I’m disappointed this book didn’t deliver on the paranormal and horror elements that the premise promised.
The protagonist is incredibly bland, and the personification of his anxiety was interesting at first but gets far too grating. Every other page the story is interrupted by ‘Oh my god you’re a girl and stupid and bad and dumb augggh!!!!’. I get that it’s anxiety, but if it’s annoying for the protagonist it’s just as annoying for the reader.

The setting- Victorian England- also isn’t utilized the way I had hoped. The way characters speak and act didn’t feel reflective of the era, especially the profanities that weren’t widely used before the modern era.

The paranormal elements may as well have been nonexistent. They don’t really explore the aspects of it and it’s only used to rope in ghosts into the story. It would’ve been better suited if the mysticism and spirituality aspects were more grounded in reality, even if ghosts were still used.

Our protagonist is also just…eh. He’s very much ‘Im Not Like Other Girls’ and his characterization is often erratic and nonsensical to his established character. I understand he’s literally not like other girls, but he constantly puts down his peers, and for a book that was advertised to me as a ‘F the Cistem’ read, I’m not a fan of books that have to tear down female characters to bolster the protagonist.
On characterization- The protagonist is meant to be a meek but highly intelligent teen with a special interest in human anatomy and surgery, who is incredibly anxious and distrustful towards others. It was frustrating to read this and then for him to completely drop his guard the second he believes he’s in the presence of another trans person. Suddenly someone he is wary and even scared of because The Most Attractive Person Ever, and the romance between these two characters feels situational, not genuine.

A poor read. I’m beyond bummed that I had this book on hold for so long only to not enjoy it.