Unfortunately this book did not really live up to my expectations. Based on the description I expected the book to be entirely fantasy rather than a contemporary setting. It was well written and I would recommend it to those interested in an urban fantasy settling.

This was a good book it just wasn't a very ME book. I can definitely see why it's getting some very good reviews and I don't disagree with them but it just wasn't for me.

Wren is an augur, one of two types of magical communities left in the world. The other half are judges and in the modern world they are the ones with the power. Every Christmas judge boys chase her through the woods near her home and every year it gets more and more sinister. But the augurs Wren lives with aren't going to stand by and do nothing as the judges try to seize more power.

I think my main issue with this book was that it wasn't what I expected. The blurb promised me creepy forest scenes and family dynamics, no where in the blurb did it mention any romance. And while there were parts of the book that did give me these things, I was expecting it to be the main emphasis of the book and it wasn't. I wanted more eerie forests and magical rituals, I wanted to be scared but instead I got much more of the book set in modern Dublin and a love story which, for me, was a shame.

Don't get me wrong, i still enjoyed reading this book, apart from anything else it is very beautifully written. And I thought that the blend of the two settings was done excellently, I had just been hoping for something that this book wasn't. It was still a good book in my opinion and I'd recommend The Wren Hunt to fans of Half Bad by Sally Green as it reminded me very strongly of that series.

This book had so much promise, but it just didn't quite deliver for me. It tells the story of Wren, a young girl who lives in Kilshamble, Ireland and who is caught up in the ongoing battle between Augurs and Judges. There is an awful lot of folklore included in the narrative, which is fine, but I felt that sometimes, it overshadowed the plot. There were times when the prose just seemed a bit confused or muddled and it became a little bit choppy in places. I also had a bit of an issue with the characters and specifically, the choices and behaviours they employed. There were times when I felt that things were being done solely to service the plot and not because the character would genuinely have behaved like that in the circumstances. With that being said, I did find the plot compelling and read avidly to the climax, but was left feeling ultimately unsatisfied.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It was a reasonable read, though the centre part at the main house ran slow, interesting take on old Irish mythology.

This was a slow burner for me and I struggled to enjoy the book until around half way through. The opening of the novel, where Wren is being chased by a group of Judge boys, was gripping enough, but I found the world building severely lacking. Why were they hunting her? It’s tradition- fine. But, why did it end in violence with a general undertone of threat and hatred? The augurs and judges hate each other (again, tradition. Again, fine), but there was no explanation for this. I really struggle to invest in a story when we are expected to accept a significant plot point with minimal explanation- it is simply not believable. Similarly, why Wren as the prey? This is never explained and there seemed to be a wealth of other augur girls eager to take on her responsibilities in the novel…this also confused me when she is chosen to be the spy for the augurs, won’t they notice she is decidedly on that side of the feud given that they chase her through the woods on Christmas day? I definitely missed something here but it is also due to the sweeping narrative which does not deal in specifics (specifics are needed to get us on board, especially in fantasy!)

The setting was also a little confusing…we are in Ireland, an Ireland bound up in folklore and myth; perfect! But whilst we are plodding through fields in search of magical stones and gazing at paintings of magical flowers, there is also the rather jarring mention of mobile phones and Tesco. The melding of fantasy and modern day society is not the problem, but the characters (the augurs in particular) seemed to exist so far outside of this reality, literally and figuratively, that it was difficult to imagine them in the setting. Having said this, I really enjoyed the Judge ‘sections’ of the novel, particularly when Wren is sent on her mission involving Cassa Harkness, a spiky, vivid character. The judges are an interesting, eclectic group and their motivations seemed much more feasible than the augurs, whose talents and behaviours were a little too complicated/unclear. 

I also really enjoyed reading the character Tarc. His uncomfortable position in the Harkness household along with the obvious friction between him and his ‘Judge’ friends was gripping and he evolved nicely as the novel went on which really increased the tension. Similarly, Wren’s development was bolstered by their friendship and added a refreshing element to the ever present sense of war/feuding between the two groups.

The building tension and eventual plot twist were enough to keep me hooked at the end of the novel and, whilst I have some reservations about the revelations surrounding Arabella de Courcy’s plot strand, I did enjoy the blossoming relationship between Wren and Tarc (pardon the pun those who have read it) and the explanation of Wren’s missing mother and her lineage.

