4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I truly loved this book. Like. It was soft and sweet for the majority of the story with a little adventure and a little danger sprinkled in. I do wish that Ellery hadn't been thrown into the damsel in distress role for a lot of the danger, but I'll forgive Lukens for that. Knox was a pretty great hero.

I also loved the relationship between Ellery, Charley, and Zada. I love that their bond never wavered and not a single thought of "oh they hate me" rolled through their mind. I also love that for their backstory, we were mostly told instead of shown. We don't need to know how they left their family. We just need to know that was their life before and this is their life now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, & Margaret K. McElderry Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

It pains me to say that my rollercoaster with F.T. Lukens’ novels continues.

I’ve read everything they’ve published so far, with my favorite being So This Is Ever After, which was actually my first 5-star read of 2024, in January! However, with how middling my feelings have been about their previous novels, I tempered my expectations going into this. To be clear: this is a finely written book, with sweet queer/non-binary representation, and is a cozy, fast-paced read for fans of light urban fantasy. This will definitely appeal to some people, but it fell below expectations for me.
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of Lukens’s books that their style of writing tends to lean “straightforward”; with little to no prose, succinct, and very easy to read. I don’t mind that and appreciate it every so often between denser books. I think their writing style feels very appropriate for the genres and categories they write in. However, for this particular book, it felt much more spoon-fed-y than usual. Very much like: “They went to door. They picked up their keys and left. Then they went to their car, got in, and started up the car.” Which felt very out of the norm for Lukens and was surprised to see that kind of writing quality here. It felt like the type of writing you do when need to meet a word count minimum on an essay, which is something I don’t love to see in the books I read.

In terms of the concept for this novel, I’d say it was a just fine execution of the idea. A skeptic and and a magical familiar make an unlikely duo, creating a bargain in order to figure out the mystery of a five-year frost that has taken over the city their in. Great concept, and a good hook. The prologue and first chapter did such an excellent job of creating the atmosphere. It was magical and mysterious and got me pulled in. Ellery’s introduction in the first chapter was a welcome change of pace from previous characters in Lukens’s novels; Ellery is their most pessimistic by far, in my opinion, and was set up to be a great contrast to Knox. However, after the prologue and first chapter, things start stagnating. The atmosphere Lukens sets up seems to disappear while Knox and Ellery become less compelling. Great setup, with little payoff.

The plot was…confusing? Confusing as in, my expectations were not the reality. I came into this novel expecting to follow a story that was much more high stakes (though, that’s not really Lukens’ MO from what I observed, so I don’t know why I expected that) and this ended up feeling like more of a cozy story. It felt high stakes in the beginning when Knox is in danger, and once the bargain is struck between Knox and Ellery, it’s kinda just us as the readers following them around as check things off the bargain list. Which, yeah, that’s the point, but also, weird to set up high stakes and then forget about them until the end. Which, by the way, we get sort of Eurydice and Orpheus-eqsue towards the end which is random! I did gasp a little bit at that, I won’t lie, but also, very random.

However, one thing I really appreciated this time around with F.T. Lukens is that their side characters were much more distinct and present in this book! I’ve struggled to connect to some of their side characters, and a lot of them have been wildly underdeveloped (I’m looking at you, random babysitter from the last 30% of Spell Bound. I don’t even remember your name.) But! I could very clearly see who Charley, Zada, Lorelai, Bram, and even Hale were! They brought color and life to the world, and that was great to see.

Ultimately, while this has some excellent improvements from previous novels F.T. Lukens has written, it fell short for me in so many ways, especially in their writing. This is certainly an anomaly for me, and I hope their future books resonate with me more. Again: if you want a lighthearted, romance-focused urban fantasy, with queer/non-binary representation, this will probably work better for you.

This just wasn't for me, Very slow in my opinion. Thank you net gallery and the publisher for letting me read this.
Had to dnf.

This definitely a solid for 4 star book, I think that the romance was nicely done. I really did enjoy Knox’s character a lot even though I did find his love interest, Ellery to be too pessimistic at time which is why I think it took me a bit to get into the story since it did have dual POVs. I liked how the ending of the story was paced out nicely so it did not feel rushed at all. I do which we had gotten to explore more of the Other World, but overall this was a nice fantasy love story and I loved the representation.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review,

F.T. Lukens is such a good writer. To take ordinary people and put them in this magnificent circumstances and watch them stumble and thrive is a feat. This one was such a fun read with high stakes in a campy environment that made it feel like fun. It's not a middle grade story, but it has some of the vibes of those books or adventure and a journey full of twists and tricks.

