This was such an unexpected story that I fell in love with. The story starts with Lazlo, an orphan-turned-librarian known infamously for his research and love of Weep, an inaccessible city, who’s original name was stolen from the world. When an abassador know as the “Godslayer” arrives, Lazlo gets the chance to visit the city alongside a convey gathered in attempts to fix a dilemna within the city. 

We are also introduced to Sarai & and her siblings, a family of magic wielders, who have been living-in-secret within Weep; with Sarai’s power granting her the ability to enter dreams via moths. 

This is a beautifully written story of how their two worlds collide with themes of legacy, trauma, and identity. There’s complexity to the definition of “monster.” Taylor evokes emotion and imagery with her descriptions that you can get a sense of the world past and present without going into detailed specifics*.  Much of this story is the dynamics between family, strangers, and friends. I started really loving this story when Sarai and her family were introduced. They are fun with individual personalities. Minya really intrigues me. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t connect to the main romance as it felt a bit quick. I wish there were a few more moments together, but then again, both characters have little familiarity with others outside their nuclear “family” per se.

This was a beautiful novel, to which I immediately started the sequel.

To note—because this is YA in the US and Adult in the UK—there is one intimate scene that is a bit more descriptive than closed door as it mentions nudity and implied actions. *There is mention (non-descriptive, history reveal) of sexual assault and rape.