You either like SGJ’s writing style or you hate it, and this book was probably the most aggressively SGJ-style of his books I’ve read. I’d say what I love about SGJ’s books was very evident here: there is a real heart to the characters despite the gruesome story, I loved Tolly and Amber and how this was really just a love story in the end, despite the roles they were pushed into. But this book also had the things that I struggled with in his books, namely the writing style. It was just incredibly casual, meandery, and full of tangents, which definitely filled out Tolly’s character, but also reduced clarity and plot momentum. This felt like work to get through, I had to read it physically and via audio because I was just so bored and had a hard time feeling compelled to get back to it. Other than the very beginning, there is not much action, and I never really bought into the magic slasher rules, though I do like how this flipped slasher tropes in new ways. I do think with some distance I will find more things to love about this story, but my most immediate reaction is that I’m glad it’s over.