This was good! Good story, writing, and characters.

I liked Adam. I felt for him, after what he’d been through with his family treating him like crap and locking him away in a psychiatric facility against his will. And he was a good person. But he never came across as overly perfect or lacking in other traits.

I don’t have much to say about Vic, but I liked him too. I liked how he was always opening up his arms for a hug or asking Adam to come cuddle.

I liked the burgeoning relationship between Adam and Vic. I could feel the cuteness, the butterflies.

But I also liked the relationship between Adam and Silver. *SPOILER* I felt what was between them too, even though the romance part was in the past. I could still feel their care for each other, and the pain that came with knowing they wouldn’t ever be together. *END SPOILER*

Now for the characters I didn’t like. (Just to be clear, these aren’t complaints about the book. I’m just discussing.) I didn’t really like Robert. I liked him more by the end, felt for him, but I still didn’t think the things I learned made up for him putting Adam away in a psychiatric facility. But it was Adam’s mother I really hated. Because she was the parent. She was supposed to protect her children and be there for them. But she didn’t, and she wasn’t. *SPOILER* She stood back and let her husband beat and abuse them. Then she made her son be the one to kill him, made him take on that guilt and trauma. *END SPOILER* Then she was the one who ultimately made the decision to send Adam to the psych facility. And unlike Robert, she never showed any sign of being sorry for anything. In fact, she was still a jerk.

I liked Adam’s relationship with Robert though. It was complicated. He hated him for convincing their mother to put him in the psychiatric facility, but he also loved him. What Robert did was wrong, but Robert also did good things and protected Adam when they were younger. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with their relationship as the series goes on. I felt like the author did a good job of handling the complex family relationships well.

The story kept me wanting to listen, and it all connected and made sense. Even the magical stuff made sense to me.

The audiobook narration by Michael David Axtell was decent. It wasn’t my favorite, but I didn’t have serious issues with it. I never had trouble figuring out who was talking (even though voices weren’t super different), and it sounded natural enough. I would’ve like more emotion and situational voice acting though. It was all spoken naturally, but it was all very sedate, which didn’t always match the scene, like when they were shouting while fighting spirits. That’s where it was lacking for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable urban fantasy with a sweet romantic relationship and complex family relationships, and I’m looking forward to more.

*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*