This book immediately caught my eye because Jewish sapphic fantasy? YES. All the way yes. I had high expectations and they were definitely met.

This book is SO GOOD.

It is a light fantasy and definitely falls into the category of contemporary fiction. But its biggest strength, in my opinion, was its focus on family and history. The Jewish faith and the history of Hannah’s family are interwoven in every part of the book.

The primary story we are following is of Hannah who wakes up on her 16th birthday to a magical transformation. Hannah’s mother appears guilt-ridden and leaves Hannah and her brother Gabe with her credit card and the promise of a solution. The relationships between Hannah, Gabe, and their Mom are so complex and full of emotion. There is a lot of pain in all the book’s family dynamics. It explores what we mean to each other, how we make mistakes, and how we forgive. It covers loss and grief in both a personal and historical context. Also, I just have to say the sibling dynamic between Hannah and Gabe is TOP TIER. TOP TIER!!

I especially liked that we are discovering the stories of Hannah’s family and history right alongside her. We avoid info-dumping pitfalls and instead have an exploration of history that feels organic. As Hannah, Gabe, and Ari are doing detective work to fix Hannah’s magical malady, we are also getting a front-row seat to her mother and grandmother’s experience of events. Their additional POVs take us back in time as family secrets are revealed. The positioning of the flashbacks was done extremely well and work with the overall plot. I often don’t like flashback POVs but here I REALLY did.

I adored Hannah as a character. She is a spread-sheet-loving, straight-A, hard worker who desperately wants validation and a future that is of her own making. She’s imperfect, figuring out who she is, and trying her best. All of the characters felt like actual people with their own flaws and motivations.

I also loved that this book is unapologetically queer. Gabe’s queerness is established and accepted from the beginning. Hannah is queer but still figuring things out, and we get to see the beginning of that journey. We also get to see the beginning of a romance. It’s not as central to the story as other dynamics but it is sweet and new, and fragile. If we get a sequel it would be so great to see that relationship develop more.

I loved this book so much. If you are looking for a book about family, history, magic, and queerness I say yes, read this.

Jewish. Sapphic. AND fantasy. Might I add more? When reading From Dust, a Flame, I genuinely enjoyed it. However, I would say with this book it's a hit or miss. You either like it, or you don't. I would like to add more, but I feel as if I would spill too much.