Overall, a slightly underwhelming read but it gradually build into the magical, detailed and immersive world which I wished had been established a little earlier on.

I was completely drawn in by the concept of this book, and I'm so glad that I picked it up. 

I enjoyed the magic within the book, and that there were two opposing sides of 'magic users' who were somehow different yet slightly the same. Almost with a Romeo and Juliet feel to it, but without too much of an intense romantic overtone. The story is really interesting, with lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked along the way, and many of them I didn't see coming and was genuinely surprised to learn! I really like Wren as a character, she felt real and three-dimensional, and her inner turmoil (so to say) really kept her real and helped keep the book interesting. 

There were a couple of small things that I wish were more fleshed out though. I wish Watson had delved more into why the Wren Hunt happens, it is introduced at the start of the book as a huge thing that happens to Wren every year but it's never fully explained as to why her, why it happens and what the actual point is. At this point in the story Wren is anonymous to the Judges but yet she gets chased every year in their ritual. Also, I wish it'd been more explained as to how the Judges and Augers magic was different, and why they were such fierce enemies, it's alluded to but never really explored. If this world-building had been more in-depth then it would have been a really great read! 

Overall, I really did enjoy 'The Wren Hunt' I just wish there had been more world-building and explanation behind parts of the story.

Oh wow. This was just not what I expected at all. And it is amazing. Fully deserving of the 4.5 stars I’m giving it.
It’s a relatively slow book, but in a good way, as you learn things along with Wren and are never sure who’s lying and manipulating or what the truth is. The story behind the judges and the augurs takes a while to take shape, but that is amazing too. The only thing I didn’t really get was the wren hunt tradition and why theirs was different, but it does an excellent job of setting up the boys characters. And sets up the atmosphere of the whole book nicely too.
Wren is both a great main character and a frustrating one, as she is often in the dark! She is pretty level headed and confused which is nice to see in a MC. I also loved Cassia, I don’t even really know why as we don’t get to see a huge amount of her, but I just do! Less convinced by Tarc, like we don’t really know enough about him and why he’s different to the others.
I also loved the magic in this book. I love when there’s different takes on magic or people having specific powers. I wanted to learn more about how it worked for the judges though! And more about the power sources and how that all works too.
I did also get a little confused by the setting as I imagined a typical fantasy setting and it’s much more modern. The inclusion of the Tesco threw me lol! But actually I really love that too.
And the finally, the ending. I don’t think I could have told you that was how it would work out at all. This book is just SO well done. It’s beautifully written, and well crafted in that all the little pieces suddenly fit perfectly together by the time you get to the end.
This appears to be a stand alone (at the moment, at least) but I am desperate to know what happens next! It is tied up nicely but with plenty of opening for more ;)

Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods by her family's enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once  the Augurs controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good. In a  bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.


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The Wren Hunt
Mary Watson

We're thrown straight into this book as we follow Wren as she's literally hunted by a group of boys on St Stephens day. This is supposed to be symbolic as the judges will 'hunt' the augurs, but I still don't really understand how a group of boys could hunt a girl every year? Surely the parents would say something, or the people in the small town who most likely all know each other? I get that it ties into the druid's Wren bird, and it's about Wren day and etc but it doesn't seem plausible that it could be a yearly occurrence in our time.

It's set in Ireland which means there's Nemetons and druids and lots of local based folklore and myth. This is something I live for, as I love the small local myths from Ireland, Wales and Scotland (as they also feel a lot more close to home). Even though there's very minimal 'magic' within this book, it is an extremely magical read. 

My main issue was that in general the pacing of the book was slow. It was beautifully written but it just never created that tension and drive to read on to the finale of the book. We spent a lot of time learning about the different aspects of being an augur and about Wren and extended family, but there's very little action within the plot. 

Our narrator, Wren, is found to be quite unreliable as she doesn't fully understand everything that is being planned around her. She only really knows what she's been directly told or what she's picked up along the way. This meant that the plot twist was made even better, because as a reader you don't quite see it coming. 

