A slowburn in terms of plot development but totally worth it. And as an architecture student who loves books, this was made for me. I didn't totally appreciate how Effie was dunking on architecture every second of the day lol, but I get it girl, you don't love it. I just liked to read some architecture representation in a book. 

I thought that the water theme in the story was really beautiful. The many metaphors of decay, drowning, ocean and more were a little on the nose sometimes but I never felt like they took me out of the story, on the contrary, they added to the ambiance of the book. 

While I didn't love Juniper and Thorn, another book by the author, I really applaud Ava Read for being able to recreate the gothic, creepy and original setting with a female lead. I don't know how to explain it but her stories feel explicitly feminine while keeping a really dark tone and I love that for her. 

Now, without spoilers, the twist of this book was not at all a twist to me. And while that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, I do wonder why the author dragged up the mystery that much. I don't think the book required it. There is so much more going on than that and it would have given the characters involved more time to breathe and process the truth.

If you want to know, I am talking specifically about who really wrote Anghard, the mystery with the fairy king as a figure was actually really well paced in my opinion

I really liked romance. It is not the focus of the book but it is important and the characters grow because of that a lot which I liked. At first Effy is this very strict, and judgemental person while Preston is closed  with his emotions and motivations but is willing to work with Effy despite feeling ostracized by her. 

Eventually they realized that they actually have a lot in common, and their dynamic and interactions felt natural and cute. Effy learns to be more open minded and leave her prejudices behind and Preston gives Effy her place both in his personal life and in the academic setting.