I skipped the first book and immediately went to the second (I don’t think I would’ve gotten through if I had started with this one) and have only skimmed it this was my first sit down and read with my full attention and ngl I ate this up. Knowing what you know at the end and going back to the beginning and seeing all the Easter eggs is so fun and im actually able to go through the emotions the way they were meant to be felt. I also have no idea how I didn’t clock that this was a beauty and the beast retelling its very obvious when you sit down and read it. Is it the best piece of literary fiction ever written? No, but for the genre it does what it was meant to do. It’s a fun easy read, not a complex Tolkien style high fantasy, and I think it accomplishes its job well. The main story can get a bit boring and predictive but since it’s the first book it sets the groundwork for the rest of the series, and all the minuscule details you think are irrelevant end up coming back into play in a later book. For me this was a really fun read and I can’t ask for more than that. 5/5 🌟