I think this book will stay with me for awhile, I'm afraid the willows have taken root. I know many people draw the obvious parallels with Lovecraft, but for me this one also had some vibes that brought up touchstones from The Mist (Stephen King) and a smidge of Pan's Labyrinth. Definitely that dark otherworldliness but also the religious and/or mythical undertones throughout.

Sometimes the vastness and imagination that goes into multiverses can be overwhelming but I thought this was beautifully balanced by the characters, with their lightness and their dark humor and being so down-to-earth (which is funny, all things considered!). Carrot and Simon, and even Uncle Earl help even things out and brought levity to a quagmire of disturbing otherness.

The disquieting undertones all throughout was classic horror that I greatly appreciate. It's like a feeling you get that something is behind you and that paralyzing moment where you're deciding whether to look or not, to quickly escape or rationalize it away. In willow world or not, that feeling stays with you throughout the story and it's fabulously unsettling. On the flip side the vivid picture painted with some of the more in your face creepy situations, like the bus or Sturdivant, was grotesquely clear and so easily visualized.

I think my favorite part of all though was the last part in the Museum. It brought a whole new heartwarming element to the tale that I wasn't expecting. For lack of a better term, there really is no place like home, and the idea that your home might feel that way about you too is quite touching. All in all this was a fast paced enthralling read and I definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I received an arc of this book from Gallery Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I finally read my first Joe Hill book! I've been wanting to for some time now. I could definitely see the family resemblance, hard to miss even without all the many nods at his dad's numerous works. I don't want to compare the two, but one thing I found a little lacking here was something that King novels almost always deliver on, I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I think that seemingly little thing could have taken this book to the next level, but honestly I still enjoyed the story without that.

Wow. This book was a Godsdamned JOURNEY. The ending. Oh my gods THAT ENDING.

There were times when I wasn't sure we'd make it there, time would drag and then it would speed up and go by in a blink. If Malachiasz is chaos then this book is like living in his mind. It is chaotic and pointed at the same time. Those points are sharp though and they will exact their pound of flesh. I feel like I could read this book thousands of times and still not fully grasp everything, which can be maddening at times, but is weirdly quite fitting for this story.

This was probably even more dark and gritty and twisty than I expected. I honestly have no clue how all of this will end but I'm dying to see what happens next! I definitely need to follow this one up with something light and fluffy. Give me comfort because I'm shook.

  I loved being back in the world of the wardens! I was a fan of the original trilogy and grew to love Layla, Zayne, Roth (Bambi and Cayman too!). I shipped Layla and Roth HARD. But Zayne was such a good guy and I was so thrilled to hear we'd get more from him and maybe he'd find his match along the way too. Trinity was a welcome addition to the bunch. While I absolutely LOVED seeing Roth and Layla again, I was actually glad we started out in a new place getting to know Trinity before they made an appearance. I also thought it was great to see Zayne out of his typical element. It truly helped this story feel like something very new but also just enough comfortable familiarity that it didn't lose any stride from the original books. It works out great for new readers that haven't read the previous books first as well, of course I recommend doing so because they were great, but it wasn't necessary to enjoy this story.

I really enjoyed all the new friends/frienemies/full blown enemies in this one. Armentrout always writes compelling characters and I can't help but love them all, even the ones I want to kick in the shin repeatedly. Trinity and her makeshift family at the compound were awesome, and let's not forget to mention Peanut! Even the dead are a barrel of laughs! Zayne feels even more real to me in a way now. Like him going through everything he has in the previous books has aged/hardened him in a way I find compelling.

I also want to say I found learning about Trinity's Retinitis Pigmentosa very interesting. I really didn't know much about this disorder except for the few things the author has shared publicly about it since this is a disorder she herself has. I really admired the way Trinity handled it and the way she worked harder than most to not have it negatively impact her life anymore than it absolutely must already. I think there was a heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful, balance in the deterioration of her eyesight and the incredible amount of insight that she had, maybe because of it. I'm glad Armentrout shared this with her readers. I think it added something extra special to the story. I very much enjoyed reading this one and I can't wait to see what happens next after that crazy/awesome/devastating ending!

I'm obsessed with these books. I have to say how much I love this unique world Bishop has created. These aren't your typical shifters. I really like the fact that they're a little darker, a lot less human and a lot more other. It makes it that much more interesting to see them evolving as the story goes. The bits of humanity that are creeping in. It isn't only Meg's journey. They are all learning different things in different ways. I truly can't put these down. I'm moving right along to the next bomb installment!