a story filled with lush folklore and sapphic pining (one of those people being incredibly unaware of her own feelings) and a quest-like journey to find a magic lake that could change people’s lives!

allison saft is a master at creating relationships that i fall head over heels in love with, and i can never get enough of the worlds she creates and the people im made to feel for (and having read all her other books this fits perfectly in line with the other romances that im obsessed with)

i’m a sucker for a group in forced proximity having to work together, especially when the group doesn’t get along/the people are flawed. the development and understanding of the characters as the journey continues was intriguing, characters didn’t end up being who i thought they were, resulting in some very interesting reveals. the main cast of characters are highly flawed, which did make them unbearable at times but with good reason, and seeing them work together with their own personal ambitions created so much tension. 

i loved the folklore in this (i would have adored having even more to be fair) and the characters individual interests in magic were so cool. the interweaving of magic, folklore and stories made this so intriguing, and really highlighted the differences in everyone and how stories are so individual to us. 

and the sapphic pining cannot be forgotten. it definitely falls more as a subplot throughout most of the story, but really kicks in at the 60/70% mark!! i loved them together, the growth they both go through and moments where they are forced to work together made it that much better (can you tell i like rivals to lovers??). i do wish we had seen them together more than we did, and the ending did leave me wanting more, but i adored them together and seeing lorelei feel safe and have her faith and identity not be seen as monstrous

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy!