderful and if they didn't stay together as the little found family that they are I would absolutely riot. Again, I'm not sure what changed. Arguably they're not all the most in-depth characters? Apparently I don't care. Kelm is my least favorite (sorry Kelm fans); he's supposed to be 14? He sometimes reads like he's half that age, but then other times it's more like he's a transplanted 1940s British child, and that I don't mind as much. He's also the least developed in my opinion, except maybe for Coren who I inexplicably loved to death. His chin patch makes me mildly uncomfortable, but he's so deeply chaotic and purely well-intentioned that I just aaahlsdfasdf. Tellie is very Lucy Pevensie. The conversation she has at the end and learns about everything she's done in the Unseen World? She reacts with such quiet humility. I love that. I love her. And that doesn't even touch on the other characters, who are also all wonderful and just absolutely adkadfa;dsfaADFLADKFLA
I really enjoyed the bold text at the beginning of each chapter. I generally prefer first person narration, so it was nice to hear some of Errance's voice, in particular since he outwardly betrays so little. I also appreciate how horrid he is most of the time - too often I feel like characters recover instantly from their decades of pain and suffering, and he's taking his time.
I also appreciate
1. the incredibly slow burn romance, so slow it's like not really an actual thing yet, because
1a. they have more important things going on, Errance in particular. He's working on healing his literal soul right now, throwing a romance in the way some books do would have cheapened his main struggle. As it was it was super sweet (a bit one-sided) and kind of hopeful. I have so much to look forward to where they are concerned.
2. FINALLY a trope-y protagonist (grumpy, damaged, black hair/blue eyes/super tall/pale as heck) who bucks the tropes?? He is all those things, but (please see 1a) he's not being a toxic "romantic" douche noodle, and he cries. Like so much. He talks to Tellie about his feelings, he actually improves himself, and his grumpy-ness is for once not just a meaningless personality trait. He has been through the wringer and he is entirely distrustful that this adventure is not just some hallucination thought up for him by the Voice; once he's freed, the grumpy-ness fades away.
3. They don't back away from the violence, but there's also little to no detail on it. And we don't need more, because the torture that Errance endures isn't the point; the brand marking him the property of the Darkness is.
But the core of this story is redemption, and there is nothing better than redemption. I think much of the book I was in denial (kind of like Tellie) about how bad off Errance was. I thought he was fine, I thought sure he'd been through a lot, but he'd kept fighting, which meant something. I saw as she did that he was alive, and his physical wounds were healing. But then the story goes on, and we find that he's completely taken in by Darkness - because that's how it works. You can hate and hate and hate something with all your heart, and that probably only means you're giving it more of yourself each time.
Confession is so good. Go to confession, guys. We can go together.
*Not to totally kill the vibe, but Errance thinks something at the very end about how he's not as tall as his father, which is weird considering how much stretching he went through.
Is that a reference to the years of torture in Tertorem or?? It is super random and off-hand and that^ is 100% the expression I made. We were in wind-down mode, I was not expecting it. I was teary at the time too, so as moments go it was on the whack side.
**Trillium Press should hire me as a copy editor *winkwinkforrealthough* because there were a bunch of errors that could have been easily avoided. This took away exactly nothing from my enjoyment of the story, but did make me more offended because this book deserves the best.
For one thing, the prose of this book was immaculate. Sometimes it feels like this style of writing is just the author trying to unsuccessfully copy someone else they've read but that wasn't at all what was happening here. Not once did it drop the ball, or forget where or who or what it was. Sometimes it seemed vaguely overwrought, but never enough to make me wish the author hadn't tried going for it. It was beautiful and consistent.
I read a lot of the reviews talking about the characters and how hekkin wonderful they were. I wasn't immediately convinced of this, but at some point (halfway through? I'm not aware when it happened or what changed) I realized that they were hekkin wonderful and if they didn't stay together as the little found family that they are I would absolutely riot. Again, I'm not sure what changed. Arguably they're not all the most in-depth characters? Apparently I don't care. Kelm is my least favorite (sorry Kelm fans); he's supposed to be 14? He sometimes reads like he's half that age, but then other times it's more like he's a transplanted 1940s British child, and that I don't mind as much. He's also the least developed in my opinion, except maybe for Coren who I inexplicably loved to death. His chin patch makes me mildly uncomfortable, but he's so deeply chaotic and purely well-intentioned that I just aaahlsdfasdf. Tellie is very Lucy Pevensie. The conversation she has at the end
Spoiler
with Errance after he's read the MoonscriptI really enjoyed the bold text at the beginning of each chapter. I generally prefer first person narration, so it was nice to hear some of Errance's voice, in particular since he outwardly betrays so little. I also appreciate how horrid he is most of the time - too often I feel like characters recover instantly from their decades of pain and suffering, and he's taking his time.
For a man who had looked like a corpse not too long ago...he still looked like a corpse.Amazing.
I also appreciate
1. the incredibly slow burn romance, so slow it's like not really an actual thing yet, because
1a. they have more important things going on, Errance in particular. He's working on healing his literal soul right now, throwing a romance in the way some books do would have cheapened his main struggle. As it was it was super sweet (a bit one-sided) and kind of hopeful. I have so much to look forward to where they are concerned.
2. FINALLY a trope-y protagonist (grumpy, damaged, black hair/blue eyes/super tall/pale as heck) who bucks the tropes?? He is all those things, but (please see 1a) he's not being a toxic "romantic" douche noodle, and he cries. Like so much. He talks to Tellie about his feelings, he actually improves himself, and his grumpy-ness is for once not just a meaningless personality trait. He has been through the wringer and he is entirely distrustful that this adventure is not just some hallucination thought up for him by the Voice; once he's freed, the grumpy-ness fades away.
