I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Having (mostly) enjoyed HG Parry’s previous duology, picking up The Magician’s Daughter was a no-brainer. However, while those books were rather dense and heavy on world building, this is much more whimsical and fun, while still being a historical fantasy.
Even with this tonal shift, I like how Parry is still able to comment on the historical issues of the time period chosen (1912 in Britain this time), such as sexism and suffrage. It’s well-balanced against the more whimsical magical elements and doesn’t feel too out of place. And like her previous work, she’s clearly influenced by Britain’s mythology, even if it doesn’t quite beat you over the head with knowledge this time around. I liked getting to know more about how the magic worked, as well exploring the mysterious island. Parry really immerses the reader in the setting, transporting you there, allowing you to take in all the sights and smells and more.
The characters, especially the protagonist Biddy, are another of the strengths of the book. Biddy herself is intriguing, as she has such a compelling story, even if it is rooted in some familiar tropes. I particularly liked her complex relationship with the island she grew up on, loving her bond with it, while also feeling stifled by it. The story also sees her come into her own as she truly gets out into the world and learns more about herself. And she has the most adorable animal companion in Hutch!
Rowan is another interesting character, and I like how he’s a bit of a twist on the guardian/mentor figure. He’s not perfect, making a lot of mistakes, and the plot comes into motion because of his absence. He can be somewhat self-involved, but that’s tempered with signs that he does care and has decent intentions at heart.
This is a fun, lighthearted read, and I would recommend it if you’re looking for more cozy fantasy.

This was such a fun story to read. My biggest qualm with it was that the chapters were really long. I loved that it was kind of an urban fantasy, but just enough of a historical fiction fantasy, that it felt far away. Even though the main character is a 16 year old girl, it didn’t feel the like it was only written for 16 year old girls. I kind of forgot she was a teenager for part of it. The imagery for Hy-Brasil was done so well and I was able to picture it; which definitely gives the writing a magical element. Overall, a 3.75 rating. Will I recommend it to others? Yes. Would I read it again? Probably. I’m just still deciding if it’s one I would purchase for my own collection.

First things first, I absolutely love this book’s cover! It’s so unique and eye-catching. I’m on the record as disliking books using cover-models, and I’m even starting to burn out a little on the cartoonish characters (though there are still versions of this theme I can get behind.) But I think this cover does exactly what a good cover is meant to do: it communicates exactly what kind of book you’re going to get. And here, that would be a book taking place in a historical setting and featuring a fairytale-like tone of fantasy. So, well done cover artist! Let’s get to the book itself, though.

While Biddy understands that a world exists beyond the boundaries of the smile island that she shares with her magician guardian, Rowan, and his rabbit familiar, but all that she knows of it comes from books. Not only has she never seen a city, but while she knows that magic disappeared from the larger world decades ago, for her, growing up, she has been surrounded by it. But soon she sees that there are darker shadows growing in Rowans eyes every time he returns from the mysterious ventures to the outer world he goes on each night. As she finally begins to demand answers to her growing questions, she learns that there is much more going on in the world outside her home than she had ever suspected. And soon she may be needed to play a much larger role in shaping the future than she ever could have imagined.

I absolutely adored this book, as I knew I would almost from the first page of the novel. Of course, things could have always taken a turn for the dire, but the tone and style of the writing was exactly the sort that always appeals to me. The author was direct, and yet whimsical, deftly exploring the world and characters she had created while never falling into the trap of exposition or strange, narrated infodumps. On top of this, the dialogue was witty and had me laughing right from the start, particularly the interactions between Rowan and his familiar, Hutchingson.

But a book cannot live on funny dialogue alone. Indeed, for me, it really comes down to the characters themselves, and as Biddy is the protagonist with whom we travel this story alongside, the book lived and died based on her characterization. She, too, was exactly the sort of leading teenage character I enjoy. It’s a coming of age story where the character is doing exactly that…coming of age. She doesn’t start out as some “best assassin/thief/princess/etc.” and, indeed, the stories she paints about herself are challenged throughout the book. As she comes to understand the world and her own place in it, she must grow into understand the complexities of all the moving pieces and people in it. Rarely is anyone a true hero or true villain. Biddy must come to understand the adults in her life and the stories they, too, have built up around themselves and how they behave in the world and the choices they make. There were strong themes of family, choice, and the duties we have to those around us, both those with whom we are familiar and care for and those stranger who we will never meet but who we understand as humans too who deserve care and kindness as much as the next person.

