This is such a great YA fantasy read. It’s a little bit horror mixed with Secret Garden inspo. I thoroughly enjoyed it after I hit about 150 pages in. It hit its stride and just sucked me into the story. I couldn’t put it down. The writing was so good. I felt myself speeding up with her nerves or her running just by the way the sentences were structured. And a mute character as the main character/protagonist was written so well. The little glimpses into her past interspersed in the story really rounded her out as a character and showed her desire for a family from a very young age. Merilance was so vivid in my mind just as much as Gallant and the other Gallant. Just such good writing. 

I really enjoyed this story! It's rare to have a main character with a disability that isn't "goody-goody" all the time! I enjoyed watching Olivia struggle with her disability, AND BE MAD ABOUT IT! 

Plus there's ghosts which is pretty cool!

Atmospheric and intriguing. The world building was really compelling and it was hard to put down! I found Olivia a little unlikeable at first but she definitely grew on me and I really liked the other characters. It was really lovely having a main character who communicated entirely in sign language and I thought  V E Schwab did a good job in making you feel Olivia's frustration at people not listening to her/taking her seriously/silencing her. 

The thing that stops me rating this 4 stars is that although the world building and mood are gripping, the climax is very fast and abrupt (only about 20 pages in total)

and the fight is too easily won/just not engrossing enough

. 

The story about Olivia finding out who she is and what she can do is really intriguing but told at the cost of the parallel plot - the family secrets, death and the wall. I think it feels a bit underwhelming and the plot potential & villain never quite fully realised.

Having said that, Schwab really trusts her reader and doesn't spell everything out - she gives us hints and things to ponder -

perhaps that's why Matthew dies - although it' tragic and feels like it was all for nothing, it points to bigger questions of death and meaning.

All in all, a really quick read with plenty of spook. 13 yr old me would have adored it. 

I really enjoyed this book. I liked its somewhat spooky vibes and its mystery. I did find the ending a little lackluster. While it was somewhat satisfying, I feel like Olivia is still somewhat unfulfilled as a person. Her main longing, for a family and people who genuinely care about her, feels both met and unmet. She ends up with a few people, yes, but I wanted her to have more of a community. I don’t know exactly what I would have wanted instead, but it left me feeling a bit upset.

I did really enjoy the gothic atmosphere of this book and the elements of mystery. But I felt like the end was a bit anticlimactic and I was left with a few questions that weren’t answered by the time I had finished reading.