POSITIVES
+ Set in Ireland & Irish myth/folklore

+ Plot twist

NEGATIVES
– Slow pacing

– Significance of the titular 'Wren Hunt'

I received The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review

This is an unusual YA story, with its roots in the ancient myths of Ireland. More magical realism than outright fantasy the world is recognisable as our own but with subtle differences - the power of the druids still exists in a watered down version, with an eternal power struggle played out between two rival factions, 'judges' and 'augurs'. Our heroine Wren, born into an augur family, finds herself conflicted and confused after being sent into the midst of the judges to spy, which is more or less where we pick up.

The book was a slow burner for me, I wasn't really drawn in until somewhere around the 20% mark but the pace picks up quite quickly from that point and I've struggled to put it down for the last day! I enjoyed the story, and there was a palpable sense of dread and things being slightly...off throughout the book, which draws you in.

However, the slow beginning coupled with a lack of world building knocks a couple of stars off the overall rating. Although the book is set in the real world so to speak, the magical system doesn't feel fully fleshed out - if I was to try to explain it to someone I would struggle beyond "um druids, and something about nature?"

A solid debut though, and if it turns into a series (it has a proper ending but there's definitely more to be said!) I would be compelled to read the next book. I would just hope that the world building would be expanded on.

Despite having an proof copy of this book it took me ages to read it. However, when I did get to it, it only took me a morning to read it from cover to cover. The Wren Hunt was an adventure full of strange magic and forbidden love and CrAzY betrayals. I really hope that there is going to be a sequel but I don’t think that there is (Insert pained and disappointed sobbing).

Despite being completely different, this book was giving me mad Raven Boys vibes. I think it was the archaic magic and strange old Irish words that made me think of it. To say that the plot is original is a VAST understatement (or, at least, I haven’t ever seen anything like it). It essentially follows a girl, Wren, as she is caught between two ancient druid factions, both of which really want to be the best and most powerful (or just survive, y’know) and both are willing to do anything to get what they want. I found the pacing of the book to be pretty good, no super slow parts or really fast parts, just a nice build-up of stuff until the story’s climax.

The story only follows one main character, Wren, instead of the oftentimes seen (at least in the books I read) story which follows from the points of view of both the main chicky and her no doubt handsome boy-toy. Wren is a super awesome, level-headed, and rather realistic if a bit naive main character and I couldn’t have adored her more. I will admit that I kind of related to her in that she was occasionally indecisive and got anxious about little things. Granted, most of that anxiousness was because she has a magic that will potentially send her insane, but I related to it none the less.

The writing in The Wren Hunt was magical and amazing… and also super creepy and atmospheric. Mary Watson did a wonderful job of using certain word choices to exaggerate parts of the plot and others to make you, the reader, almost feel as disjointed as Wren did at times. Only downside was the almost universal lack of explanation of the magical/Old Irish words used. You can pretty much figure out what most mean on your own but if you don’t or you are super oblivious (like I am occasionally) then you will probably be a bit lost at times.

The Wren Hunt was the very first hard copy proof of a book I was ever sent by a publisher and it wasn’t even one of the ones I requested. In saying that, I feel so so so privileged that I was sent a copy of this book even if it did take me a while to read it. It’s one of those books that doesn’t have much hype and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I hadn’t been sent a copy but since reading it, it has become my mission to get at least one other person to pick it up because I genuinely think it deserves it.

The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson is an incredibly unique novel that I couldn't put down. The book felt very much like magical realism, and I was swept away by the verbose descriptions of the Hunt, the atmosphere and the novel itself.

I loved all the characters in this novel. They were all highly complex, with many layers to them. No one was as they seem, and are all connected by the Wren Hunt. 

The romance was quite adorable and one I didn't see coming. I won't say who Wren gets with because it might be considered a spoiler, but it was definitely sweet. 

The plot was intriguing, and the tone of the novel strange - but in a good way. It felt historical at times, but then we'd be reminded it's modern. Then it was very magical realism, but had strong feels of high fantasy peppered throughout. It wasn't confusing, but occasionally it did feel like a bit much, but for the most part I enjoyed it. In the end, everything fits together in a very clever, lovely way. 

The Wren Hunt is a gorgeously creepy novel that will stay with me for a long time. I may even reread it soon!

This book wasn't for me, I tried to like it but I found it too difficult to really appreciate the world the author had created. I wish the author every success however and the cover design is stunning. Two stars for the cover design!

The Wren Hunt had some highs and lows. It opens up with an explosive scene of terror with Wren, our heroine, running in the woods from a pack of boys. Prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of the wren hunt in the UK so I just didn't get it at first. 

