i really wanted to love this one more than i did. i picked it based on some research via the NoveList database, which marked it as a readalike for 5+ of my recent favorites. alas, this wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t amazing either.

what i liked: 
- the relationship between agnieszka and kasia was strong and remained so throughout, though they should’ve been gay
- agnieszka finding her own way around magic that completely ignores the traditional teaching
- the dread and body horror of the Wood as a big bad, from the way corruption enters human bodies to the bloodbath when they try to journey into it

what was meh:
- personally, i just don’t prefer first person POV in adult fantasy
- because angnieszka’s magic operates differently than everyone else’s, there’s never a solid explanation of how magic works in this world
- the romance between her and sarkan just lacked chemistry. i get that the point is he’s walled himself up to human connection, but we really never see these walls come down. they just have one magic-drunk makeout, separate to different cities for several weeks, and then bone as soon as she gets back RIGHT before the big battle. the age gap is worth noting, but it isn’t any more egregious than most hetero romantasy currently out there. the lack of development honestly bugs me more
- would’ve liked more than just 10-15 pages at the very end spent on the vague backstory of the Wood