Review Detail
3.7 6
Young Adult Fiction
547
OK, could have been better
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
3.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Adriana
I didn't give this one 4 stars because I felt it could have been better and it doesn't match up to other fantasy reads that I think excel both in story and writing (like Marr's Wicked Lovely and Werlin's Impossible). The novel blends faerie with an apocalyptic war, as well as a werewolf boy and other humans that possess magical powers. I think this was part of the problem for me - there was too much thrown in and sometimes I just felt like it was very cluttered. Liza is a teen who lives in a town that has survived after the "War". The War refers to a time when the Faerie world and the Human world collided. Liza's father is a firm believer that magic can only do harm, and that you can't trust it. So he was able to save the town on this premise, but has since become completely intolerant to any magic (which kind of touched on a theme of discrimination and ignorance). When Liza's baby sister is born and has signs of possessing faerie magic, Liza's father kills her and leaves her on the edge of the forbidden forest. Eventually Liza's mother leaves and Liza herself starts to get visions which indicate she also has magic. Liza also leaves and one of the other town's teens follow her (he is a werewolf). Liza wants to find her mother and doesn't want her father to find out she has magic. There are several more plot twists that follow, like Liza traveling to an abandoned St. Louis, MO, where an arch calls to her (the Gateway Arch), as well as her encountering a town where magic and humans co-exist. I think teens will enjoy the read simply because of the faerie element, but I think there are better reads out there in this genre.
I didn't give this one 4 stars because I felt it could have been better and it doesn't match up to other fantasy reads that I think excel both in story and writing (like Marr's Wicked Lovely and Werlin's Impossible). The novel blends faerie with an apocalyptic war, as well as a werewolf boy and other humans that possess magical powers. I think this was part of the problem for me - there was too much thrown in and sometimes I just felt like it was very cluttered. Liza is a teen who lives in a town that has survived after the "War". The War refers to a time when the Faerie world and the Human world collided. Liza's father is a firm believer that magic can only do harm, and that you can't trust it. So he was able to save the town on this premise, but has since become completely intolerant to any magic (which kind of touched on a theme of discrimination and ignorance). When Liza's baby sister is born and has signs of possessing faerie magic, Liza's father kills her and leaves her on the edge of the forbidden forest. Eventually Liza's mother leaves and Liza herself starts to get visions which indicate she also has magic. Liza also leaves and one of the other town's teens follow her (he is a werewolf). Liza wants to find her mother and doesn't want her father to find out she has magic. There are several more plot twists that follow, like Liza traveling to an abandoned St. Louis, MO, where an arch calls to her (the Gateway Arch), as well as her encountering a town where magic and humans co-exist. I think teens will enjoy the read simply because of the faerie element, but I think there are better reads out there in this genre.
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