The saving grace for me was the fact that it was dark, brutal and terrifying setup. Wren is used to this chase which should be childish but has become something quite sinister year after year. She would rather be the 'wren' rather than her foster sisters and this immediately says a lot about her character. That she would rather suffer than let her family suffer and I respected her for that.

However as the chase escalates, I couldn't help but feel that this had some sexual harassment undertones. Wren has known these young guys since she was little, and their delight in chasing her is cruel. She willingly participates in this even though she hates it. There's a confrontation between her and her biggest tormentor, David, and it becomes extremely uncomfortable. He takes a snip of her hair against her will which screams violation. Her relationship with David pops up along the rest of the story and it does undergo a change to demonstrate David's not all bad. But for me, that's not okay. He gets a kick out of tormenting and essentially violating her sense of space.

Once that intense opening scene is done, we're thrust into Wren's home life which is a mix of normal family stuff (breakfast, chores) and then her Augur life of magical rituals, etc. Watson does a brilliant job of creating a dark and creepy atmosphere that's intoxicating. So it's a bit of  shock when it suddenly switches gear to show Wren in her normal teenage life and scoring an internship with Cassa Harkness. I didn't find it too believable and wanted more witchy stuff.

If you like modern witchcraft with some teen angst, then this book might be for you. I have to say that it wasn't entirely for me but I'm curious to see if the sequel will improve my feelings on it

Overall this book did capture me into a world of darkness, magic, and treachery. Unfortunately, something about the execution of this debut was mildly off-putting to me.

There is something about urban, modern fantasies that I find difficult. The ability to inject a true sense of magic and fantasy into a modern, coffee- and bus-filled setting is not the easiest task. And sometimes Watson found the key to this, and sometimes it just wasn't quite working for me. 

The Wren Hunt occurs between several different settings - the small village in which the magic is well and truly present, alive with rituals and old tales; the travel through the city, full of buses, cell phones, and typical modern coffee shops; and then Harkness House, where the magical and the modern converge in this old-fashioned art foundation setting.

I enjoyed and appreciated the contrast between the settings, however, at times it threw off the fluid story-telling and felt a little out-of-place and disjointed. In a modern world in which there was a secret magical conflict occurring, it seemed odd to suddenly be on a bus after finishing a magic ritual in the woods. The writing style was sometimes too jarring between these scenes to be comfortable. 


Almost every character in this book has this big, dark cloud of mystery hanging just above their fictional heads. This is something that did draw me into the story. 

I adored Maeve and her motherly instincts and even Smith with his gruff grandfatherly protectiveness. The entire auger clan were very homey and exactly what you expect from people in a village that practice rituals. 

The judges are not all as sinister as you would expect them to be. There is a crispness and an authoritarian vibe across all the judge characters, even Tarc who quickly becomes a part of the very typical Romeo & Juliet trope. Which, by the way, I didn't mind. I appreciated the romance, but it wasn't something I was sobbing over.

But across all the characters there was always something not quite comfortable, which made it difficult to really appreciate the characters in an intimate way.


There is a gorgeous creepy, unsettling darkness across this entire book which I adored. If anything, this book has some seriously great atmosphere. But overall, it was just a little too slow and incohesive for me to truly love.

Actual rating 2.5 stars

I was really excited to see that I was approved for The Wren Hunt, as the premise (the summary on Netgalley was different than the one on Goodreads btw) really intrigued me. I thought The Wren Hunt, where Wren is chased through the woods, would play a bigger part than it did and that there would be a lot more tension, deceit, suspense, plot twists and just... overal a feeling of 'hey we're at the edge of a war things are really bad right now!' but instead... I didn't get any of that.

The Wren Hunt has a lot of potential: the worldbuilding, the mythology behind it and the magic system is all really interesting, but it kind of felt like all of that was in the background and not fully explored. The Augurs all have a specific talent, but I don't really know how it works? I do assume that the magic of the Judges will be explored more in the sequel* as we're not supposed to know that much about them, but... I just don't really have a sense of what it means to be an Augur.

* I can't find anything about a sequel but if this is supposed to be a standalone than I should really lower my rating because it read like a first book in a series and there's so much that still needs to be explored, and that's fine to do so in sequels, but if this is a standalone??

Also there's a group of Judges called 'Gardeners' and they're all boys?? Why? 