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.
Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.
Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.

Got an arc from netgalley and i was to review it honestly. Fun as alwaye from F T Lukens, loved reading about knox and Ellery and their little adventures (ALSO finding love i think love is neat)
Honestly it's still missing something in deeper waters had and for that i gave it 3 stars but it's still an enjoyable medium paced story with beautiful worlds(yay!) and wording<3

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, for the chance of reading this book in exchange of an honest review.

Ellery is a seventeen years old and they are a skeptic in a place where everyone believes in gods and goddesses. Living in a city cursed five year winter, they are sure there must be a scientific explanation, or the supernatural abandoned them to scrap by, like Ellery's family and farm, forcing him to move to the city in order to help it.
Knox is a familiar and he lives in the Other World. He has to assist humans who made crossroad bargains, but when his charge is murdered at the end of one, he escapes in order to live his own life in the outside world. Without any news from his queen, fearing his coming back home, Knox is determined to live a bit, before facing the consequence of his actions, hiding from the demons bent of catching him, he meets Ellery. Ellery's world and beliefs are turned upside down when they meets Knox, saving him from supernatural being bent of kidnapping him and in order to tether him to the earth realm, they make a deal. Ellery will help him experience humans things and Knox will find a way to stop the winter in the region and help Ellery's family and farm.
But the growing connection between them will change everything.

Otherworldly is a lovely supernatural romantic story between a skeptic and a supernatural being and I loved every single page of it. The story is told by Ellery's and Know's POVs and I was so in love with everything. F.T. Lukens wrote a story set in a place cursed by a supernatural winter and a young Ellery, forced to move to the city in order to help their family's farm and their being cautious, skeptic and struggling with thoughts, anxiety and duty. Everything is changed when they meets a supernatural entity, Knox and the whole world of beliefs is turned upside down.
I loved how the author was able to describe Ellery's sense of duty, their rage and vulnerability, their feeling trapped and too responsible for their own age. feeling to be too much, too of a burden to their cousin and her girlfriend and their, slowly, realizing how much they are loved and cared for.
Knox, on the other hand, comes from a place of duty and rules and his desire to experience human things, things he learned from TV movies or series, brings him to be more and more confident in himself and in what he deserves.
F.T. Lukens wrote a romantic story about two young people falling in love, growing up and their psycological journey is mixed with a physical ones and I truly loved how the supernatural is mixed with the "normal" life.
A wonderful and brilliant story!

To say that I'm obsessed with F.T. Lukens is putting it lightly. I have almost every book of theirs and the fact that I got the arc for this one made me screeeaam. I loved this! I'm not huge on sci-fi but Lukens does a great job making it feel less complicated. I loved the romance and it was just a pleasant read all around. I enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Knox and Ellery. The golden retriever and black cat fit so well! Loved there connections and their interactions.
I loved the magic in the book and how the plot was written and developed. Author did an amazing job keeping my attention and making this book captivating!

F.T. Lukens does it again: found family, a sweet romance, and a fascinating magical world. I really love the themes of belief and trust that were explored.

Otherwordly was a delightful read. I found the dynamic between Knox and Ellery especially enjoyable (fans of black cat/golden retriever relationship tropes will too). Knox's charisma enthralled me from the start, and Ellery's grumpiness quickly became endearing. The pair's budding connection also balances well with the larger plot of fixing an endless winter. The story is neither low nor high stakes, managing to be that middle ground of cozy yet gripping.

I liked the magic of the world and all the weird creatures within. I'm a sucker for a good found family story, and Otherwordly certainly delivered. Some beats of the romance were fairly quick moving, and I wanted the climax to run a little longer before its resolution, but neither broke the immersion of the story. Love happens fast sometimes! If you're looking for a read that isn't too complicated, this book is great. If you come expecting a lot of depth, you might be disappointed. Personally, I had a great time.

Also, shout out for excellent use of they/them pronouns throughout the book. I adore the nonbinary rep!