I also really liked the way that the magic system was used to explore these themes. For what starts as a simple fantasy premise, that magic is leaving/has left the world, the author leverages this topic into deeper conversations about how society responds to emergencies. From what can be well-intentioned decisions going wrong to how those who seek power can take advantage to consolidate wealth into their own pockets at the expense of the many. It was really well done, and the story definitely took some twists and turns towards the last half that really surprised me and left me on the edge of my seat.

Indeed, I really have nothing to criticize about this book! I think it perfectly accomplished everything it set out to do, and it will surely appeal to all fantasy fans who are looking for a great fairytale-esque stand-alone fantasy. I can’t wait to see what the author does next! I’ll definitely be first in line to find out.

Rating 9: Heart-wrenching in all the right ways, this fairytale fantasy deftly explores important themes of individual choice and the responsibilities we have towards the least of those in society.

Link will go live 2/22

Format: Digital ARC provided by Redhook Books
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: February 28, 2023
Favorite Quote: “In every fairy tale ever told, it’s a bad idea to tangle with a magician’s daughter.”
Popsugar Challenge Prompt: A Book with a Rabbit on the cover
Thoughts: This read was deeply atmospheric, original, and nostalgic of some of my favorite younger magical reads. As soon as I began the adventure, I wanted to stay in this magical world forever. The relationship between Biddy, Rowan, and Rowan’s magical familiar, Hutchinson, was achingly beautiful and full of so much love. If you enjoy magic, found family, and adventures with high stakes you will love this coming of age story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
After reading The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, I was eager to read The Magicians Daughter.
This is such a delightful and whimsical book! If you love Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens, and the House by the Cerulean Sea, then this book is for you! Found family, magic, mages and familiars, and of course an evil opponent make this a great YA fantasy.
Biddy is a charming teen being raised by Rowan, a mage, and his familiar Hutchinson. They live on Hy-Brasil, an island that isolates the trio from the rest of the world. In fact, Biddy has never seen another person since she was found as an infant by Rowan. “Rowan was always a Raven when he wasn’t himself.”
We soon find out why Biddy is being kept away from the world, and why she might be the only one who can save it!
There are also plenty of classic book references, and situations that you will instantly recognize and love! The main characters are endearing and steadfast in their love for each other. I recommend this YA novel for young and old alike!

Let me start by saying that within minutes of finishing the ARC, I got online and placed a pre-order for a deadtree copy for my shelves. (Reader, I loved it.) I'll also disclaim up front that I really liked both of Parry's Shadow Histories books and utterly *adored* The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. I had hoped her next novel would include, if not quite the wild lit-crit-geek abandon found in Uriah Heep, and least more of the love of books and reading that permeated that work. It does.

I wasn't swept off my feet right away; upon learning that our protagonist is in her teens and feeling hemmed-in and frustrated by her insulated and isolated life on a mythical island, I proceeded a bit cautiously, wondering if I had picked up a YA novel without meaning to. (I don't hate YA, but it is angst and love interests and unhealthy relationship modeling a little to often for me to feel enthusiastic about the genre as a whole.) This is not YA--this a real coming-of-age novel, the kind of story felt most acutely by readers on the far side of that experience. And the kind that hurts, because that's what those stories do when they're done well; I'm not talking Cormac McCarthy levels of bleak here by any means, but characters you care about go through trials and don't just emerge successful and unscathed.

I mentioned that a love of books and reading is deliciously present in this story: Biddy, our protagonist, has grown up incredibly isolated, raised by a mage on the mythic island of Hy-Brasil which no one else living knows how to find. She has grown up with access to a library of books but with only her father-figure and his familiar for company. Basically, everything she knows about how to be human in the world comes from books she's read, and when she eventually finds herself having to interact with the outside world, her expectations and role models all draw on books that many readers will recognize (and be charmed by, in my case).

