Much like the creatures within its pages, this book has many parts: sci-fi, fantasy, bildungsroman, young adult, middle grade, it's hard to put a category on it. All I can say is that I truly enjoyed it.

Perhaps what I loved best about it is the relationship between Hark and Jelt. The relationship itself is an incredibly unhealthy one, but I was glad to read a story of a boy who realizes his friendship is toxic and learns to rise above it, put his foot down, and say no. The characters were all very vivid, and I especially enjoyed seeing Hark and Selphin grow and change. It's also got a fantastic world, simple and complex at the same time, and endlessly creative. The prose was descriptive without being too flowery, and there were some lines that really hit me hard. The story truly resonated with me and I believe will resonate with a lot of readers as well. I've seen this book shelved as both MG and YA, given the protagonist is about 14, it's probably closer to YA, but I think there are things to be learned in this book for basically everyone.