If cozy and urban fantasy had a meet-cute and fell in love this novel would be the product and what an absolute joy it was!

Ellery, a supernatural skeptic struggling to support their family in the face of a 5 year long winter, unintentionally entangles themselves with Knox, a magical familiar from the Other World fleeing his demons (literally), in F.T. Luken’s newest release.

The found family trope is always executed to perfection in Lukens work and "Otherwordly" is no different. Of course the romance between Knox and Ellery is achingly adorable, but it is the deep bond formed from choosing your family and the willingness to fight for them that stands out. The whole cast of characters are interesting and their relationships among their group are both deeply comforting and laugh out loud funny to read (Charley is the comedic back bone of this family dynamic and I would die for her in an instant).

I love characters that leave my heart warm after I put down the book and "Otherworldy" did just that! Highly recommend this read if you want a good found family YA with some magic!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing me with this arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily!

The line between cozy romance and high-stakes urban fantasy is difficult to walk, but Otherworldly does it well. From the very first page (after the prologue, which as always is unnecessary), I was drawn into this world of eternal winter. As they grapple with their own personal struggles and desires, they are forced to confront the realities of their respective worlds and the consequences of their actions. I love that F.T. Lukens always includes queer rep without making a big deal of anything, which is refreshing.

I absolutely adored this book.
Set in the fifth year of winter, the plot follows Ellery, a non-believer in a world full of the supernatural. After a long day at work, they help out Knox, the cute boy they occasionally check out, who isn't all he appears to be.
The relationship between Knox and Ellery flourishes naturally and is a joy to read.
Lukens also fills the world with a cast of characters who are all incredibly fleshed out and hilarious to read. The world they live in is mysterious and exciting - similar to our own but with dashes of the supernatural sprinkled through, as well as being queer-norm.
Lukens has quickly become an immediate-buy for me, and Otherworldly has only cemented this fact. i'm going to be recommending it to everyone!

Otherworldly was a compelling and sweet teenage romance. We meet Ellery, a non binary high schooler who has left the farm they were raised on in order to get a job in the city. The world has been trapped in a ceaseless winter for five long years and the farm can't support itself any longer. When Ellery meets "weird hot guy" Knox who turns out to be a magical liminal person, they can't help but get attached to him. But Knox has a secret and if Ellery knows his truth it might ruin the magic that's happening between them.

Otherworldly was a quick and easy read. It felt a little bit sugary at times, there was some sort of insta-love which I'm not a huge fan of. I did like the magical creatures and the way that magical world merged with the human world. Supportive characters Charlie and Zada were a big highlight. The romance was extremely tame, there was a brief make out session and that was it.

Magical side characters were excellent. I wanted to read more about Lorelei and Bram! They were tantalizing and we only got short glimpses of them. Overall verdict, quite readable, but not very deep. A good companion for a stressful day or heavier reads.

Ellery (and all the people of the region) are stuck in a perpetual winter. A winter that has Ellery disbelieving in the goddess who seemingly abandoned the people. Because of this they also see anything supernatural as unreal.

Knox is a familiar, someone from the Other World contracted with a human to assist them on their task. He's been back and forth between the worlds several times and each time his memory is erased so he no longer remembers the people he met or what he did in the human world.

When Knox's contractor completes her task and her soul is taken in bargain, he runs from the shades who come to take him because he cannot sense his goddess. In fleeing, he bumps into Ellery who has all their disbeliefs challenged.

Ellery and Knox strike their own bargain so Knox can experience the human world and Ellery can figure out how to stop the winter, but along the way they both get more than they bargained for.

This was a fun read, pretty light and fluffy considered demons and the after life are involved, but it's also not one that will stick with me.

I devoured this book, and it was delicious 👩🏼‍🍳💋

I fell in love with the characters of Otherworldly instantly. From Knox’s innate curiosity, generosity, and unabashed naivety to Ellery’s snark, Zara’s wisdom, and Charley’s creative use of nicknames. They were the perfect found family that provided a warm & cozy juxtaposition to this frigid world they lived in.

As the unlikely duo of Ellery and Knox embark on an action-packed adventure to stop the eternal winter and get answers to their burning questions, they melt into the most adorable lovers. With their innocence and inquisitiveness, they find common ground, and their belief in one another becomes unmatched.