In many ways, this is a story steeped in intersectionality; Biddy straddles worlds she doesn't fully belong to in several ways, having her nose pressed to the glass in a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady quandary that makes you feel for her. She was raised by a mage and loves the world of magic, but she has no magic of her own and it's a world she'll always be closed off from, and she feels that exclusion acutely. When she discovers the way in which clothing and presentation allow her to "pass" and move between strata of social class out in the larger world, she has the guilt and conflicting emotions that go with a dawning awareness of privilege. The choices she judged another character for harshly turn out to have uncomfortable depth and grey-shaded nuance in the light of the discrimination and opposition that character had overcome to make it as far as she had. (In our story's world, too, early 20th century England was reliably classist and sexist. Race only makes an appearance in the form of discriminating against the Irish.)

"If you're out in the world for any length of time, there are going to be people who will accuse you of using sex as a weapon just because they're afraid it would work on them if you did. It is a weapon, if you want to use it. But it isn't the best or the only one you have, and you shouldn't ever let them make you feel it is."
(Do note that this is from an uncorrected proof and quotes may not be the same in the final work--but if they alter or remove this line of dialogue, it would be criminal.)

Parry's prose sings. I can think of no greater praise than to say that some of her sentences were so perfectly formed that they made me think of Peter S. Beagle. I swear I must have highlighted half of the e-book. Nearing the climax of the book, I was thinking, "this has been awfully fun and gorgeously written, but our protagonist has gone out into the world and learned that it's lovely but also overwhelming and that people are complicated and petty and a lot of other things besides, she's learned the hard way (because it's the only way) that parents are just people with feet of clay, that the world has darkness, but now we have arrived at our Challenge to Overcome, which will naturally work out, and I can see where her hero's journey is going to inevitably take her... but hey, it's been a good book!" It turned out that I did *not* actually know what was going to happen next and how the story would wrap up. It surprised, delighted, and wounded me in the best ways.

Thanks to Netgalley and Redhook/Orbit books for the ARC in exchange for a review. I can't claim my review is unbiased, but it has nothing to do with getting an ARC.

Steeped in magical realism, this is a story of Biddie, who is shipwrecked on an Island off Ireland and raised by Rowan the magician and his familiar, a rabbit named hutch! She finds comfort in books and doesn't venture out much until one day Rowan does not return from his nightly adventures. Biddie's childlike sense of wonder is disrupted and she now must venture out to find out what happened to Rowan, while dodging his various enemies that may or may not be responsible for his disappearance.
This is a whimsical fairy tale with lots of great character development. You see how Biddie matures over time as she's thrust into each new situation on her journey to Rowan. The bond between Rowan and hutch the rabbit is also quite touching and interesting. and reminded me a bit of the Harry Potter series. Especially as he has the ability to turn into a person during certain circumstances which is hilarious. This book would be suitable for young adults as well as adults who like fantasy along with a bit of magic!

This book really was magical! It has an innocence about it while still dealing with heavy things. The author kept you guessing on who Biddy, the main character, could trust. I liked the overall message of the book with doing what is right for everyone, not just yourself.. I will say in the last 80% of the book, I felt like the characters did too much rambling on about their thoughts and feelings. Overall, I left the story feeling warm and fuzzy!

This is my first time reading HG Parry and I love this interesting world she created. While it didn't fully hit the mark for me, I did enjoy it overall.

The story starts off with Biddy, a young girl living on the island of Hy-Brasil off the coast of Ireland. It's an actual mythical place that's said to only be visible once every seven years. Biddy has been living on the island since she was a little girl alongside her friends Rowan, a mage, and his familiar Hutch, a rabbit that can shapeshift into a human.

For her entire life, she's only known the island and its inhabitants. The black rabbits. The Puca, who can entice you to ride it and then take you on a wild ride leaving you miles from home and stuck in some thorny bushes. And the rules were simple. Don't kill the rabbits and never leave the island. So Biddy has spent her time reading books and wishing for a life beyond the bounds of the island.

At the same time, Rowan has been going off the island every night in search of magic. In this early 20th century story, magic has already been depleted in the world and while the Council is hoarding every ounce of magic that they can find, Rowan is trying to share magic with those who need it the most. Magic benefits everyone; the mages use it to perform their spells, but humans feel it whenever they get a stroke of luck or if some miracle happens. Rowan wants to restore magic in the world while the Council of mages who governs magical people want to keep it for themselves.

