Ugh.

This is weirdly gushy, and overstated in the way many young adult novels are (not a compliment) and is in no way a YA. The emotional beats work, I like the MCs and the worldbuilding well enough, and found family is my favorite trope. That was enough to get me to finish reading it, but ugh. It is tragic to bury a good story under so much clutter. Clutter is not a style choice, it's just bad habits unchecked. Holy mother of pearl, this BEGS for a real editor's skill. It is a MESS. It started as fanfic, according to the author's note, which gives fanfic a bad name.

For example, at 66% I had no trouble following the many-persons antagonistic conversation, but man, there is no art to it at all. Add in more repeating of feelings and laws and whatnot, which is zero trust in a reader's ability to retain data and/or sloppy editing, and you get me, an annoyed reader. I knew at that point that if I finished reading, I'd be done with this author. Well, I did finish the thing, the Big Kerfuffle was even more chaotic than was called for, and then it went on and on and on until the end. Which is sweet, but, yeah.

Not at all recommended. ( )

Firstly, don't judge this book by its cover. If you're looking for a book based around the game of chess, this isn't what you're looking for. However, if you love mythical creatures, taboo situations, and tragic backstories, you're going to LOVE this book. I liked how the Naiads, like the myths of the Amazons, don't care about their male offspring and just abandon them. Deejay is doing a wonderful thing, taking all the unwanted kids in. Matt's need to protect his younger brother and mutual attraction to Deejay that they're both trying to resist adds some tension to the story. There were a few places when the flow of the story was a little slow for me, but overall I really enjoyed reading this. Make sure you read the trigger warning before picking this up, as some parts may be difficult for some readers. Can't wait to dive into book two! ( )