Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this novel!

This book is similar to other Lukens novels (I do enjoy the grumpy/sunshine troupe used in this book and the other Lukens novels) with the romance and the fantasy aspect, essentially urban fantasy. I enjoyed the set-up of this book, and it was quite fast-paced with the plot involving fantasy, though I did find the romance parts to be a bit slow, mainly in the first half of the book. The 2nd half definitely picked up. I really loved the development of the secondary characters, though I wanted a bit more development of Ellery. Their backstory was interesting, and I just wanted some more of it. Knox was fantastic, and I absolutely loved his personality as well as his development.

I definitely recommend this book if you have read other Lukens novels. I also recommend this book for anyone wanting an LGBTQ+ book that showcases the use of different pronouns, which I consider a strength of Lukens's writing.

F.T Lukens has perfectly crafted a cozy winter romance tale. The main protagonist in this story Ellery and Knox have amazing chemistry with each other. The supporting cast are just charming. Otherworldly action and lore draws the reader in but the relationships that the characters exhibit truly captative the audience. I would recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a sweet queer winter romance that packs a punch.

★ ★ ★ ★ • 4

Perfect read for the winter season. Otherworldly is a young adult, urban fantasy with story-original gods/goddesses and mythology. If you’ve read any other books by the same author and enjoyed them, you’ll definitely like this one as well.

The story follows Knox, a familiar in need of a bargain to keep himself in the human world for just awhile longer and Ellery, a human in need of answers. Together, the two of them investigate what happened to The Goddess and all of the mysteries surrounding her silence/disappearance, while unexpectedly developing feelings for each other.

Aside from Ellery and Knox, Otherworldly also features a lot of great side/supporting characters and various mythological creatures. Overall, really enjoyable read to start off the new year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!