One day, Rowan decides that he needs Biddy to help him save magic on the earth. He tells her she has a special spell in her heart and that it can be used to help lure out the Council and get some answers. Biddy isn't magical at all, but she has a magical energy inside her. Rowan has tried to get it out, but the only way to remove it is to find the mage who put it there. So, Biddy, Rowan, and Hutch set off to London and Biddy begins her journey to the world she's always wanted to see.

You can imagine from this story alone that it was going to be a banger. It was beautifully written with a magical world, kind magicians, quirky animal sidekicks, and a young girl who is seeing the world for the first time. And the first half of the book really fills you with this idea that the rest of the book is going to be just the same! It felt like something Miyazaki wrote and there's so many similarities to stories like Howl's Moving Castle. I couldn't get enough!

But the story has one flaw and you start to see right at the halfway point of the book; it just doesn't go anywhere. Yes, Biddy works to help Rowan restore magic to the world and fights against the Council and the people on the Council, but it just loses it luster and falls flat. I felt a bit disappointed by the end and while some of it was super slow, the ending felt super rushed.

It's a shame because the characters are spectacular. I loved Biddy and she reminds me of all the readers out there who dream of different worlds to visit. I love that she uses her knowledge from the books to help her out of some scrapes. I love Morgaine, the other female character for being such a progressive person fighting for her own right to be on the Council. Rowan and Hutch were great and I even hated the villains. But it didn't all come together like I hoped and that was the frustrating part.

The ending also felt meandering. I was surprised that after everything that happens that there was still story left, but it felt like the author couldn't find a way to end the book. The final chapter did feel like an epilogue of sorts, but it also felt really unnecessary.

Granted, I still enjoyed it and if you're into a slow-burning, almost character-driven historical fantasy book, then this is for you. I was really hoping for something magical and fill me with that escapist feel, but it didn't do that for me in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to read this book before it's publication date. Unfortunately it turns out that this book was not for me, which is okay, but I was disappointed nonetheless.

To start off the emotional arcs the characters go through, like our main character Biddy and her guardian, were undeserved and written poorly, especially towards the end of the book. The first few chapters set the base for their relationship, but I was constantly told rather than shown that they care for one another. I was never invested.

I liked Hy-Brasil for the most part, and I feel like the story should have focused more on this isolated island full of wild magic rather than what we actually got: a rushed story that felt like word filler for things that didn't need describing or the main character telling us things that we already knew.

Well dang, that was cute.

HG Parry's love of books, stories, and the fantasy genre shines again in this novel about a girl raised away from civilization and surrounded by magic. When her caretaker disappears, she goes on an adventure to restore magic to the world.

This book felt like a warm hug and a return to the fantasy stories that made me fall in love with the genre. Adventure, whimsy, talking animals, friendship, and redemption are key themes.

A throwback in the best way - an adult novel that will make you feel like a kid again.

The vibe of this book is magical. The way that the setting, characters and world are realized is so good. This book had such an ethereal feeling, and the fact that it was an adult book didn't stop it from being filled with a sense of wonder. Overall, I had a really cozy and great time reading this.

This book is so magically adorable and heart wrenching. It takes you back to a sense on wonder and joy at the idea of magic and I love that the main character is not magical herself. I feel it allows you to see magic from her perspective and see the possibilities. While this book has its sad moments, I would still call it a few good book that I see myself turning to when I just want something to turn out okay. Maybe not great, but someone okay is what you need.

I hope the author does more in this universe because I greatly want to know more about the history.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book. This review is completely my own opinion

The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry Its ridiculously early in the year, but I’m calling it- this will be in my top favorite books of 2023. This was the first book I’ve read from this author, and I’m very interested in her other books. This was such an original story with such memorable characters (I mean… any movie producers out there?!?) Set in the early 1900’s on a picturesque Irish island we meet Biddy. She is an orphan rescued by Rowan, a magician, from a boat that washed upon the shore of Hy-Brasil. Together with his rabbit familiar, Hutch, they raise and care for Biddy. Biddy knows about magic, and she knows that it is in danger. The mysterious and secretive Rowan takes flight as a raven each night to rescue some of that magic to keep it away from the evil Servant of the council. Biddy finds herself accepting a dangerous position as bait. She is anxious to leave the island, but at what cost? This book was such a delight. It was the perfect amount of suspense with the such cool magic. I love the each of the characters and how each of them weaves the story together. This book is absolutely magical in every sense of the word. Make sure to pick this one up when it releases in February of this year. #kristalreads

