this was an exquisite story. the writing was lush, the characters real, and the action thrilling. i kind of like the twist on a typical fantasy story this takes, where sylvia would be the protagonist in another novel and lorelei the love interest. (a take which makes more sense once you’ve finished the book). i also enjoyed the romance.

that said, i wish there had been more investigating of ziegler’s murder than just asking questions and accepting the answers as truth. and the middle dragged a little. also, i wish there was a map so i could visualize the geography of the world a little better. 

but overall, this was a good book. i definitely feel like this isn’t the end of their story. could a sequel be in our future, perhaps?