The overall premise of this book - an alternate world with shadow creatures - was very intriguing, but certain parts of the book didn’t live up to what they could have been.

The good parts were uncovering Darcy’s past and exploring the alternate Chicago and its political dynamics. Honestly, I would have loved to read Darcy’s parents story, or even just the story of the alternate Chicago during the time period of the Great Fire. I think that would have been fascinating.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance, as it was a little bit cliche with the “a hot guy shows up and changes my life” trope. Darcy’s friends were underdeveloped as characters as well, and I didn’t find their involvement in certain plot elements to be believable.