I loved the nod to Hadestown with a hopeful and inspiring twist at the end.

This was my first book by F.T. Lukens, but it most certainly will not be my last!

As someone who thinks Spell Bound was Lukens' best work so far, I was thrilled to see another cozy fantasy come from them. And above all, I was incredibly pleased to see that a queer story involving a nonbinary character and a shapeshifter kept those two realms separate. I see it too often, a character who can change shape or appearance being the one outside of the gender binary, and while that's fine, it gets stale. It gets stale really fast. Characters, and people for that matter, don't need a reason to be nonbinary. So I was very happy to see the main character Ellery be quite normal and quite nonbinary. I think Spell Bound helped Lukens find really strong ground for writing nonbinary characters in meaningful but casual ways. It takes practice, I know from personal experience. The plot itself was fine, I found myself somewhat annoyed every time the shades appeared to cause problems because it was so enjoyable to simply see Knox try his hand at being human and getting to know Ellery. I wanted more fluff and less plot. I wanted this to be Aquamarine, the movie about the mermaid who only has a few days to learn to be human and make her crush fall in love with her or she's doomed back to the sea. Lukens, I know you already did In Deeper Waters, but please give me your take on Aquamarine. I enjoyed the world building. I liked the magic system. I wanted Knox and Ellery to realize what was going on. I loved the background and support characters. And the crow deity was a grumpy icon. We stan. We need more of these low stakes, high fluff, soft romances in the world. While I still preferred Spell Bound, I think Otherworldly is another banger that knocks it out of the park. Highly recommend.

OTHERWORLDLY has a lot of great things going for it - snowy settings, queer characters (including non-binary), magic and a budding romance between two unlikely leads. This book was so cute, especially when Knox was trying to live his best life in the real world. That sleepover scene made me audible gush and I enjoyed Charley and Zada because they emphasized the importance of platonic and familial love as well as romantic love. Found family will always get me and I think a lot of the themes in this story were important and relatable.

I was left a little underwhelmed by the romance and fantasy elements sadly. I found the story to be rather simple and felt that the ending was resolved too quickly. While I can forgive many things because it's YA, I've read enough good YA fantasy to know that the book could've gone further. That's not to say that this isn't enjoyable, because it is. I'd just consider this to be fluffy fantasy or light fantasy and that's perfectly fine. That cover is so darn gorgeous and I champion F.T. Luken because they always tell queer focused stories and I'm always here for that! Thanks to Simon and Schuster, Margaret K. McElderry Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I’m in a romance mode lately, and this one sounded like it might have some elements my students might like. Ellery finds themselves chin deep in some fantasy/gods and shades craziness, and they’ve never believed in it before. They’re forced to accept these things are real when faced with Knox (aka weird hot guy they and their cousin see at the diner all the time) who is a familiar from the other world. Next thing you know, a romance has developed and a bargain has been struck, making things tense and risky all around with hearts now on the line. So, this book had some tough things for me: I can handle fantasy but struggle when it seems like a big stretch of reality while still supposedly in “our world”(which at times this felt like it was), I struggle with romance when there doesn’t seem to be a ton of basis for it to be built upon (which I felt like at times this one was-so much feeling in such a short time?), and I really struggle when I can’t picture characters well (& this one was mostly on me because with a non-binary main character, I really wanted to be able to picture a girl or a boy-again, that’s on me). Now for the things I enjoyed: there’s some great characters in here with Ellery’s cousin and her girlfriend who are genuinely just good people (although it felt like they all of a sudden started calling each other pet names towards the end of the book??), there’s some nice action and adventure, and the romance does come off sweet even if it felt like it was built on flimsy grounds. I love seeing more diversity in books and the “love is love vibe” as these books were nonexistent when I was young. This book was pretty clean (some profanity and violence but just kissing), and the story was easy to follow. That being said, I would have liked to have seen the Queen and Otherworld fleshed out a little more as they seemed flat. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but it wasn’t a bad change from my normal read. Overall, I can see an audience for this novel, and I’m glad it read it. I just found myself not enjoying it as much at times and would’ve liked to have seen some changed to the things that bugged me.