A very sincere thank you to Net Galley and H. G. Parry for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of fantasy and good writing, this was a fantastic read. Magic, found family, mystery, and historical London.
It did a good job of taking familiar story tropes and making them original.. The story is about a girl and the magician who raised her trying to bring magic into the world- it’s full of heart and truly lovable characters. The thing I appreciated most was how the author has Biddy (main character) wrestle with understanding the complicated nature of empathy. To understand how the world makes people into what they are, good and bad, but to not let 5hat excuse them for their choices. And yet overall the story is hopeful. The perfect next read for fans of Alix Harrow and VE Schwab.

My only critique is perhaps a personal one- for a story that takes place significantly off the coast of Ireland, with an Irish main character, I really wish more of the lore of Ireland had been used. There was some, which was accurate, that I did enjoy, but I wish there had been a better sense of Irishness in parts rather than the whole book feeling very British.

The Magician’s Daughter is a book that excited me as soon as I saw the announcement. I love H.G. Parry. Her debut, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, is one of my favorite standalones of all time. It is a love letter to book lovers, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I have yet to finish reading her Shadow Histories, her incredibly well-researched (but dense) duology, but I was thrilled at the prospect of having another standalone from her. I didn’t love it quite as much as I hoped I would, as there was something about the plot and pacing that didn’t quite compel me to burn my way through the story, but The Magician’s Daughter was an absolute delight to read.

“Magic was perilous in ways that couldn’t be predicted. You never knew what you might fall into.”

Bridget, who goes by Biddy, has been raised on the magically hidden island of Hy-Brasil by a mage and his rabbit familiar. To say this is an odd upbringing would be an understatement, but Biddy knows she is loved. Perhaps more isolated than she would like, but definitely loved. However, when the council of mages catches up with Rowan, Biddy’s guardian, life on this secluded island off the coast of Ireland begins to fall apart. Magic is vanishing from the world, and the council believes that Rowan has information they need to find more of it. With Rowan in danger, Biddy endeavors to help Rowan find those answers, and maybe return magic back to the world, by leaving Hy-Brasil for the first time in her memory and visiting London, where answers to Rowan’s problems and to Biddy’s own origins might be found.

“Magic doesn’t give you credit for someone else’s sacrifice.”

There’s something about Parry’s storytelling that is incredibly cozy. Almost from page 1 I just wanted to cuddle into a big comfy chair with a soft blanket and a mug of hot chocolate and stay inside this story for ages. I was immediately taken by the odd found family in which Biddy finds herself with Rowan and Hutch. They’re without a doubt an unusual group, but the love between them all is palpable. While Biddy might have grown up without her parents, her life was never lacking love and the joy and freedom of discovery that love offered her. I also dearly loved the setting of Hy-Brasil, with its dilapidated castle and jam-packed library and abundance of black rabbits. It’s one of those fictional locales I would love to visit. Parry also did a great job portraying 1912 London when the story shifted settings, but I have to confess that I missed Hy-Brasil.

“She was a half-wild thing of ink and grass and sea breezes, raised by books and rabbit and fairy lore, and that was all she cared to be.”

The characters and setting were definitely the stars of the show here. Biddy, our main character, is sixteen when we meet her and is beginning to feel stifled by the island. She loves it, of course, but she is desperate to see something of the world. She is bookish by nature, as the only way she has ever left Hy-Brasil is through the pages of the books Rowan brings her, and that bookishness is what initially won me over. I love the above description of her. But she obviously grows and changes throughout the book and, while that growth was very well done and I respected the woman into which Biddy grew, I missed the bookish girl I first met. Rowan is one of those delightful fictional men who remind me Howl Pendragon, and I mean that in the best possible way. He bungles things often by rarely apologizes, covering mistakes with humor and bravado, or the more than occasional sulk. He’s proud and seemingly self-absorbed but, at his core, he is caring and good and would lay down his life in a heartbeat for those he loves. And then there’s Hutch. I’m a sucker for a good animal companion, and Hutch definitely fits the bill. He is nurturing and protective and fiercely loyal, whether in rabbit for or his far less common human one. He is a being of pure magic who is intrinsically bound to Rowan. I loved the bond between the two, and I loved how they always did their best to never make Biddy feel excluded from their relationship.

