Felt a wave of nostalgia for the Kingdom Hearts series and realized I had the Days novel on my shelf without having actually read it. Time to fix that!

Kanemaki makes the world of Kingdom Hearts feel real and lived in while also having a poetic, fantastical quality. Even writing in simple prose (accessible to ages ten and up), she describes the fear and alienation of working in a hostile and degrading environment very well. Axel and Saix's divorce is also palpable.

Great stuff for a middle grade novel! Reminded me of the halcyon days in the fandom before KH3 released.