"There’s a difference between living and existing."

Needlework is an exciting YA fantasy about a group of young musicians vying to win a music contest. But it is so much more than that, too. After a horrific betrayal, Hakim - the black sheep of his noble family, and my favourite character - lives in constant pain, and that pain is only worsened by the unanswered questions he has about what happened to him. Melly, also, is dealing with the pain of surviving a traumatic attack, and the development between these two characters after what they have both been through was lovely to read.

My favourite parts of Needlework had to do with Hakim's experience of chronic pain, and how that affected him over the course of the story. It is very rare to come across a character who experiences this, especially in YA, and I thought the author did an excellent job translating Hakim's experience onto the page. In addition to this, I really enjoyed the themes of striking out on one's own, trying to get out from under the shadow of one's family, but also how this often isn't an easy feat, and comes with a lot of complex emotions and difficulties to work through.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.