“Magic needed conviction. It asked for your whole heart, and promised nothing back.”

Have I mentioned how much I adore Parry’s craftsmanship? She was a beautiful way with words that had me reading certain sentences over and over again, just to admire all of their facets. You can also tell how very much books and stories matter to her, and that love shines through in her storytelling. It’s always a joy to read a story penned by someone who deeply values stories themselves, and that was definitely the case here.

“Death isn’t a habit you develop, you know, like tobacco or whiskey. It only takes once.”

The Magician’s Daughter is a beautiful, heartfelt historical fantasy that focuses on found family and what lies at the heart of magic. The writing and characters and setting all shown so brightly that the plot and pacing got a little lost in their glow. At least, such was the case for me. This is a book that I can foresee myself cuddling up with and rereading when I’m sick or sad or just need to escape to somewhere lovely, but where life isn’t as unbelievably easy as it is in some cozier fantasy that doesn’t deal in high stakes stories. The stakes are definitely high here. But the story is lovely just the same.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This wasn't as great as I was hoping for but it was still interesting and enjoyable. I thought the world building could be a little better and the characters could use more depth but it was still fairly entertaining.

“She’d been pretending her whole life, and now she wasn’t even sure who she was pretending to be.”

Growing up on a hidden island with a mage and his familiar seems like the perfect childhood. But being cut off from the world has been difficult for young Biddy. Sure, she has Rowan, and his familiar Hutch, a golden rabbit, but it can get lonely, especially because she can only talk to Hutch when he’s not in rabbit form. Because she’s not a mage, she doesn’t have access to the magic Rowan is always in contact with.

Biddy dreams of the world outside the protection of Hy-Brasil. She dreams of magic and all the possibilities that used to exist before the Council and mages started hoarding it from the world. She dreams of what would happen if it were readily available like it used to be. With so many dreams, one of them is sure to come to fruition.

Was I the only one who wanted Biddy and the Púca to become besties?

Rowan is Robinhood-esque in the way he steals magic, giving it to those that need it. The Magician’s Daughter is a shining example of what’s great with Historical Fantasy. The characters and setting are richly detailed and spot on. I adored Hy-Brasil, with the ruins, the Yew trees, the rugged coastline, and all the rabbits. The island is an idyllic place to grow up on.

This book is leisurely in the unfolding, but it works well for the story. I enjoyed the magical elements we saw and would love to see more. While this is a complete standalone, it would be nice if Parry revisited the characters down the road because I have high hopes for a Biddy/Púca bff story arc. Overall, this is a super fun read. My thanks to Redhook Books, for the ARC.

There’s something about the world that H.G. Parry has created that keeps me thinking about this books days after I finished the last page. It is set on an island off the coast of Ireland and in England. I am left feeling like this is my world, where I belong - that there really is magic. The early 20th century feel is there. The found family leaves me longing for the island they call home and cozying up with a book in the Hy-Brasil castle along with Biddy, Rowan, and Hutchincroft.
The pacing was perfect. The world-building and magical system were put together with great care.
I need to read more books by this author. She knows how to put words on a page in such a way as to engage the reader from the first paragraph. The characters are all lovable and you can feel the pain from the antagonists - well only one, really, because the other is really just selfish.
This was just an excellent read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading and e-arc of this book.
The opinions expressed above are my honest opinions.

This is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Bridget "Biddy" who is being raised by a magician and his rabbit on an island called Hy-Brasil, far away from London and a Counsel intent on keeping all available magic for themselves. The magical aspects of the story were neat and I wanted to know what happened next as Biddy's adventure unfolded. However, the social commentary felt forced (could have been woven into the story more artfully); and ultimately, my heart didn't feel much emotion about the story at all- the book was interesting to read but it didn't move me.