It was also kinda easy for me to forget what certain terms meant and I had to go look them up again. There are plot twists that could've been interesting, but I already saw them coming and honestly, they're even giving some of the stuff away in the new summary now?

Another thing I'm not impressed with is the romance. It was completely unnecessary, forced and just,, such forced heterosexuality? It just screamed 'she's a girl, he's a boy, so they must kiss' at me. It's kinda insta-lovey and we don't really see the romance build up. And of course we get a cliche 'wow we've only known each other for two months!! how!!' yeah how!!

Also at the start we're told Wren has to find something to help in the fight against the Judges, but when she does find it, it's incredibly anti-climatic? It's not like it's the end of the book, so I get that there's more to come, but it was so easy. Which it really shouldn't be. She's in enemies territory, but she just opens a box and 'tadah'

Thinking about it, I realise a lot actually went pretty smoothily for Wren. Sure, sometimes things went wrong but,, it was way too easy which is just unrealistic and boring

It was not all bad though. There's definitely potential: the book caught my attention in the beginning and Mary Watson can write, despite sometimes phrasing sentences like this:

'David immobile at the garden door, uncertain. Trapped'

This may be a case of taste, but I really couldn't stand sentences like this. Then again, I read an ARC, so maybe these have been edited. Sometimes there were also strange transitions which I really hope were also edited, as they really confused me, like a person showing up out of nowhere without any indication:

'He returned the paper to the stack, and we walked out of the shop. A dark mood had settled on him.
''Gallagher,'' said a voice from beneath the awning.
''What the hell happened last night, Canty?'' Tarc's fury was unexpected.'

But apart from these instances (which, again, may have been edited for the final copy!) Watson has a nice writing style to read. The plot has potential to be something really interesting, just needs more developing and either the romance needs to be developed more, or taken out completely (honestly I'm in favour of the latter as I didn't find it interesting at all and just,, so typical). While I felt it was predictable, I did want to keep reading most of the time, I just wish things had felt more urgent and tense. Most of the time it didn't really feel like she was in enemy territory

So to sum it up: potential is there, just needs to be developed more as that was my biggest problem. I don't think I'd be on board with the romance if it were developed more, but at least it would be more realistic and nicer to read. The problem is that by the end it does feel like it was all more about the romance than anything else, which just feels so weird when it's barely developed.

The Wren Hunt is published on the 8th of February! Don't let my review stop you from picking it up, as things might have changed in the final copy and it's also possible that this is just a case of 'it's not you, it's me'.

What I love most about The Wren Hunt, was the utterly beautiful prose used throughout, that made this different than any book I'd read before.

The story itself was highly immersive – beginning with a chase and developing into a deep seated mythology that was beautifully layered and highly engaging. This lore and the world-building it leads to is utterly exquisite so if you love detailed fantasy worlds this is probably the one for you.

The Wren Hunt is a very surreal read in a lot of ways – very modern and yet very old school in concept, it is a tale of family feuds and misconceptions, of magic and of folklore and all that is mixed up into an honestly compelling tale that will keep you hooked all the way through.

It is a difficult book to review in a lot of ways because you don’t want to spoil the heart of it but there isn’t really a genre box you can put it in – all I can say is you probably have not read anything quite like it and if you love a good story well told well you certainly get that here.

Overall, this is one that I would highly recommend to any fantasy fan.

So, I started this book being a bit hesitant. While I love fantasy and YA books, the description seemed different, and intrigueing, but I still wasn't sure if it was going to fit my expectations. Which turned out to be entirely true. I can't say I have ever read anything like The Wren Hunt. It starts with a chase and it sucks you into the story, which is something I loved, because it grips your attention. I really liked the story and I recommend it to everyone that wants to read something that is different from all the other fantasy and YA books on the market right now.

