i truly don't have the words. i did not expect this book to sweep me up the way that it did, and i really didn't expect it to envelope me as entirely as it ended up doing, but wow. the characters were crafted with so much love and care, the world was so brutal and also at the same time had hope and love and trust and family in it such that in the direst moments, there had been built enough relief to fall back on. i would not have picked this book up on my own; i usually am not enticed by stories that i think will make me too sad and that was what i was expecting. but the air of hope in this one blew me away. and the slow reveal of the true history of starling house forced me to keep on reading. such a wonderful read.