There needs to be a rating above Pick for a book like this. Morgan Talty‘s writing is soooooo good. Even though he writes about painful topics (like dementia, alcoholism), it feels like a gift to be able to read his words. Fave read of 2025 and the bar is set high.
There is so much to enjoy in this book. The First Nation perspective, the heroine, the magic system. I wish the plot was a tad more propulsive because of it's target audience. Nevertheless I do think this will be one that the sort of kid who reads Watership Down and Lord of the Rings at 11 will absolutely love. As an adult reader I enjoyed myself, which was a surprise because boarding school books are not my fave, I will read on in the series.