BLURB:

The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman.

Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.

To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.

So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I’m not giving this book all the tea cups that I would have liked to concede. I was really looking forward to reading this book because I have read and loved all of this author’s previous books, and it has been an enjoyable experience. I love her style, since I think she has a special talent to write magical stories.

But I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning, because I found the pace to be quite slow and I had problems to follow all the characters. Once I got used to the changing POV, it got easier and more entertaining.

The characters have depth and you can follow their individual journeys. They all have distinctive voices.

And one thing that really bothered me, since I’m Spanish, was that the bits the author included in Spanish were often odd and mostly incorrect. I just wish authors would really use native people in order to get right the phrases or words they include in other languages other than their own.

Overall, a very entertaining story if you like magical realism.

Anyhow, for all of that, I give this book… 3.5 TEA CUPS!