3. They don't back away from the violence, but there's also little to no detail on it. And we don't need more, because the torture that Errance endures isn't the point; the brand marking him the property of the Darkness is.
Spoiler
What happened to him in Tertorem matters even less when the brand is removed.But the core of this story is redemption, and there is nothing better than redemption. I think much of the book I was in denial (kind of like Tellie) about how bad off Errance was. I thought he was fine, I thought sure he'd been through a lot, but he'd kept fighting, which meant something. I saw as she did that he was alive, and his physical wounds were healing. But then the story goes on, and we find that he's completely taken in by Darkness - because that's how it works. You can hate and hate and hate something with all your heart, and that probably only means you're giving it more of yourself each time.
This is the fate of the lost. The Darkness does not care if you are good or evil, only if you are vulnerable. And you had no protection, for you had rejected me already.The goodness of his friends helps him out of a literal pit, but the only thing that can empty his soul of Darkness is God.
Confession is so good. Go to confession, guys. We can go together.
*Not to totally kill the vibe, but Errance thinks something at the very end about how he's not as tall as his father, which is weird considering how much stretching he went through.
Is that a reference to the years of torture in Tertorem or?? It is super random and off-hand and that^ is 100% the expression I made. We were in wind-down mode, I was not expecting it. I was teary at the time too, so as moments go it was on the whack side.
**Trillium Press should hire me as a copy editor *winkwinkforrealthough* because there were a bunch of errors that could have been easily avoided. This took away exactly nothing from my enjoyment of the story, but did make me more offended because this book deserves the best.
annaaugustineauthor's review
4.0
I finished this book a few days ago, and I just needed a few days to process the amazingness (is that a word?) that was this book!
•
Seventy years has the elven prince been lost to the Darkness, assumes dead by his people and tortured for the key to the book that would lead to a world untouched by the Darkness’s evil.
But when Tellie, a young girl who longs for a family, is taken from her home along with her faithful friend, Kelm, and locked away in the stronghold of Tertorem, she brings an unexpected light to the prince.
Their fates are tied to the prince. Will there quest for life and love and light pull him from the Darkness that holds him captive? Or will he simply pull them down with him?
•
Y’all. There are PICTURES IN THIS BOOK AND THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL! Just ... I knew there was art for the different parts, but actually full page pictures blew my mind!
•
The story, right. So at first I really hated Errance - the elven prince. He was aloof, ungrateful and just kinda a jerk. And while that’s to be expected, it just kinda bothered me a little bit. But the beauty was in his redemption. I don’t want to ruin anything, but suffice to say I stayed up way to late to finish that part.
•
Seventy years has the elven prince been lost to the Darkness, assumes dead by his people and tortured for the key to the book that would lead to a world untouched by the Darkness’s evil.
But when Tellie, a young girl who longs for a family, is taken from her home along with her faithful friend, Kelm, and locked away in the stronghold of Tertorem, she brings an unexpected light to the prince.
Their fates are tied to the prince. Will there quest for life and love and light pull him from the Darkness that holds him captive? Or will he simply pull them down with him?
•
Y’all. There are PICTURES IN THIS BOOK AND THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL! Just ... I knew there was art for the different parts, but actually full page pictures blew my mind!
•
The story, right. So at first I really hated Errance - the elven prince. He was aloof, ungrateful and just kinda a jerk. And while that’s to be expected, it just kinda bothered me a little bit. But the beauty was in his redemption. I don’t want to ruin anything, but suffice to say I stayed up way to late to finish that part.
ladyfives's review
4.0
In the depths, in the darkness, there dangled a prisoner, and once upon a time, he had been a prince.
[EDIT: Revised some of this review! I had a bit of an emotional response when I first finished reading, but I promise this is all still entirely honest, hah.]
First thing's first, I respect so much about this book - its journey of being written, its Tolkien feel, the inner illustrations (PLEASE, can this be a new trend in self-pub? in all fantasy books? please??)...the impossible literal heft to it (seriously, how is the paperback so heavy?). Even though in the end it really wasn't written for me, I still enjoyed the sort of classical fantasy feel. With lots of self-pub books I can feel the hard work, pride, and love written all over the page and this is no exception.
I want to point out Tellie. What an absolute dear. I didn't expect her to be at the top of my faves, but she won me over. There is something so endearing (and, again, classic-feeling) about reading a young character who actually acts young, is naive and silly, occasionally overbearing and confused and cowardly when she's got every right to be... She (and Kelm!) were a much-needed light in this fairly grim story.
I thought Errance would be my fav just because - well, I'm predictable that way. I did like him as well, and I appreciated this raw, complex portrait of what it would be like to have gone through so much and be left with so little hope. He was drifting though his escape and his life and being afraid of actually going home at all. Dude needed a hug, and I thought it was again very classic and again, very warm, that no one would give up on him and believed in him no matter where he was (especially Tellie!).
[EDITED SECTION] There was, I feel, a lot of this I didn't quite get (which is a feeling reflected in other atheist/non-Christian reviews). That brought out a lot of frustration in me, not because it existed within the book (which, as you'll also see in reviews, resonated with a lot of readers BECAUSE it was there), but because of the perspective I just cannot, as a limit of someone who didn't spend...allll that much time in Bible study, see from. It broke my heart how some things shook out when I felt like I wanted something different for the characters, but I think that's, if anything, a testament to the book's raw feelings and impact, that I was brought to feel something so strongly even if it was negative - when I'm usually a reader who skims through books and half-feels everything.
Anyways, it made me think a lot. It's a book that crawls under your skin and makes you feel things alongside it. Regardless of some other things that didn't jive with me, I think it's an experience I won't get with another book, that ran the spectrum of hopeful & sweet to painful & frustrating for me.