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A review by readsforlove
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
4.5
From the first line, this book felt like a fairy tale. I was hooked by the writing, by the imagery, by the pure magic of the setting and the characters. A town trapped in five years of winter? Supernatural beings afoot in a community that whole heartedly believes in them, for the most part, even though they can't really prove they're around? Everything about the world felt so mystical and enchanting.
And don't get my started on our two MCs! By chapter 3, I was already in love. Ellery is kind and brave and grumpy as all hells but so endearing. They care about those around them, and sacrifice so much in order to make sure those they care about are okay. That was clear from the end of their first chapter, and I was excited to see where the story took them, and was not at all disappointed.
And Knox! Mysterious hot weird guy. I LOVE HIM. Literally from his first scene sitting on the couch and watching TV I knew I was as much of a goner as Ellery was about to be. He's so endearing and feels so deeply and just longs for connection and love that isn't transactional. And when these two collide (literally lol, such a good scene), the story gallops ahead in full force and leaves the reader happily devouring the lovely little found family they form. Zada and Charley were some of my favorite characters, and I loved how involved in the story they were. Books often advertise found family but don't actually deliver, but this was not one of those stories. The tenderness they all had for each other was adorable and heart warming. (Not to mention the food service workers--as someone who worked for many years in various restaurants, I related a lot, haha.
And when they strike their bargain, I instantly saw the genius of the story that Lukens had crafted. The romance of it swept me off my feet. I felt the same way while reading So This Is Ever After--everything drawing the two of them together, despite all intents and purposes being quite different. And I loved it. In as non spoilery a way as I can say, the ending was peak fairy tale vibes once again. The whole book felt that way, but by the end of the story I really felt like I had read some wintery fairy tale of monsters and darkness and heroes and light, and it was such a beautiful and heart-warming journey.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!
And don't get my started on our two MCs! By chapter 3, I was already in love. Ellery is kind and brave and grumpy as all hells but so endearing. They care about those around them, and sacrifice so much in order to make sure those they care about are okay. That was clear from the end of their first chapter, and I was excited to see where the story took them, and was not at all disappointed.
And Knox! Mysterious hot weird guy. I LOVE HIM. Literally from his first scene sitting on the couch and watching TV I knew I was as much of a goner as Ellery was about to be. He's so endearing and feels so deeply and just longs for connection and love that isn't transactional. And when these two collide (literally lol, such a good scene), the story gallops ahead in full force and leaves the reader happily devouring the lovely little found family they form. Zada and Charley were some of my favorite characters, and I loved how involved in the story they were. Books often advertise found family but don't actually deliver, but this was not one of those stories. The tenderness they all had for each other was adorable and heart warming. (Not to mention the food service workers--as someone who worked for many years in various restaurants, I related a lot, haha.
And when they strike their bargain, I instantly saw the genius of the story that Lukens had crafted. The romance of it swept me off my feet. I felt the same way while reading So This Is Ever After--everything drawing the two of them together, despite all intents and purposes being quite different. And I loved it. In as non spoilery a way as I can say, the ending was peak fairy tale vibes once again. The whole book felt that way, but by the end of the story I really felt like I had read some wintery fairy tale of monsters and darkness and heroes and light, and it was such a beautiful and heart-warming journey.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!