I have to start this off by saying that I have super mixed feelings about this book, so this may be a bit of a ramble. In short- this book had an excellent concept, and all the right elements to create a fantastic story, but the execution was scattered and often nonsensical, and the writing was juvenile. Despite all that, I maybe still liked it? I truly can't decide at this point. 

The good- there were some really loveable characters, as well as a few that grew on me through the course of the book whom I'd like to see more of. The premise itself was excellent- tearoom by day, vampire blood room by night, a heist, found family, etc. The cast was diverse, and the setting was interesting. Despite its flaws, I was invested in the plot, and it somehow managed to be a charming story overall.

The bad- the writing felt very childish at times, with conversations meandering on without anything actually being communicated, and some characters speaking almost entirely in inane quips. I was often left confused as to what was actually happening, or how certain jumps in logic were made. I'm convinced there cannot have been any beta readers, because this book had me incredibly confused and frustrated at times. 

All in all, it felt like the author had a series of tropes they wanted to achieve, and focused more on checking those off the list than they did on writing a cohesive narrative. This left it often feeling like a series of scenes that were written separately and only strung together in a larger story later on. And while they may have managed to fit all of those tropes into the book, they mostly felt unearned, and shallow.

And yet, despite all that, the story was really interesting, and honestly could have been a home run if the author had focused on the plot itself more than what they thought the audience would like. I'm genuinely hopeful that the sequel is better, because I truly want to know where the story goes.