5 Apple Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

This was an unexpected surprise that almost snuck up on me! But because of that, it made the experience so much more enjoyable!

We start off by meeting Lark, a reaper who is depressed in her life, not in the sense that she is sad, but more that she is listless and unsatisfied. She is stuck in a rut as she can't feel, taste, or experience anything. Nothing gives her joy or the motivation to be happy as a reaper. One day she is assigned to guide a soul, and she crosses paths with Gavriel. Something about him sparks something inside of her. So when his name comes up for reaping, she can't let that happen, she has to save him and so does everything she can to change his destiny, even if it means seeking help from the Underworld Witch. As saving the mortal was against the rules of being a reaper, Lark faces severe punishment. To escape this, she makes another deal with the witch to become human.

The first 100 pages of this are slow, and they can feel quite overwhelming and confusing because you are thrown right into the thick of it with the worldbuilding, the characters, and how everything works. Do not give up hope because soon the vines of the story will intricately integrate into your soul, wrap around your heart, and clutch you tight; forcing you to give the story your undivided attention. But this isn't a problem because you will be invested and enamoured by the story. Once I got past those 100 pages, I couldn't put this down. The book flew by as I was reading five chapters, then ten chapters, then 15 chapters. I seriously cannot explain properly how captivating and enticing this story was and how these characters dug into my heart.

The world-building is pretty intricate and diverse, pulling on inspiration from classical "celestial" mythology and traditional folk tales, specifically The Little Mermaid. This tale is a little less Disney and more similar to the Dark Hans Christian Andersen version. Lark's transition as a human is painful, and much like in the traditional story, she loses her voice and walking on her feet is excruciatingly painful (at least in this book, those aspects go away after a few days).

The prose of this is hauntingly beautiful, at times poetic and extremely emotive. It has been a long while since I have seen such pain and despair written about so well. C.A. Farran excellently managed to explain and infer the feeling of dissonance and emptiness Lark Feels. The text was beautiful. But not just with Lark, I could feel the characters suffering, I could experience their fear, and I could imagine myself in their painful shoes.

Lark has it rough. Her transition to human (as I mentioned) is not easy, and it doesn't get easier as time passes. She is pushed and pulled into brutal and traumatic experiences, taking her level of suffering to the extreme, and all I wanted to do was climb in the pages and hug her. I loved her determination to succeed and that her willpower was never broken, no matter what was thrown at her.

The vibes of this were also refreshing, it's been a while since I've ventured away from Romantasy back into the realm of traditional epic fantasy - but it's books like this that remind me why I love fantasy so much. The romance is there, but it's not at the forefront of the plot, it's a side aspect to everything that is happening - but frankly, I wouldn't change it a bit! It is an extremely slow burn. BUT is an excellent, excellent progression of enemies to lovers. In fact, I'd almost use this as the textbook example of how to do Enemies to Lovers well. To see how that hatred blossomed into those awkward stares, simple touches, and that magnetism to be near each other was PERFECTTION. Lark and Gavriel help each other grow to be better versions of themselves and it's just perfect how these two on opposite sides learn to work together, establish trust, and have that trust evolve into love. It was absolutely stunning.

The best part of this book was the found family. It was an exquisite depiction of how a band of people can be brought together in desperation and form that inexplicable unbreakable bond. Their "family" felt very similar to the vibes of the Crows from the Six of Crows, as the merry band in this story land up in some very exciting, peculiar, and dangerous positions while working through plans and heists. While it does feel like something always goes wrong in their plans, it was exciting. They felt like a "band of brothers", (metaphorical brothers because Lark and Dacianna are female). But they came together, each bringing their unique skills, quirks, characteristics, and tragic backstory. This family was a unit, they worked and banded together and their interaction and love for each other was beautiful.

Tropes in this include:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Found Family
▶ Little Mermaid Retelling with Reapers
▶ One Horse
▶ Heists
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Tending to Injuries

Overall, I really adored this once I got into it. It frankly blew me away, and I almost want to kick myself for taking so long to read this. This was number one on my TBR, meaning that it had been there for the longest and I feel bad that I didn't give this the opportunity it deserved sooner because it is an excellent piece of writing, a fantastic story, and an amazing fantasy.