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What in the world did I just read! What a ride! I honestly would have had heartburn if I had not reached to the ending of the book by the time I did. Suspended life for a day to read this book. I had read “The One” by this same author John Marrs previously and found it good as well. Absolutely crazy story, with only a handful of characters. You will keep changing your opinion on the two main characters after each chapter, deeming each of them the bad guy alternatively. At a point you can indeed guess which version is the truth and which version is warped, and although some of their choices seem too far-fetched, this is one hell of a roller coaster ride. I could not contain the suspense, and I had to cheat and google the ending at about 92%. Ahem. But even knowing the ending, the rest of the story was still wild.

Classic Agatha Christie novel. Can finish in one single sitting. I did not remember reading this earlier (even though I definitely had). Wonderful setting, characters felt more compelling, and Poirot as usual, felt quite like an amiable yet irritating uncle. Comfortable read. Christie books always feel like coming home to have my favorite dinner from childhood (does that make me a creep?)

Magnificently crafted masterpiece! How can Frederick Beckman write about such heavy topics in such a way that we find no fault to any sides? How is he such a master storyteller? Some chapters end in cliffhangers and the story might continue only a few chapters later but still feel seamless. There are many points of view which gets confusing at first, because of the number of characters in this book and it starts out slow because it is trying to set the scene for a town that revolves around its hockey and its hockey players. This book might come to be known as a classic in the future, the author captures complex human emotions and moral grey areas so well. Listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator did an outstanding job!

When in doubt, or in a reading slump, I always pick up one of Christie’s books. It’s a habit of comfort. This book did not disappoint. The reveal came as a bit of a shock. This is not a complaint, as this book was written decades ago and was representative of its time but the repeated mentions of women being catty to each other, and shaming of modern women was a tad bit too frustrating to get my head around (and the reason why I’ve given 3 stars when I really thought the story deserved 4). But Christie is a master of storytelling, and apart from the occasional snobbishness, the plot and the drama was spot on. 🤌🏼

(I do want to say that I was unable to find the UK edition with the pretty cover and I was very disappointed)

This is what you would call a cozy fantasy. It reminded me of Legends & Lattes, although the stakes are higher and personal, and there is an actual story. It is an entertaining read with lovable characters and charming folklore.

All the characters were written very well and their chemistry worked for me - a lot of them also had good character development arcs, which I had not expected. Shadow was, of course, adorable. The easy relationship (based on banter) between Emily and Wendell was also fun to read. All the folklore or “fae” lore added magic to the story and were quite enjoyable to read. The story was somewhat slow paced at times but did not feel boring at any point. A quote that I will remember always - "Perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature."

It is narrated as Emily’s diary entries, and romance is not the main focus of the book, so people looking to find a fantasy romance may be disappointed.

To summarize - cute and wholesome fantasy novel with magical creatures.

I think I will try and grab the sequels :-)