*I received an ecopy of this book via BookSirens. This has not influenced my review.*

My first thought upon reading a sample for this book was, “Wow, this author can write!” It’s such a smooth writing style that sucked me in. Maybe not the prologue so much since I didn’t understand everything going on there, but once I got into Chapter One? Fantastic. It’s so hard to describe writing style, but give it a try, and I think you’ll see what I mean.

The characters were also fantastic! They were complex and imperfect and leapt off the page. Some of them, like Javier, were so lovable and yet still had their flaws. Some, like Ollie, were unlikeable and yet still did things that I couldn’t blame them for. Some, like Rina, were unhinged. Some, like Ethan, made me want to tell them off and hug them at the same time.

Their feelings and relationships were complex and imperfect too. And the romance between Ethan and Javier was sweeter and more tender than I was expecting. Neither one would let the other push them away, and that was what they needed. But, though they were the focus, there was also Ethan and Vegas’s friendship, Vegas and Ollie’s on-and-off again romance, Ollie and Nick’s longtime friendship, Nick and Ethan’s complete-lack-of-communication-ship, Ethan and Ollie’s sorta enemies sorta friends because they share too many people thing, Javier and Rina’s toxic twin thing, Rina and Peter’s toxic romance or whatever they have going on (basically every relationship Rina is a part of is toxic), and Ethan and his dad’s strained-but-trying care for each other. Don’t worry, it’ll make more sense when you read the book and actually know who these people are. My point is that it’s a bunch of people in a web of all different types of relationships, not just a romance.

This was set in the future, though the world wasn’t too drastically different from our own. It was a dystopia in the same way our current world is a dystopia. Just a messed up world with those in power reaping the benefits while those with less power and money suffer.

There were also mental powers and abilities. Ethan is a healer. Javier is an empath. Other characters have some other abilities, like pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and invisibility. And it was all thought-out and detailed in terms of both how it worked and how it affected and was integrated into society. Especially healing. And it wasn’t all perfect and easy with no consequences.

There was a lot of complex politics and crime and whatnot, and I didn’t understand all the details, but that’s on me. I always struggle with that kinda thing. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. And anyone who likes that and is good at understanding it will probably love that aspect, since it seemed well thought-out.

My one real complaint is that the ending was so open that I found it unsatisfying. It’s a full-length book and was listed as a standalone where I got my copy, so I was expecting a complete story. But the author has said something about an in-universe sequel focused on different main characters. If it follows and closes the threads from this one, letting readers know the true ending for Ethan and Javier (even if they’re not the main characters), then I’m fine with this openness. Anyway, only consider this a standalone if you’re ok with open endings. Otherwise, consider it first in a series/duology/something.

I believe the final version will have illustrations throughout, and from the little bit I’ve seen online, I’m sure it will be beautiful!

This book feels like 4 stars for my personal taste (which is great, I really enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong), maybe because I’m not as into the crime fiction stuff, but it’s so well-written and complex that it still feels like it deserves more, especially when you factor in the artwork and everything.

Overall, this book pulled me in with its writing and then kept me hooked with its interesting world, complex relationships, and imperfect characters!

*Rating: 4.5 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Ebook via TTS*