This story had a great premise, an intriguing cover and a blurb promising some of my fav tropes.. I had really high expectations for it. Unfortunately both the characters and the plot fell flat. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, which really puts me off a book. Plus the world building was really thin.

I was really excited to dive into this book—the cover, title, and premise seemed to promise a magical adventure I’d love. Fantasy, mystery, and a touch of adventure? Yes, please! But sadly, it didn’t deliver.

The story had potential, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The writing felt rushed and unpolished, with grammatical errors and inconsistencies that constantly pulled me out of the story. At one point, a character named Johnny was suddenly called Timmy, only to switch back to Johnny in the next paragraph. Little details like that made it hard to take the story seriously.

The world-building, which should’ve been a highlight, was barely explored. I had no idea where the story was taking place—was it a desert, a forest, or both? And the magical elements lacked depth. Arius’ powers were intriguing, but we never learned where they came from or why they mattered. The same goes for the talking frog (why??) and the mysterious Specter Order. So many questions, so few answers.

The pacing was another issue. Everything felt like it was on fast-forward. Delilah, a key character, barely got any development, and the “neighborhood” that seemed so central to the plot felt like an afterthought. I wanted to know more about the people, their powers, and their connection to the story, but instead, I got vague hints and little payoff.

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters or their struggles. I loved the concept of this book, but without the necessary depth and polish, it just didn’t work for me. That's why I'm giving it 1 aka 0 ⭐.

The cover, title and description had me intrigued. I love me some magic. The idea for the story was definitely interesting - there was a bit of fantasy, a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure. I really liked Freddy - OH SORRY, I mean Frederick 😂

As I continued reading though, it started hurting. There were many grammatical errors - typos, lacking punctuation, words in weird order. There’s a point where our main man is talking to a kid, Johnny, and calls him “Timmy”, and then Johnny again in the next paragraph. The writing style was pretty choppy, and the entire story felt VERY rushed. I also had a hard time envisioning any of the setting besides the inside of an RV. The story implies desert, but then you’re reading trees and creeks - it was a little confusing. I had a million questions that weren’t answered.

How did Arius get his magic? Why is he special? What the background for people born with magic? Why/how is there a talking frog? What’s the deal with the Specter Order? What’s the deal with Sophia?

A key part of the story is Delilah and the neighborhood, but I feel like we barely got to know Delilah at all. We definitely didn’t get to know the neighborhood well at all. I would have loved to hear about everyone’s powers. The plot felt rushed, the decisions felt rushed, the relationships felt rushed. There was little to no build up and made it hard to feel invested in the characters or their struggles. I liked the concept a lot, I would have just liked to see everything more fleshed out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Arthur Ni for the eARC!

Loved this, such a fun enjoyable read. Cant wait to see more from the author. It is very quick and easy to get through, takes us on a journey getting to know the characters and the issues they face.