ARC provided free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I did enjoy the concept of the overall story arc but found myself confused at certain points having to reread what I had just read to make sense of it. I also found it took me awhile to get through because I didn't feel connected to the characters or the story.
However, I can see this book becoming popular upon release as it is well-written and is definitely for the Young Adult market.
Thank you for the eARC

The hunt for the wren is a traditional Irish event, taking place in late December, which is thought to symbolise the sacrifice of the old year in readiness to welcome in the new. 
In this novel, an assured debut, we focus on the fight for survival of two ancient groups - augurs and judges - and the young girl born of both groups who is to decide their fate.
Initially, I have to say this was a puzzling start. I was not sure who Wren was, how she was connected to events or even what kind of book this was. However, the writing style totally drew me in and I felt that we learned of some of the key events through the eyes of our main character which allowed us to truly empathise with her.
The story drew heavily on folklore and the fantasy elements of this entranced me. The development of our main character will surely be enough to captivate most people and I was more than a little surprised by the themes and ideas that ran through this.
Though I have read that there is a second book due - and it should provide us with a satisfying link to what we see here - this is one of those rare books that you would not feel hard-done by if it remained a stand-alone. It’s also a story that I think would be one I could read again and still delight in.
A huge thank you to the publishers Bloomsbury, the author Mary Watson and a NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this prior to publication.

As I start to introduce more young adult fiction into my reading, I am reminded of the sheer simplicities of reading when you’re young. The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson was a slightly confusing, but overall well-written, enticing book. It follows in-line with many YA fantasies which focus on the fact that if this character wasn’t involved, the specific events of the novel would not have happened. The Wren Hunt will be published on 8 February 2018 by Bloomsbury.

The plot
Set in Ireland, The Wren Hunt is a young adult fantasy novel focusing on the life of Wren, a girl who is chased through the town every year on ‘wren day’, as opposed to hunting for an actual bird. This basis forms the rest of the plot and offers a theme for readers to enjoy. Wren is an augur, and she is faced with infiltrating the enemy, the judges in order to save their magic. Once she has gained the judges’ trust, Wren undergoes many trials and tribulations, discovering more about herself, with shocking revelations along the way, constantly encouraging the reader to question who can and cannot be trusted.

What I liked
I thought the book’s plot was very well-devised. I enjoyed the unexpected twists, the hints about who might be betraying who, the forbidden romance element and the theme of loyalty. I thought that Wren was a powerful character; she doesn’t blindly follow either ‘tribe’ as she attempts to make decisions for herself. I found the dynamics between her and her family admirable for most of the story, however did not always enjoy the feeling that they were all hiding something from one another.
Tarc is a great character; as the reader, you can see him come to life and develop throughout the plot. I like how Watson portrays him from the beginning as a protector of Wren. Wren’s friends, Aisling and Sibeal were questionable at best, with their loyalties often not coming through in times of need. Maeve and Smith are the ultimate family members for the most part, and it becomes more prevalent throughout how they feel about Wren and what they would do before.
I enjoyed the complexities of characters such as Cassa and David, especially the loyalties and jealousies caused throughout the story. I felt that with family and loyalty being a big factor in the book, Wren made the right decision at the end of the book because she was never lied to by the people she chooses to be with and is protected. 
I loved the magical elements; the different abilities of the augurs, the suggestion of Tarc as a tree-man and the way that they can all just tell things that are happening. I did think that the mixture of the magic with the creepy atmosphere of the boys chasing Wren made the story what it is. I did think that the romance worked well within the story, especially with Wren’s fate at the end.

What I didn’t like
Honestly, I found it difficult to get into. The story begins very abruptly with an explanation as to why the boys were hunting her, yet from there the explanations become quite vague. I didn’t feel that I knew what the augurs and judges really were for most of the book, why they were enemies or what had led them to this situation. Bits of this were explained at various points. I could see a young person getting a little confused and not wanting to continue reading this without the standard background chapter that usually exists in YA fantasies.
The only other thing I didn’t enjoy was the setting descriptions. I felt like there wasn’t a clear grasp of the present era; people had phones and sent texts which was fine, but the mention of UK stores such as Tesco really pulled me out of the narrative. I feel that this would have been better set in another world, or even in a dystopian setting when they had settled and rebuilt society rather than in the present when things like this would not just go unnoticed by other people. Also, with it being set in modern times, I found it jarring that there were no characters met who were neither augur nor judge. 
There was no explanation of schools either; Wren taking the internship meant that the real world felt completely cut out of the narrative, so I felt that Watson should have chosen one or the other settings for the sake of clarity. On the other hand, young readers might like the idea that these things could be happening in the world around them.

I would recommend this book to lovers of YA, dystopian and realist fantasy fiction. If you love a good few twists to shock the main character, you’ll love this novel. I was provided with an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Bloomsbury.